Reign Queen L. Gibbs (best books to read for young adults TXT) 📖

She stilled.

“You wanted to go with him, and he left youbehind. Back in minutes, isn’t that what he said? How long has itbeen? An hour, more than an hour. Yet all this time, I’ve waiteddown here.”

Frustration welled in her chest. Coveydelayed him. Purposely?

“You are not a woman one leaves behind like atreasure. You are a treasure, but one to keep by one’s side. Kambrydo Brode is an equal, not a figurehead queen. I know that.” His armaround her waist and arms loosened and his soft breath brushed hercheek. “Give me a chance. Everything I’ve done has been to protectyou or help you see the truth about Russal.”

She shook her head, smashing her cheekagainst his own. He drew a startled breath but only adjusted tokeep her from repeating the move.

“Kambry, I know you’re frightened. You don’twant to consider you’ve aligned yourself with the wrong man. Iunderstand and don’t blame you. Too much evidence makes me looklike the horrible creature in this tragedy.”

Kambry closed her eyes, tried to push asidethe questions his words tugged out. There were reasons for Russal’sactions.

“Let me tell you a history. I’ve been aroundthe castle since I was a child. My mother brought me here often.She wanted me to know my lands, my kingdom. I watched Russal fromthe passages.”

He was silent a moment, his breath slow,almost calming.

She didn’t want to be calm. She wanted tofight him, drive him out of her home. Her home with Russal. Sheshoved her weight to the side, tried to push a shriek past his handover her lips.

He tightened his arm around her waist.Shifting, he pressed his elbow to her shoulder and collarbone,holding her closer while he crossed both legs over her own.

She hated the feel of him along her back. Hisweight on her kneeling legs was painful, the tops of her feetpressed flat to the ground.

Tears of frustration broke from the cornersof her eyes.

His thumb stroked her cheek, smearing hertears. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

Was that actual concern in his voice?

He shifted them sideways, her calves movingto the left, relieving the pressure though still trapped beneathhis legs. She couldn’t help but sigh.

“If you promise not to scream for the guards,I’ll uncover your mouth and let you make yourself more comfortable.Truly, Kambry, I do not want to hurt you.”

He waited. She couldn’t stop pulling awayfrom him or release her grip on his tunic. She wouldn’t let herselfbelieve him. His words were lies.

“Let me tell you what I saw,” Covey said. “Iwasn’t part of it. I didn’t cause his actions. Will youlisten?”

His voice was so convincing. She wanted tobelieve him.

She shook her head, fighting the pressure ofhis hand over her mouth.

He exhaled noisily. “Well, you can’t stopperyour ears. You’ll have to listen.”

He dragged her a few feet to the stairwellwall and leaned back. “That’s better,” he said, and it was morecomfortable for her as well, not pressed forward by him.

He didn’t let her pull away from leaning onhis chest, and she forced herself to relax. There had to be a wayto thwart him and make him let go longer enough for her to yell forthe guards. Why hadn’t she yelled sooner?

Her throat tightened, and another tear offrustration escaped.

“He was with Tomo and Amily in the garden.They were playing Willow and Rock. Have you heard of that game? Onecan only hide behind objects of the natural world, such as treesand boulders.” He snorted. “Tomo thought that would limit Russal’sability to find him. Ha! It gave Russal all sorts of advantage. Youcan imagine, based on your own recent skills. How well can one hidefrom you in the woods, the garden? You can ask Kavin to findanyone, trap anyone.”

Kambry blanked her mind. She didn’t want toimagine where this story was going.

“He trapped Tomo. Of course, Tomo justthought he had wandered into a rosebush by accident. He didn’t seeit turn and climb up his legs before tightening when he took astep. Down he went. His kicking seemed to only entwine him more inthe thorns until he was screaming at the cuts to his skin. Russalstood and watched. It wasn’t until Amily begged him to remove therose’s stems from Tomo that he let go and walked away. Amily had tounwind each thorny stem.”

Kambry tried not to see in her mind what hedescribed. But it hung there in her vision until she realized Kavinhad threaded the image past her efforts to not see it. Why?

Tomo had been hysterical with fear. A boytrapped by a plant that seemed to delight in tearing at him. Russalhad just stood there looking down. Amily tore at the rose stems,her hands growing bloody.

Kambry begged Kavin to withdraw, and theimage faded.

“That is the man you think you love. He woulddo such a thing shortly after the death of his parents. Whatatrocities is he capable of now?”

She shuddered. His arms seemed to hug her,not the binding pressure they had been.

“Kambry, please come away with me. Pleasedon’t stay with him. Tell me you’ll leave with me.”

She shook her head and growled out, “No.”

He dropped his forehead to her shoulder.“I’ll leave, but I’ll be close by. My mother has plans I need toprotect you from. And there’s another equally dangerous, no loyaltyat all.”

He adjusted his legs crossed over hers. “Didyou know I watched you run across the field?”

The field? Then she remembered thedoor latch clicking just as she’d had climbed out the window. He’dbeen the one to enter the room when she’d escaped the farmhousethrough the chicken wire nailed across the window. Why hadn’t hecalled the alarm?

“I was coming to get you. You needed to beout of that house so I could keep you safe. It seemed best to letyou go. I assumed I could track you down after I got the searchparties headed in another direction.” He sighed. “I’ll be herewatching over you. Call out when you need me.” He kissed her gentlyon her cheek. “I’m sorry, Kambry.”

His hand rose to cover her nose. And shecouldn’t get a breath.

Fighting all she could, twisting andattempting to kick out her legs accomplished nothing. He was a