Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #4)

Chapter 15

C HAPTER 15

I stumble over my feet, catching myself before I face-plant into the floor.

Cyan watches me with a dispassionate expression, his feet spread wide like a wall, harboring no intention of allowing me through. The corner of his mouth curls up, and he looks like he’s caught a cat with a canary in its jaws. And I’m the stupid cat. Or the stupid canary? Either way, I’m fucked.

“How long have you been waiting there?” I ask, gasping for breath. My heart gallops in my chest, my ribcage compressing into my lungs.

“Long enough to know you’ve stolen my ark and were planning to abscond with it. After all the hospitality I’ve shown you?”

“I . . . uh . . . ”

I have absolutely no position of defense or explanation other than that’s exactly what I intended to do. My gaze slides past him, and I wonder how far I can get before he stops me. He catches the direction of my stare and lunges, his hand circling my arm, squeezing tight.

“What are you doing with it?” he asks. All his previous feigned affability and cool demeanor are gone, his blue eyes flashing in the slice of moonlight that falls across his face. “How dare you come into my home and steal one of my most precious objects while desecrating my sacred tide pools?”

“I need it,” I hiss. “More than you can possibly understand.”

“You think that makes it right? To steal from me?” He squeezes my arm tighter, and I wince at the pressure against my bones.

“Let me go.” I attempt to yank my arm from his grasp, but he holds on.

His jaw turns to stone. “You could have just asked,” he says, and I scoff.

“You would never have given it to me.”

“Now you’ll never know,” he says. “Instead of appealing to my good nature, you’ve now forced me to feed you to my pet sea dragon. Such a pity, Heart Queen. Just when you’d returned after all this time. I suppose your family truly is destined for nothing but ruin.”

I yank again, but his grip is firm, and I’m starting to panic.

“I need it to save him!” I scream. “Please. I’m begging you.”

“Save who?” Cyan demands. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“She has him. Zerra has my mate.”

Cyan’s grip on my arm loosens, his pale face turning ghostly white. “Zerra? ”

“Yes,” I whisper, knowing how insane I sound right now. “She . . . I saw her.”

“What do you mean you saw her?” His voice is sharp, the syllables snipped.

“I was in the Evanescence. I saw the beginning of Ouranos and the rulers who received the Artefacts first.”

I’m babbling and not making any sense, but Cyan slowly parses out my words.

“That’s not possible,” he says, peering at me as though he’s trying to determine if I’ve lost my mind. I don’t blame him. Everything I’m saying right now does sound impossible.

“I thought so, too, but I was there.” I finally pull my arm from his hold and back up a few steps. “I wasn’t lying when I said Nadir is dead. I killed him, but it was an accident.”

“Your magic,” Cyan says. “You lost control like you did in my bathroom.”

“I meant to kill the Aurora’s soldiers, not him. Then Zerra came to me, and she said she could save him. But she would do so only if I bring her the Alluvion ark. So you see, this is why I need it.”

My chest heaves with shortened breaths as I clutch the ark to my chest.

“Please. I’m begging you. I can’t live . . . I can’t . . . I can’t live without him. Even if he hates me for killing him, I can’t let him die.”

Cyan’s hard expression softens, genuine remorse in his eyes, but I already know what he’ll say as his head slowly shakes from side to side.

“Lor. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take it. ”

“Why not? What do you need it for?”

“I need it for my kingdom and my people. If you know of the arks, you understand that already.”

“Can’t I just borrow it? Coral said you don’t use it anyway.”

His eyes narrow. “Coral said what ?”

He gazes past me, and I peer over my shoulder to find Bain in the doorway, watching us, his forehead furrowed and his hands clutched to his chest.

Cyan’s gaze returns to me, his eyes darkening to navy pits. “ What did you do?”

“Please,” I say, brushing past the accusation.

“Do you think Zerra will give it back ?” He arches a dark eyebrow and gives me a look that suggests I’ve got to be kidding him.

“Maybe?” I ask as I inch back another step. The ocean crashes outside, rain still falling, and I wonder if I can escape over the edge of Coral’s aquarium.

“Give it back to me,” he says, holding out his hand. “Give it to me now, and I’ll try to grant you mercy. You can’t escape this place. Guards are stationed everywhere.”

I look behind me, watching as a line of said guards files into the throne room. Behind Cyan, another group gathers, all eyeing me with hardness. I’m surrounded.

“Bain,” Cyan says, looking up at his father with tenderness. “Return to your room.”

Bain nods and scurries off before the Alluvion king focuses his fierce attention on me.

“Lor. I’m sorry that Nadir is gone, but that is not my concern. ”

Cyan takes a slow step towards me, and I take another back, still clutching the ark.

“Give me the ark,” he says again. “I can’t let you walk out of here with it. She tried to take them once, and I’ve sworn never to let it fall into her hands.”

“He’s going to die,” I say as tears fill my eyes. “I’ll never see him again.”

He takes another step, and I’m lost. This is over. It was an impossible task, and I never had a chance of succeeding, but a small part of me still hoped.

The sound of hurried footsteps draws Cyan’s attention behind him.

Linden comes running towards us. “We have visitors,” she says, her expression grim.

“Who?” Cyan asks.

“An army.”

The king of Alluvion stares at her, waiting for the crushing blow she’s about to deal.

“We believe it’s the Aurora King.”