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Chapter 197
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Claiming His Queen Chapter 198
"Why does he want to see you?"Rune asked as they strolled along the walkway with Luigi's bodyguard leading the way and taking them to his boss."He said nothing," Kyra answered, staring ahead and inhaling the damp country air. "it sounded important. "Well, it better be, Rune scoffed inwardly; driving down to the billionaire offspring ranch and enduring Kyra's constant hate stares better be worth it. She was still mad at him despite everything he said being an obvious joke. It had to be the way Adler told it; the fucker had no sense of humor, else why exactly would Kyra still be mad at an apparent effort to crack her up?There was also the probability that she didn't want him around when she worked, and according to her, he ruined things, which wasn't fair on her end.He would have proved her wrong by granting her wish and staying away from this one, but goddamn it, letting her alone to a billionaire... Didn't sit well on his radar. What exactly did Luigi Guardiola want?
Claiming His Queen Chapter 199
ADLEROld habits died hard, for even in his sleep, he reached for a feel of her. But when his fingers caressed the sheets instead, he groaned in frustration.To think it was just day five. Surviving the next nine days was going to be a nightmare. The first five were a miracle, for she didn't help matters, showing to have breakfast with him in a long shirt so he could catch a glimpse of her garter.Those mornings, he found himself losing interest in the food and craving something else. But she didn't pay him her attention, speaking softly over the phone with worry etched on her face as she gave out her flower preference.He didn't care for no damn wedding. He just wanted her, and this wasn't the way it was supposed to go."Needles on the bed?" Adler opened an eye to see Kyra sitting cross-legged on a chair before his bed. He blinked at her, then shut both eyes before muttering, "When I sent my father away, I didn't ask you to take his place. How did you get in?""Lest you
Claiming His Queen Chapter 200
***KYRA.Attempting to slip out of the manor unnoticed by Rune, she discovered him already stationed by the car, sporting dark shades and maintaining an enigmatic silence, leaving her vexed as she couldn't discern where his gaze lay.Yet, his grumbled replies to her inquiries revealed that he still harbored the irritation that had lingered since they departed Luigi's ranch.It was evening when they arrived at Fish Town. Entering the bar and finding it without the buzz it was usually known for told her she had hit the jackpot. It made enough sense that she had secretly stalked Guardiola down to the small town.Rocking a dark shoulder-length blonde wig and brown jumpsuit, if anything, she was glad that, for the first time, she got the style right. The cloth hiding the gun strapped to her knee was just perfect. Now she only needed to figure out what to do with him— she narrowed her eyes at Rune rigidly sitting in front of her, chin up and shades still in place."You need
Claiming His Queen Chapter 201
Ruslan! The same Ruslan who was supposed to be dead? The one Adler supposedly killed and threw off a cliff? He couldn't possibly still be alive!"Damn!" Rune cursed under his breath. Feeling her heart racing uncontrollably, Kyra turned her attention back to the stage, her mind reeling with disbelief. If Ruslan was here causing such a stir, then anything was possible.Brown-haired, dug into his pocket and retrieved a lollipop, unwrapping it with deliberate slowness. Kyra frowned, the cherry-colored candy not matching his ruthless reputation. As he popped it into his mouth, the crack echoed through the room.He discarded the stick with a flick, then grinned at the crowd. "Good evening, gentlemen." The audience remained eerily silent, tension thick in the air. Some seemed frozen in place, while others exchanged nervous glances. Kyra found herself holding her breath, along with many others in the room.Then, without breaking eye contact, Ruslan spoke again, his voice smooth and
Claiming His Queen 202
LILY. My phone buzzed for the thousandth time in four hours, and looking down at the screen, a small, annoyed smile curved my lips. "Adler?" Tamara nudged me gently with her shoulder, and all thanks to the blue and red lights in the club, I could see the sly smirk on her face. "Girl, that man wants to be all up in your business." She should know. Because the last time I picked up Adler's call, he had informed me how he was done with the meeting with Luigi and was off to shore. Telling me I could take my time, so why couldn't he leave my phone alone?'Oh, Adler' I dropped the phone screen to the table and laughed, "I'm sure he just wants to ask if I need a ride back to the manor.""Or ask if you're drinking, or ask if your feet hurt, or ask if we're stressing you," Tamara counted with her fingers, then taking her glass of punch from the table, pouted, "I wish I had someone who'd bug me like that."Antonio appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissin
Claiming His Queen Chapter 203
It was supposed to be over.Adler sprinted from the car, rushing towards the hospital entrance. The scent of antiseptic, the echoes of pain, and the hurried nurses with stretchers sent shivers down his spine.This wasn't where he wanted her to be. Damn him! Damn him to the deepest part of hell! He would have picked her up when she said she was ready not to drive to fucking shore!The last he called, it wasn't Antonio, he heard; it was a scared shitty Tamara, trying to tell him amidst her sobs that they were in the hospital.He had tried to reach her after Kyra called him to inform him about the new development. But she wasn't picking, surely tired of his constant concern, and decided to cut him off for the night. It was the wrong time to do that.He was careless with Ruslan now the son of a bitch was back from the dead, setting the stage so they continued from where they had left off. And the bastard understood him so well to know how to do that. Adler stood disoriented
Claiming His Queen Chapter 204
LILY My consciousness began to stir, and my lids reluctantly fluttered open, catching the fluorescent glow close to the dressing mirror in front of my bed. Seeing Adler seated silently in the dark, facing the mirror and cleaning a gun with a small torch, the scale left my eyes, and I sat up, letting the covers drop to my waist. Since the confetti bomb attack three days ago, he had been a shadow of himself, gazing into space when he was with me, and when we embraced, he did it like it was going to be the last time he would see me. Also, he refused to tell what exactly had occurred that night. When he did, it was to loosely explain that he had overreacted. Which I knew he hadn't. Kyra refused to tell me a thing, and Adler made sure Rune was nowhere close to me to spill the truth. But I noticed that the soldiers that roamed the Manor's compound had doubled, and when Adler wasn't around for the night, a couple of them stood by my door, refusing to say a thing even when my eyes d
Claiming His Queen Chapter 205
ADLER"Did you miss me? Cousin?" Last night, while Rune stood out of breath, unable to input a word, Kyra narrated their ordeal.For the first time in his life, he had found something unbelievable. which in their world wasn't even a thing.But now, seeing Ruslan posing in front of him after finding out they shared an ancestry felt natural, like something he could believe, and so he did. Sat before the computer stared ahead and said nothing.Ruslan's lips quivered slightly as he remarked, "Not quite the welcome I anticipated, but I'll accept it. Aren't you curious how I managed to survive?"Yeah, he wanted to know. How it fucking happened. Even if the stab hadn't killed him, the cliff was supposed to. If the cliff hadn't, the water should have. Was this just his bad luck? Or Ruslan's good luck?Ruslan leaned towards the screen, a palm supporting his chin; he whispered, "One secret: a noble's Katana can't kill him. You didn't deserve to hold it. It didn't deserve the desecration.""T
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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
