A Sinless Betrayal by Cherie Benjamin (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📖

like you desired."

He breathes through his nose and looks down at the floor. "And what of his whore?"

"Dungeons," I whisper. "I left her for you."

He looks up at me, his big brown eyes sparkling. "You're acting like a true queen. If I were to die, you'd be successful in running the kingdom."

My face pales instantly, even though I know that he's only jesting with me. "I would never be able to run the kingdom without you by my side. I was already scared enough when you weren't waking up."

He leans forward and rests his head on my shoulder. He's so big and tall that it causes him to hunch a considerable amount. Abigor places two big hands on my swelling stomach and feels the baby moving around inside of me. I'm six months pregnant and getting bigger.

"I…love you." He whispers softly to me. "Always."

"Can you stand?" I whisper to him, sliding off of the silky sheets and onto the floor. "I should probably clean your wounds and replace the bandages. The maids left the items on the table."

He slides out of bed with ease and comes to stand beside me at the table. Carefully, I finger the edge of the bandage and undo it, watching as it falls around him. As I go for the water to clean it with, I notice something.

"Hmm. Was it on the other side?" I say, noticing that there's no wound on his right side. I check the other side, my eyes growing wide. "Where did it go?" I ask.

I saw him get stabbed in the stomach, on his right side. It was there. I saw it with my own eyes. I look up at him in shock. He seems nonchalant about the missing wound. "I healed," he simply said.

"But…but it's impossible to heal in three days! That wound was deeply punctured, I-I…" I skirt my fingers over the smooth skin that was once jagged and bloody.

I look up at him in shock, only to reel back in even more shock. His skin is rejecting the stitching thread as the skin knits back together like it was never sliced apart.

"I heal," he says softly. "That's why I woke up. No normal human being would have been able to survive that attack. I remember it clear as day, Tiger Claw…the sword was deep in my stomach."

His wound is fully healed by the time he's done speaking. "It's because you're the last shapeshifter," I ask him. "Isn't it?"

He reaches behind me and grabs one of the beautiful, curved daggers from the table and runs the blade across his flesh. I cry out in shock but as soon as the skin splits, it knits back together again.

He whistles a little. "I guess it's going to be hard to kill me, eh?" he pokes at me. I frown at him. After three days of hell without him, I'm not really in the mood to be joking about Abigor's near death experience. He notices me pouting and wraps me in his strong arms.

I succumb to his warmth and bury my face in his chest. I've missed his embrace far too much. I sigh as he bends down and kisses my temple. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere for a long time. You'll be stuck with me for good now."

I look up at him with a relieved look in my eyes. He smiles down at me, making my heart melt. Gods, how lucky am I? "And you're stuck with me," I reply with a little humour in my tone. I'm giving in a little bit. I can't help it if he makes me feel happy.

"Sweet, sweet torture…" he murmurs, his hands roaming down my back and over the curve of my hips. "With you…forever."

We kiss briefly, my heart fluttering my chest. He pulls away only to plant more kisses all over my face. "Three days without kissing you," he mumbles between kisses. "I must make up for the loss."

I laugh when his lips touch the side of my neck--a ticklish feeling. "Stop that," I giggle.

He pulls away finally with a large smile on his face. "I should probably go alert my people that I'm alive."

I smirk at him. "Yes, you should."

0o0o0o0o

Pretty soon, the whole palace knows that the king is alive and that the prince is dead, his head to be mounted on the entrance gates of Castle Rock. I am visiting some friends at the harem while Abigor, with Three Horses, plans out what to do with the troops fighting the Bellechestermen and Paterosians in the north.

Cassandra hugs me and chats up a storm to me. Evalyn makes me a delicious drink of cocoa beans and sugar, and Athenodora weaved me a scarf to wear. They are all happy to see me.

"Oh, I can't believe it. I'm so glad that king's alive and that you're okay. I was so worried when you were taken!" Athenodora gushes to me, her big blue eyes sparkling. Her golden mane fans out around her as she rushes to my side.

Cassandra sits up on her cot and nods her head. "And that bitch Ivona had it coming for her. Have you decided what her fate will be?"

I shake my head. "I have not decided," I say to her. All of the harem girls come crowding around me to hear the stories. "But Abigor has. She will be decapitated and her head will be mounted right next to Iron Coyote's."

Evalyn's eyes widen as she comes closer to me with a hot cup of the sweet cocoa drink. "What a punishment," she says, handing me the cup. "But a well deserved one at that."

Didyme sweeps her long black hair over her voluptuous hips. "But you, my Sarauniya…how do you feel? Is the baby well?"

I nod my head. "Yes, very." They touch my stomach and feel my baby moving inside of me. Gasps echoed throughout the room.

"Strong child!"

"So precious."

"Mighty, just like the king."

"Amazing!"

I am heavily pregnant. There is about one more month to go before I give birth to my child. I look around, noticing something that I hadn't noticed before. "Michelle? Where is she?"

I had almost forgotten my best friend, who was pregnant at the time of my leave. She usually hung out around the harem and talked to the other ladies since her husband was out fighting, but she is nowhere in sight.

Evalyn steps forward a little, brushing her short brown hair behind her ear. "She's resting. She had her baby when you were gone," the small woman explains. "I delivered the baby myself. Pretty little girl."

I gasp and stand up. "Which room is she in, Evalyn?" I ask. I must see her.

"I'll lead you," the pixie-like woman says. She darts out the room before I can say another word.

I turn back towards the harem and wave. "We'll talk soon," I say to them all.

"Goodbye, my lady!" they all chant, waving farewell to me.

I dart out of the door and run after Evalyn, who is already halfway down the hallway. The woman is surprisingly fast. She waits for me at a small door at the end of the hallway, her hand stilling on the golden knob.

"Elle," Evalyn calls to her through the door. "Are you decent, love?" I listen closely to her my friend's groggy reply.

"Yes, Evalyn."

She twists the doorknob and opens it but Michelle can't see me. "I've got a visitor for you and your baby," Evalyn says with a smile. I step into the light so Michelle can see me.

She squeals with excitement. "Oh, Eliza! You're back! Oh, thank the gods above!" Looking at her, I can see how frail she is. Her black hair is braided back and her skin is pale. She has lost a significant amount of weight, and her arms look like sticks.

As I near the bed, she grabs my arm and pulls me in for a hug. "I was so worried about you," she wails. "I hope I never have to go through that again. Almost losing the king, and you…"

I kiss her cold cheek. "And I'm glad you're feeling better," I say. "Though words can't express how sorry I am for not being here for you when you had your child."

Michelle smiles tenderly. "I know…but you couldn't help being kidnapped by those beasts. I had Evalyn too." Evalyn smiles from the doorway.

I stand back and look around the cosy little room. "And the baby? Where is the beautiful little lady?"

Michelle nods over at a little crib in the corner. Evalyn rushes to pick up the child when she lets out a little whimper. My best friend holds out her arms for her baby.

The child coos as she latches onto her mother's breast. "What is her name?" I ask, stroking the soft black hair on the little girl's head.

"Red Flower," she says. "Rose will be her common name. I just thought it would be perfect since red is the colour of love, and she was conceived entirely of love."

I smile at that. "Beautiful name for a beautiful little girl," I comment, cradling my own stomach when my own baby kicks me.

Michelle notices this and smiles at me. "You are due soon as well," she comments. "Soon my Red Flower will have a friend."

I laugh tenderly. "Yes, I suppose so."

0o0o0o0o

ABIGOR'S POV

"What do you have to say for yourself?" I ask her. The cold chambers of the dungeons are unsettling but I wouldn't have it any other way for the prisoners. I hold up the torch to peer at her through the bars.

She's curled up in a ball on the ground, shivering and sobbing quietly. I glare at her, but I laugh at her pain. "So…how does it feel? Alone and powerless."

"Fuck you," she manages to spit out at me through her hiccupping sobs. "I hate you. You're barbaric."

"Well," I set the torch on the wall before curling my fingers around the bars of the dungeon cell. I give her a sinister smile. "I suppose I am barbaric. After all, I am the king of the barbarians."

She sobs even louder because she knows that her beloved prince, my brother, is gone now that I'd killed him. All chances that she had were completely wiped off of the board now that my brother was permanently six feet under the earth.

"I wish you died," she wails. "It's not fair. You stole Iron Coyote's throne. It was his destiny!"

I don't feel any remorse or mercy towards her. "You're right," I hiss at her. "I did steal Iron Coyote's throne. I'm the best of the best, the greatest thief you'll ever meet. But the throne was always up for grabs. Someone could come along and kill me right now, thus stealing my throne. But it won't happen. Do you know why?"

She looks at me from under her curtain of black hair, tears streaming down for her. She won't ask, but I don't need anything to come out of her mouth.

"Because I have a secret," I whisper menacingly. She shrinks back against the cell, a terrified look in her eyes. My chuckle is deep. "A dark secret."

Ivona buries her face in her hands and hisses at me to "get away from her."

I quiet down and lean against the cold steel bars, gazing at the stone floor. The shadows play across them and I can almost see my shadow morphing into that of a wolf's. I am a true monster, a beast.

"Do you miss him?" I grind out from between my teeth.

She growls at me. "What kind of question is that?"

"Answer it," I demand with a snarl, looking back at her with flames in my eyes. "Now."

Her eyes widen and she looks away to avoid meeting my hellish gaze. "Every moment."

I lean my head back, feeling my hair kiss my scarred back. "You'll be with him soon again," I whisper.

She lets out another loud wail and curls into a ball. "So it is true," she screams. "You will behead me!"

I turn towards her, rattling the bars of the cell violently. "You did not think you would receive punishment