From Slave To Queen (Athena and Michael) novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Soon, I tell myself. I close my eyes, inhale her wild scent, and caress her cheeks before opening them again.

“We must return,” I say, feeling the unrest of the others.

“Do you remember our meetings when we were physically apart?”

“In the dreams?”

“That’s right.” My lips brush hers fleetingly. “Find me.”

Without another word. I grab her hand and bring her back to the path, where her bodyguard awaits with a

a sullen stance. He still hides, his face under the shadows of his hood.

“Here she is, in one piece.”

Abraxas grumbles and pulls Elara along with him. I observe every small movement closely. Her hands have stopped trembling; she grips the folds of her dress and climbs into the carriage. The door thuds shut. Her eyes seek mine, and though I remain still, I try to convey all the promises I intend to keep later. She tries to keep her lips from trembling in a smile, but nothing escapes my thorough

crutiny

“Let’s go,” I say to my men as soon as I see Elara’s carriage resume its journey.

We’re nearly at the mansion’s doors, so the rest of the ride is trivial. I jump from the carriage, expecting no grand welcome. Adjusting my suit jacket, I walk into the mansion with purposeful strides,

Acron’s feeder, Walter, watches me with barely concealed interest.

“Can I help you with something?” he asks, tinged with sarcasm.

“Highly unlikely,” I respond, matching his tone.

I take a step toward him. Though I try not to be overtly threatening, I must fail, judging by how his shoulders shrink a bit. I’m not foolish enough to think I can harm hin without inviting his master’s wrath–especially considering his attachment to him. Still, Walter doesn’t seem to realize that.

“You seem offended,” I say mordantly. “Let’s skip the pretense and just tell me what you have to say, human. I don’t have time for trifles.”

“Elara is a trifle?” he raises a brow, defiant. “If she means anything to you, let her go. Let her be happy–even if it’s not with you. You don’t make her bloom; you wither her. You block out the sun she needs to grow.

I summon calm not to succumb to disproportionate fury,

“Mind your own business,” I reply, tilting my head like assessing potential prey. “After all, I don’t meddle in your tragic love story. Do you really think Aeron would stand up for you to hush the ugly rumors? Oh, mortal, he will never defend you.”

“You’re only saying what you’d do

“You’re quite wrong if you think they’re that different. Watch closely–we’re all hungry for something. Giro is hungry for love, and your precious Aeron? For power. If you become a pebble in his shoe, he’ll crush you in an instant. That’s the appeal of mortal life for us–how easily it can be snuffed out”

The chill triggered by my words shakes him head to toe. Perhaps I exaggerated a bit to scare him. I can’t say for certain whether Aeron would choose him, but I do know the man feels a strong pull toward the human.

A throat clears behind me, interrupting the satisfaction of unsettling the loudmouth. I flash a cutting smile and walk past him to face his master, who’s watching us both with displeasure. He casts a fleeting glance at his feeder and lover, then motions with his chin for me to follow

We reach his study. I sit across from the desk and wait for him to take his seat.

“Why did you want to see me?” I cross one leg over the other. “I have better things to do than talk to a traitor.”

Aeron scoffe

“We’ve already talked about this. It’s in the Treaties. It’s law”

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Chapter 149

“And your loyalty? I’m your proclaimed leader, and you stabbed me in the back.”

“We’re not discussing this again.”“

“I could kill you i

you if I wanted,” I declare.

“You won’t, because you’re smart, Cassian. You know chaos rarely brings good, and killing every Pure who defies your wishes would only bring more trouble than we already have.”

“You say that like I care whether we live or die.”

“Maybe you don’t care about yourself, or us–but I know someone whose survival does matter to you. Or am I wrong?”

I narrow my eyes in a feral stare.

“Spit it out already.”

Instead of speaking, he hands me what appears to be a letter. I take it with my gloved hands and examine the writing closely.

“When were you planning to tell us the shapeshifters are stronger than we thought?”

My eyes trace every curve of the letters as I bite my tongue to stop the growl rising in my throat. This was clearly written by shapeshifters–possibly Ragna herself–which only fuels my rage.

“When I deemed it necessary.

Aeron exhales, exasperated.

“It says here, quite clearly, that they want her.” He rubs the base of his beard. His shoulder–length silvery hair glows in the light from the window. “You asked about my loyalty. Well, here it is. I won’t tell anyone about this letter–or more specifically, about the demands written here. As you understand, we must warn our people of the impending threat. However, I won’t mention her.”

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