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Chapter 26
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Claiming His Queen Chapter 27
[LILY'S POV.]"...I won't act like I'm not pleased, you know," Salvatore confessed as he swerved the car towards my working place.I narrowed my eyes at him, and he smiled sheepishly. He was driving me to work, my bag on my lap, and my hands still fidgety from the last time I and Adler spoke."Come on, Lily, don't act like it wasn't for the best. Yes, Adler might have presented it unconventionally, which is Soo him," he shrugged, "But I'm sure it was for the best."Unconventional was an understatement to his presentation. Correctly, it should be aggressive, and he still managed to send it across poorly.***"Sit down." Adler had ordered two days ago as I stood in his room. Making me wonder, why room? Didn't they have an office for this sort of thing?I noticed a video projector sitting just at the edge of the large, black spread covered bed as I entered the room. The curtains were grey, and I noticed he had rushed to throw a gun into a drawer.The sight of a big bed was setting off a
Claiming His Queen Chapter 28
Adler had told me I should be assertive, right? He had said not to flinch, speak my mind, and even demand what I want.But what if that person was everything your trauma embodied? What if you couldn't help but want to create enough distance because you never really moved on from him?"Honey," Clare's calm voice reached me as my fingers clutched tightly at my gown, and my knuckles turned white. "Are you okay?"Was I okay? No, I wasn't. I turned to her and nodded, lips curving as usual, "Yes, I am fine," I bent down to pick up the book I had let go some seconds ago, holding it as if it could protect me.Greg let his eyes roam on the walls, the ceiling, and even the senior citizens and my well-to-do cousin did not hesitate to show the disdain he held for every one of them.Finally, his attention was back on me, and he motioned to the door with his pupils, "Come on, somewhere private."I would have said no, told him to leave, call security on him, but knowing our history of how situation
Claiming His Queen Chapter 29
AUTHOR'S POV [ADLER]"Athena," Domenico pushed the pile of pictures to his son across the table, who stared at it confusedly, "She's beautiful, smart, and the perfect choice for getting more influence and unique heirs."If only his father understood he wasn't here at the moment, he checked his watch for the thousandth time that evening.Lily wasn't back yet, and Salvatore, as usual, left his fucking phone; he wondered what was keeping them. And while he decided to reassure himself she was okay and might be a few delays, with each minute that passed, he became restless.To give himself something to do, he stared down at the pictures.He'd give it to this 'jewel of Italy,' she was a beauty, more like a glittering pearl. He dropped the first picture, feeling bored already.The thing was, if he were still running around, still finding Lily, she still wouldn't have done it for him. With hair darker than coal and eyes a beautiful shade of brown.But still...Where the hell was Lily? He look
Claiming His Queen Chapter 30
AUTHOR'S POV.It was at three the next day that Adler had thrown on a black hoodie and was making his way to the garage to pull out the most ordinary car in the manor when he found Priest, Rune, and Kyra training in a ring.They each had their hands wrapped, attacking and defending, and as usual, Rune had all of his attention on Kyra, provoking her to draw blood from him.Rune had his special kind of madness.As he passed them, they all stopped; Priest walked up to the rope, resting against it with his arms out of the strings as he scrutinised Adler."Black hoodie and joggers, let me guess," he raised a brow, "A raid?"Adler stopped turning to find their eyes on him. Rune, mischievously smiling behind Kyra, told Adler he already knew what was happening.To Priest, he ordered, "Forget about bringing Lily back today; I'll take care of it.""Of course you will," Rune crooned, winking at his boss, and seeing the glare, he quickly turned around.Priest climbed out of the ring, jumping dow
Claiming His Queen Chapter 31
But could he cause chaos right here? In front of her? She loved this job so much that she'd instead turn down a higher-paying one to stick to what he considered the most stressful job._Rather stay two weeks without a raid than do this._Her company reached forward and wiped a tear from her lash to which, in response, she gave him her infamous smile, except this time it was genuine.Adler's finger slowly trailed away from the gun; her sad smile was genuine, so this dude wasn't a threat; he felt relieved; there would be no rough handling in front of her.But now, instead of rage, hot jealousy engulfed him, watching them hold hands.Fine, call him insecure, but it was hard for nobody else to notice what had drawn him to her. But what had drawn him to her? What made him see the halo above her head? It seemed brighter every damn time they tried to taint her name.Her eyes fell on him, and she squinted, looking unsure at first, even arranging her glasses, and seeing he had been caught alr
Claiming His Queen Chapter 32
_"So this girl, if you find her..." His one-night stand peered into his face as he stared up at the ceiling, tangled in another strange sheet of a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl, "𝒊𝒇 you eventually find her; what next?"What next?He felt her hand on the tattoo on his chest, tracing the L in the LILY. Reflex kicked in, and he snatched her wrist, pushing it back at her side, "Don't go wandering," he muttered, dropping his feet down and going to the bathroom.Ended up on another bed. He ended up saying her name and touching her hair in his dreams.All this, but it wasn't her.Just another girl.With her features."Whoever she is, Don, She'll be terrified of you; anyone would be." He turned towards the girl; although he couldn't fully make her out in the dimness of the room, he could make out her frame pulling back.And he answered, "She's not just anyone."***Then it had been him hoping, but right now, staring at her scrunching her nose at the log book, oblivious to the senior citizens
Claiming His Queen Chapter 33
[SALVATORE]If he had to be honest, he was avoiding Lily as much as he could, and it seemed she had noticed, for she also gave him his space.Salvatore ran his hand over the bandage Adler had made him wrap around his ankle. He sighed; the Boss was going out of his way to make his lie genuine.That he had been limping around Lily for three days straight was proof of it. Most of the times he met her, she was being brought back from work by Rune, for Adler had been so busy he was rarely at the manor.One could even say everything had returned to normal, Boss Domenico seemed to have forgotten about Lily, and Eva only came out in the evenings; there was no more confrontation.But today, he stood up from the bed, putting on his crucifix and running his fingers through his hair; he was ready to see her again. His apologies were in a brown wrapper, a result of spending hours in the Library.If she forgave him, she might be sharing his private spot again. He slipped his cell phone into his poc
Claiming His Queen Chapter 34
AUTHOR'S POV [ADLER]Climbing down the car, his first action was to raise his head, scanning the house, precisely her room window.It was a habit he couldn't do without, wanting to find out if she was home, even though he knew he couldn't tell by just looking at the always wide-opened glass.With the back of his palm, he wiped the blood rolling down the side of his head. He needed a hot shower; he smelled of rubber and burning flesh.What could he say? His day had gone rough.He slammed the door shut and went to the booth; pulling out a black bag, he moved straight into the house. And standing at the entrance, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.The last time he had this feeling, his world had gone through a significant change, and not the good kind. It had been a turning point in his life, a moment that shattered his sense of security and innocence. As he stepped into the dimly lit hallway, memories of that fateful day resurfaced, and a shiver ran down his spi
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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
