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Chapter 175
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Claiming His Queen Chapter 176
Tugging at my pajama waistband, I looked around at the dimly lit room. It was evening, and I was already back from the library, already in woolen pajamas and ready for a quiet evening with my thoughts.A few hours ago, I was at the Cafe with Cade, and he didn't mince words. He spoke without reservations, letting everything out.I stayed quiet, watching him try to pull his emotions together. Emotions that mainly consisted of frustration and puzzlement gave me the idea that it wasn't long ago that Dario broke the news to him.“You're still in love with him, Lily, as much as you don't want to be and maybe just as much as you want to stay dead.”Clasping my hand in front of me, I asked, “Does Alessia know about this?”“No, not yet, Dario emphasized on not telling her.” looking at me one last time, Cade picked up my hands and pressed his lips on my knuckles. “I will miss you. A lot.”Then he dropped it back and left the table. And I continued to stare ahead, seeing blurs and drowning in th
Claiming His Queen Chapter 177
SALVATORE"...What do you think you're doing?"He fought off a groan at the sound of Kyra's voice at the doorway as he pulled the last-pressed shirt from the wardrobe. Veering around, he threw it into the filled box and finally pinned her with his eyes."Hello, Kyra, you look stressed." As she entered the room, her gaze shifted from the box to him, his fingers busy with the buttons of his white button-down shirt. "Perhaps it's because I'm shouldering the workload of four people?" she pondered aloud, then queried, "And I did ask: What exactly do you think you're doing?""Leaving? Is that a word you're accustomed to?" He gestured lazily with his chin, "Were you intentionally dipped in blood?"Observing the state of her wrapped knuckles, he discerned the answers without words. Kyra had succumbed to rage again, and he was certain whoever set her off lay elsewhere.Surveying the havoc she wrought upon his floor, he couldn't help but frown.A couple of weeks since Adler had jilted them, a
Claiming His Queen Chapter 178
LILYThe noise of glass shattering to bits had my lids snapping open, and as I reached out to touch Adler, my heart thudded wildly, seeing I was alone.I touched his side of the bed and found it still warm. At the same time, another crash hit my ears, sending me scrambling out of bed and yanking open drawers, looking for the pistol I knew he always had with him.When I found it sitting pretty in the bedside table drawer, my hands trembled as I grabbed it, feeling the weight of its familiarity. Memories seared into my thoughts, **'Right?"****"Right..."**I gasped and swallowed, feeling the urge to throw the weapon out the window and fling myself into harm's way, but then—a couple of gunshots echoed through the house, and loud grunts reached my ear—Adler was there.Cold fear rippled down my spine as I flung open the door, the chaos downstairs growing louder, making it hard to breathe. With my finger on the trigger, I prepared for my second kill.But reaching the top of the stairs, I
Claiming His Queen Chapter 179
ADLER The annoyance of being unable to retaliate against Rune, knowing Lily was watching, only intensified the ache of his wound.Adler held the end of the bandage with his teeth, positioning the length over the slash that had taken a long time to cease bleeding despite bathing it with alcohol. His rage doubled.And the way she fused over Rune, ignoring that he was practically bleeding to death, was just so unfair. Rune pressed the gun to his head first and would have left him half dead if Adler hadn't pulled a fast one on him; now, he was the bad guy while Rune soaked in all of her attention.What if he saved her and hid her? He wouldn't have gotten an opportunity if he hadn't made that grave mistake, but the deed was done. The bandage slipped from the slash and his grip. He was about cursing under his breath when he heard her call from the door, "You need help?"Looking up to find her arms crossed on her chest, his annoyance trickled away, and in its place, he fawned; so what if R
Claiming His Queen Chapter 180
He figured he was in a potential war zone when he entered the dark room. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he hoped to catch her silhouette standing around.But assisted by the dull bedside lamp, he noticed the outline on the bed first and sighed; she had gotten so tired of waiting she had damned her sultry promises of, 'See you tonight, baby' and crawled to bed.She was probably exhausted from the sightseeing she had pressured Rune to go on with her, leaving him in the house constantly looking out the window, hoping to catch the first sight of her returning...It became evident that he had been approaching it incorrectly as their laughter preceded the arrival of Rune, whose hands suggested he had been working outside, assisting Lily, whose flushed face hinted at his persistent teasing.Adler caught a loud sigh threatening to escape; he was just as tired; the dent he and Rune left in their struggle had needed a lot of repair, and he was just as happy to get his hands moving, unawa
Claiming His Queen Chapter 181
I remained frozen, unable to move, transfixed by the figure lounging on the sofa, legs crossed. Domenico's cigarette smoke filled the air, adding to the tension as he locked eyes with me, momentarily leaving me dazed..Adler's shirt barely reached the middle of my thighs, offering little comfort against the penetrating gaze that seemed to strip me naked. The room felt oppressively dark, and the atmosphere was heavy with an unspoken threat. I wanted to glance behind me, to check if Adler was nearby, but I couldn't bring myself to break the intense eye contact with Domenico. It wasn't bravery that held my gaze; it was more like a strange compulsion, as if I were under some spell."You haven't changed much," Domenico remarked. What should I say? Was it the pregnancy? The inability to move on from my past, or that he should go fuck himself because it was none of his business.The only place that was happening was in an alternative realm. This man ...was the epitome of evil. "You were
Claiming His Queen Chapter 182
I blinked at the man seated before me, who unexpectedly didn't own an ounce of the amusement he had driven the conversation with. He searched my face, reading my restricted expressions, and there and then, I knew it wasn't impossible that he heard my heartbeat go silent."That's not my choice to make," my strangled voice finally came up, "Adler decided to leave Campani...""Bullshit," he said with an even voice, "You don't know what you're doing, do you?"He stood up and walked towards me, and I sighed when he passed me and returned with a porcelain vase. Studying its intricate designs and humming out his approval as he found his seat."Adler is a wild animal," he gave a quick laugh, "He and I like to say that I was the reason he turned out this way: bloodthirsty, beastly strength, and insatiable," He placed the vase on the table, catching my attention once again, "That is far from the truth, Adler was born this way. His mother's death only made it unmanageable,"I whispered as if to
Claiming His Queen Chapter 183
Ninety-nine thoughts were in my head, and Adler was on all of them; well, not in a sweet way, no matter how much I wanted it to be, but that feeling that made me want to flinch from touch and hide behind closed doors. Which I did until Rune pulled me out and yanked me back for a walk into the woods to finish the swing we had been working on the day before. I didn't want to because seeing it woke the reminder that it was a waste of time. Unconsciously, I shook the thought out of my head, inhaled profoundly, and threw Rune a bottle of water when I saw he was drenched in sweat due to being too close to the weldingNow, he turned off the machine, and I pulled off my earplugs, seeing him do the same. He walked towards me, searching my face as he made his way past me and snatched another bottle of water, unscrewing it first before he said, "I heard everything Domenico said. "I turned sharply to find him already drinking, and he turned towards me, "You did?"It took him some time to fini
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Claiming His Queen Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER**RUNE—KYRA**"...I'm just saying it's not fair Laron gets to spend the summer break with Luigi," Rune followed Kyra to Laron's wardrobe. "Luigi gets all of his weekends. What time do I get to have?"Kyra snatched Rune's equestrian leggings and walked back to the bed. "You're exaggerating again." She folded the leggings and tucked them into Laron's nearly overflowing box before turning to him. "You gave him the go-ahead, remember?""Yeah, but that was before I realized it was for a whole month. He's monopolizing all of Laron's free time," Rune sighed, flopping onto Laron's bed dramatically. "I just miss hanging out with my son, you know?"She stayed silent, and when he looked up, she was staring at him."Why?""Well," she zipped the bag close and walked up to him, "why does it seem like you haven't learned how to tell Laron no?"Rune frowned. "What are you saying? I tell him no all the time.""No, you don't." She straddled him, placing her hand flat on his chest. "Alri
Claiming His Queen Chapter 240
ADLERWhen he reached the Villa, the memories came hurling in. The last time he had been here, under that open shed, Larissa and Dimitri were having the time of their lives.He could still remember the lively evening, how he heard the chatters as soon as he parked, looking around him at the goons on every turn.Presently there was no single soul on this premises, but Adler knew better.Parking Kyra's motorcycle right in the center of the compound, he observed the house, its windows, all dark, except one of them, on the ground floor, the orange glow giving it an eerie touch.The gun firm in his left hand, Adler moved through the shadows, the moonlight his aid as he advanced headfirst through the entrance.Maneuvering his way through doors, following the orange glow, he placed his finger readily on the trigger, listening for a sound.But nothing came, just the faint silence.He felt it was coming to this, watching his opponent spiral down a rabbit hole as he struggled with the obsession
Claiming His Queen 239
ADLER**FOUR MONTHS AGO**He could hear the elevator go down and for the first time in his life since the afternoon his mother died, he wanted to drop to his knees and give it all up.It was over. The wet towel seemed to burn against his skin, the wet towel over his head was now hot lava, and the metal around his finger was rapidly heating up and cutting off his circulation.He couldn't make it, there was no use trying, for what he had done, this was well-deserved, two hells in one lifetime, he dared anyone to beat that?But Lily? His mind tugged. What about Lily? The thought that he was never going to see her again was too great a loss to take without trying.Adler rose.Then came the beam, whirling down and landing on where his lower legs were supposed to have been if he hadn't rolled over just in time, his palm flattened on the hot ground.Holy fuck! He snapped it back to himself and hastily yanked out the hot ring, hoping to save it but then kicked against the idea when the band s
Claiming His Queen Chapter 238
SALVATORESalvatore stirred, his lids opening as he gradually regained consciousness, eyes meeting the bright lights of the chandeliers above him.His head felt like a shattered egg, memories mangled and hitting him piece by piece, as the familiar aura registered. He was still in the manor, he could tell, but where exactly?The wails of a baby had his eyes snapping fully open, and Salvatore was sitting up in a jolt. The pain that went through him was like torrents, his head felt heavy, and the world around him seemed to spin."Hey look, our main guest is awake," Victor's taunts clouded his ears. "Christ, don't go back to sleep again, we've been waiting."Salvatore struggled to his feet, the sight before him sending his heart thudding.Victor sat on a settee, crossed-legged, with Eva beside him, hair stuck to her wet face, and her red-rimmed eyes staring forward, the hopelessness in them so obvious.If Constance's cries came from the crib, next to a goon, then where was Lily? He turne
Claiming His Queen 237
RUNERune could taste the blood that coated his mouth. Still, he gritted his teeth, refusing to let the cries out. With his hands held back, the old man pounded his fist into his abdomen unrelentingly.The pain was excruciating, each blow sending shockwaves through his body. Rune's vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay conscious, to keep thinking.There was no way out of this, he knew. They were behind closed doors, in a room that smelled like dust and cobwebs; no one could hear him here.Well, no one except Laron, whom he constantly ordered to shut his eyes. The boy stood before the second goon, eyes shut, yet tears still rolled down his face.Every sniffle he heard from Laron cut through like a knife, and he wished he could do something, be the super dad Laron believed in, but right now the only thing he could do was stare at the floor."Had enough?" the old man sneered, his knuckles smeared with Rune's blood. "I thought to make this easier on you, but..." He grabbed a handf
Claiming His Queen Chapter 236
SALVATORE"...What did you use this time?" Salvatore asked, slamming the booth shut. "Will they live?"Rune blinked, staring wide-eyed at him. "You wanted them to live?"Kyra's head shot up from the driver's seat. "What did you do?"Rune chuckled, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I'm kidding. The soldiers are alive. They'll feel some type of way tomorrow, but that's just Ketamine for ya."Salvatore fought the urge to pull out a pistol and aim at the fucker's right leg. This wasn't the time to be stupid; tension was high, and it was D-day.Just like Rune had promised, the compound had few goons, and they also seemed to be in panic. It would be this way until they got out of this godforsaken place."The back gate is empty," Rune whispered as he walked up to Kyra, cupping her face with both hands and kissing her full on the lips. "See you on the other side in a few minutes, Princess."But she drew him back in. Urgh, Salvatore groaned and turned away. Those two behaved like they wer
Claiming His Queen Chapter 235
SALVATORE"...There's been another attack." Victor inhaled the smoke from the lit end of his cigar. "It happened at the same time as the fire yesterday. Ruslan is finally convinced of my innocence."Salvatore shared a glance with Kyra and then back at Victor. Was he actually saying the fire he had started to disrupt the engagement and that had somehow gotten out of hand was connected with an attack?Quietly wincing as the cloth grazed his partially burnt arm, Salvatore returned his gaze to Victor, who was suddenly deep in thought."I'll be gone again," Victor waved away the smoke, "but this time for a few days. Again, Salvatore will stay behind. I wish it didn't have to be so, but I need someone I can trust to keep Eva safe."He resisted the urge to share another glance with his sister. Even though he couldn't read anything on her straight countenance, he knew she was still mad at him."Can you?" Victor asked. "I can easily put her under Kyra's care. Give my father's favorite princess
Claiming His Queen Chapter 234
EVASince Victor came back, he had been so busy he barely found time to see her. The days seemed even more void, the future gloomy. Hiding away in the confines of this room, she listened to the sound of the chapter of her life closing.Now she climbed down the bed, went to her wardrobe, and crouching to her knees, pulled open a compartment and brought out a small wooden box. It had been months since she last looked at its contents, afraid it would bring back unwanted memories and reignite her obsession with him, but here she was.Eva looked behind her at the door, then back at the box. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover, staring absently at the contents inside a little beaded necklace that held a crucifix. His crucifix.She had sunk so low as to steal a part of him while he slept. She doubted he ever searched for it. If he did, he’d know it was missing and no longer in the pretty house that smelled of him.She struggled, praying for the embarrassment to wash over her so
Claiming His Queen Chapter 233
LILY"I was six when I discovered that the convent sisters who came once a week to take children from the orphanage were anything but angels," Ruslan said, rocking my daughter's cradle. "It became clear why the boys never came back, and the girls who did barely lived."Twenty minutes ago, I had laid my sleeping daughter in her crib and rushed into the bathroom for a quick soak, despite knowing she wouldn't stir.Two seconds ago, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my chest and damp hair still dripping, only to see Ruslan standing over Constance's crib and staring at her.Even though he didn't touch her, my racing pulse refused to die down.But he paid no heed to my presence and continued, "They needed us in a coal mine in this little spot in Serbia." He paused, his gaze remote. "Our starved, wiry, agile bodies were the perfect fit for narrow spaces, running errands, and sometimes checking if the explosives had completed their work."My hawk-like eyes on Constance made it
