The Deadly Alliance (The Deadly Alliance Series Book 1)

by Megan Bradish

  “Your highness, are you alright?” I jump, as I turn to see the face of an unfamiliar voice. My heart skips a beat when I see the knight from the courtyard. That seems like a lifetime ago now, and I had let him completely slip my mind. But seeing him here, now, had me feeling things no woman should be feeling when she’s about to be married to another. He was rugged, handsome. Completely and utterly irresistible.

  God, help me.

  “I…yeah, yes. I’m fine,” I say, turning my head away to quickly wipe my eyes again.

  When I look back up to him, he’s staring at me intently, with the most gentle, breathtaking eyes I had ever seen. This wasn’t good. I needed him to go away. I was too vulnerable right now to have this gorgeous creature standing so close to me.

  “I was just making sure. I saw you run through the gardens like something was wrong,” he said.

  Wrong. He has no idea how wrong things really are. “Yes, I uh, just needed some air.” I shouldn’t have said that. That’s the very definition of something being wrong.

  I stand and brush the grass from my dress, his eyes not leaving me once. Knots form in my stomach as I look into his eyes. Could I just pretend for a minute that he is the man I’m forced to marry? I knew nothing about this man, I didn’t even know his name, but his presence calmed me in a way I’ve never felt before. He felt safe, like nothing in the world could get to me or bring me down with him next to me. What was this feeling? Whatever it was, I wanted it to last forever.

  He steps closer to me and lightly clasps my hand. “My name is Sir Lucien Valerin. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says as he gently kisses my hand. Shock waves makes their way up my arm and straight to my heart.

  God, why did he have to be here right now? I have enough confusion as it is. Yes, I was worried about marrying Elias, with so much doubt and uncertainty, what, with the strange hallucinations I’ve been having, but he seemed nice enough and I wanted to give our marriage a real chance. How could that happen with this…this gorgeous man arousing me in a way that should be considered shameful. I hadn’t felt that with Elias, and I even kissed him. Sure, it was nice. But this was different. It wasn’t forced or unwanted. It was real.

  “Blair Salvato. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” I say. “And it was nice of you to check on me.”

  Lucien smiles, making my body tremble. “Well, I’ll leave you alone now,” he says, bowing his head.

  I try to speak as he walks away, looking back at me one more time before disappearing into the hedges, but nothing comes out. Just as he goes, Adelina appears, looking back at Lucien, and then to me. She gives me a devilish grin as she skips over to me.

  “Was that the dashing knight from the courtyard?” She asks, pointing with her thumb.

  “It was,” I confirm.

  “Mmmm, he’s even more delicious up close,” she coos.

  “You’re just as bad as Milly!” I laugh. But Lord, it was true. He was more delicious in person. More than I could ever have imagined.

  “What did he want?” She asks.

  “He was making sure I was alright. He saw me running through the gardens.”

  “How is it that you not only get to marry a king, but a handsome knight in shining armor comes to your rescue all in one day?” she asks with a huff.

  I grin. “He didn’t come to my rescue, exactly.”

  “Blair…” She trails off.

  “Yes?” I ask, as if I don’t already know. I know she’s about to ask me about what happened and if I’m alright. I really don’t want to think about it right now, when I was just able to have a few blissful moments with a dashing stranger.

  “What happened up there? We didn’t tell anyone, but you were talking while you were passed out.”

  Oh no. How would I lie my way out of this one?

  “Talking? What did I say?” I ask cautiously.

  “You kept saying the name ‘Marjorie’. Who is that?”

  I look to the ground, unable to keep eye contact with her. “I have no idea,” I say, so low, I’m not sure she even heard me.

  “Blair, you don’t have to lie to me, or Milly. We’re here for you always.”

  Another tear sneaks down my cheek as Milly comes from the hedges. “It’s time to start getting ready…” She trails off when she sees me.

  “I just told her,” Adelina says.

  They both look at me now with concerning eyes. Another tear falls. I had big plans to be strong and to hide my fears, but I just failed miserably. I had no choice but to tell them now.

  Once back to my room, I tell Adelina and and Milly everything. Right down to the way the room looked and the way Marjorie glowed a faint white, her eyes cold and dead. As I spew off my confession, they’re both looking at me like they’d been the ones to just see a ghost, not me. I immediately regret telling them anything. I wish I would have just told them I must have been dreaming. But I needed to tell someone. It was driving me mad keeping this to myself. I needed to know that I wasn’t going crazy, and that what I was seeing wasn’t a figment of my imagination. I so desperately needed them to believe what I was telling them, but I feared by the way they were looking at me, they thought I was just as crazy as I felt.

  I looked between the two of them now, waiting, for what seemed to be a lifetime before Milly spoke.

  “So, are they like, dreams?” She asks.

  I sigh. “I don’t know. They don’t feel like dreams. They’re so real. I can remember every detail, remember every smell, and feel everything I felt while I was there.”

  “While you were there?” Adelina asks.

  “Yes. I told you, it’s like I’m here, in this room, but not. Like it’s from a different time,” I say, knowing I sound ridiculous.

  “When did it start again?” Milly asks.

  “Last night, when I was going to sleep. I felt really tired, almost like I was poisoned. Just like I felt today before it happened.”

  They stay silent for a long moment, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t blame them for not believing me. I almost didn’t believe myself. But, dammit, I wish they’d say something. The anticipation is killing me.

  “Blair, it’s not that I don’t believe you,” Adelina says as she clasps her hands together. “It’s just, I think you must have been dreaming.”

  “Right. And you have been nervous about what he might have done to his last wife,” Milly points out. “Maybe that’s why you’re dreaming about it.”

  “You’re the one who put those ideas into her head in the first place,” Adelina snaps.

  “I was just repeating what I was told!” Milly snaps back.

  “Well you shouldn’t be repeating things with no facts!”

  “I’m just trying to look out for her!”

  I rub my eyes in frustration and walk up to them. “Girls, stop! You’re both right, okay? It was a dream. It had to have been. And this isn’t anyone’s fault. So just stop. I’m getting married in less than two hours. I don’t need this right now! What I do need is for you to conduct yourselves like Ladies and stop acting like children!” I realize I’m yelling now, so I stop. I’ve never yelled at them before. Not ever. But I was getting so fed up with them bickering, when I just needed to be alone. Of course, I knew I couldn’t be alone, and I never would be again once I was married. I’d be Queen, my responsibilities would soon be to the people of Cryptshiere. There wouldn’t be much alone time involved.

  “We’re sorry, Blair,” Milly says in a low voice, as she bows her head, ashamed.

  “Yeah, we didn’t mean to upset you,” Adelina says.

  “No,” I say, as I hug them both, tightly. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just so worked up about everything lately and those…dreams, really got to my head.”

  “We understand,” Adelina says with a smile.

  “I think because you’re about to be queen, we sometimes assume everything is all rainbows and happiness for you. We tend to forget you have so much going on and so much to worry about,” Milly said.
/>   I understood that. I’m a princess for Christ’s sake. My life is supposed to be all ‘Prince Charming, and big fancy balls, and love.’ At least that’s what most people think. Most people assume it’s like the books you read. But that is not what it is to be a princess. Being a princess means marrying for every reason but love. And if I find someone I do care for, well he better be a royal himself, or it isn’t happening. What a ridiculous rule.

  “I know,” I say. “It’s time we get ready.”

  Chapter 8

  As I get my wedding gown on, I can’t help but admire the reflection in the mirror. I really do look like a queen. My dress flows long, with jewels sprinkled throughout. My dark brown hair is done up in a perfect bun, with a crown positioned perfectly atop my head. Even as the nerves are consuming me, my face is glowing. My brown eyes are bold and proud, and my lips painted a pretty pink. It was almost time now. Just another half hour, and I’ll be queen of Cryptshiere. I could do this. I know I could. I just had to shove all of my negative thoughts aside as I start my new life with my new husband.

  “May I come in?” I spin around to see Charolette standing in the door way, looking so smug, so…wretched.

  “Of course,” I say. “Please leave us,” I say to Adelina and Milly, who are working on my hair and makeup.

  “No, no. Let them continue with what they’re doing,” she says as she steps closer. She looks around the room and smiles. “It seems you’ve settled in well. You have it looking nice in here,” she said.

  Okay, maybe she was trying. “Thank you,” I say.

  Charolette steps closer, still smiling. What is she doing? Is there a point to her being here?

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” I ask her, breaking the silence.

  “Oh, no. I just want to get to know my new daughter in law while you get ready, if that’s alright,” she says.

  “Yes. I would like that,” I lie. She makes me feel a little uneasy, but I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe it was because she had been queen for so long, up until her husband, King Francis died a few months ago. Or maybe it was because of the wicked look in her eyes, that seemed to seer right through me.

  She sits now, and fidgets with her fingernails. “Yes, you’ve made it look really nice in here,” she says again, as she looks around the room one more time. “Much better than when Marjorie had it.”

  Adelina drops the makeup brush she had in her hand, and Milly freezes in place, with her fingers still intertwined in my hair. I choke back my shock, as the name slips from her mouth. Did she just say Marjorie? Like the same Marjorie from my dreams?

  My skin begins to prickle as my breathing becomes labored. “I’m sorry. Did you just say M…Marjorie?” I ask.

  “Why, yes I did. Did you know her, my dear?”

  I swallow. “I…no. No I don’t. Who is she?”

  “Oh I thought you knew,” Charolette says as she leans closer to me. “Marjorie was Elias’ first wife. She died a few years back. The poor dear was in a hunting accident.”

  My throat feels like dust, and I can’t breathe. Marjorie was his first wife.

  And she came to me, twice now, warning me of Elias. But how could she have come to me if she’s dead? It’s just not possible. I’m being ridiculous. This could very well just be coincidence.

  “A hunting accident?” I ask.

  “Oh, yes. Elias always insisted she go.”

  Insisted? That seemed a little suspicious. Maybe he did “accidentally” kill her. It’s a good cover story, really. I wonder if he’d have one just as good for me?

  I try to swallow again, but my throat is too dry. I take slow, steady breaths, so Charolette can’t see that she’s getting to me. I can’t have that. It’s what she’s trying to do, isn’t it? I can’t let her win.

  “I see,” I say.

  “Yes, tragic,” she said, putting on her best sad face, and failing miserably. She wasn’t at all sad about it. She seemed happy. She unfolds a paper she had hidden in her hand. “This is her. I carry it with me, always. I miss her so.”

  She hands me the picture, and my body feels paralyzed. It is the exact same girl who came to me! It’s her. This is the Marjorie from my dreams. But I know now, without a doubt, they were not dreams. This was not a coincidence. I stared at the girl in the picture and studied her features. She had the same sad look, the same long, black hair. The same child-like, innocent face. The picture must have been taken right before she died, because she didn’t look any different at all.

  Bile rises to my throat as I hand the picture back to Charolette. I might faint again. I take a couple breaths to try to ease my anxiety, but it’s here to stay. I can’t unsee that picture. I can’t unsee the girl from my dreams, or whatever the hell they were. I don’t know anymore. “She’s beautiful,” I manage to say.

  “Ah, yes. She was very beautiful. The poor dear,” Charolette says. I watch her as she stands. She looks so proud of herself. Like she just accomplished exactly what she came here to do. What a rotten woman. What did she get from this? Was this just her way of entertaining herself?

  “Well my dear, I’ll leave you to getting ready. It’s almost time now!” She says excitedly as she walks out the door.

  I’m left sitting motionless, and speechless, as I stare after her. I stand suddenly as panic rises to my throat. “I can’t do this,” I say to Adelina and Milly.

  They look just as shocked as I am. Milly is standing in exactly the same place, her hands still positioned as if she were doing my hair. Adelina was clutching the brush, causing her knuckles to turn white.

  “Did…did she say Marjorie? Did I hear that right?” Milly asks.

  “Yes…” I say, unable to say more.

  “But it can’t be the same Marjorie from your dream, right?” Adelina asks, hopeful.

  “It is. It’s her. It’s the exact same girl that I’ve been seeing.” I’m numb now, as I plop back down into the chair. I couldn’t run if I wanted to. What am I supposed to do? I can’t possibly go through with this.

  “How is this possible?” Milly asks. Her hands begin to shake as she slumps forward, holding herself up with the chair.

  “It’s not,” I say. “It can’t be. It’s just coincidence…right?” I ask desperately.

  They stay silent, looking at each other, and then back to me. Of course this wasn’t coincidence. No matter how many times I tried to tell myself it was, I knew it was much more.

  “Blair, what are you going to do?” Adelina asks. “There’s no way you can go through with this now!” She cries.

  “I have to. I don’t have a choice,” I say. There was no way father and Elias would accept it. There is no way father would just let me throw away an alliance we need.

  I shiver as I look at the clock. Ten minutes. Ten minutes until I have to marry Elias. God, what am I to do? The thought of walking down the aisle to Elias made my head feel light, and my stomach heavy.

  “Maybe Charolette was just trying to rile you. She seems a bit rude,” Milly said.

  “Yes, and she very well could have drugged you to have those hallucinations, to fill you with doubt. So you would leave,” Adelina chimed in.

  It was a nice try, I’ll give them that. But even they knew it sounded ridiculous. There wasn’t a poison to make a person see exactly what you wanted them to.

  “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but we all know that isn’t true. I have no choice in this. I don’t have the luxury of choosing my own fate,” I say in a small, pitiful voice. I really needed to get a grip.

  Five minutes.

  “We have to be going now,” I say. “Let’s forget about all of this for now. And if something more comes of it, then we’ll worry. But for now, we still don’t have any real evidence of foul play.”

  Milly and Adelina give a displeased look, but nod their heads, knowing there’s no way of getting me out of this. I had to do what needed to be done, even if it killed me.

  I never really thought much abo
ut how I would die. I never felt a reason to worry about it, until now. Now, as I’m walking down the aisle, seeing Elias at the other end, it was all I could think about. Would I die by hunting accident like Marjorie? Or would it be drawn out and painful? Or could it possibly be that he really is the way he presents himself, kind and caring?

  My mind spins as I draw closer to my fate. I didn’t know what to think. And I really didn’t have anytime to think about it. Charolette saw to that. I consider running, but I know that would upset father…and Elias. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to upset him. I wasn’t sure of anything.

  I step up to the alter, my ladies close behind. Elias smiles warmly at me and clasps my hands. “You look stunning,” he whispers.

  That would make any woman want to melt. A dashing king, looking at you like you’re the only person in the room, as he swoons over you. But I wasn’t melting. I was shaking. He looks so content and happy. How could he be a killer? Weren’t most murderers hard, and wicked looking all the time? I need to make myself believe that Charolette was just trying to mess with me, for reasons I couldn’t begin to imagine. And Marjorie? I didn’t know. But she wasn’t real either. I would repeat that to myself over and over until I finally believed it. If I were to get through this day, and the rest of my life, I need to forget everything. I need to follow my own advice. Don’t freak out until I have a reason to. I have no proof of anything. I need to start this marriage off right. He might surprise me…

  I look out into the crowd of people, feeling it was too awkward to stare into Elias’ eyes any longer. I glance around the room, to my father, sitting proud in the first row. Charolette, Triston, and Randolph sitting next to him. My ladies standing close by, looking just as nervous as I feel.

  And then I spot him. My heart begins to flutter as we meet eyes. Lucien is standing bold and strong with the other guards in the back of the room. I quickly look away, as to not draw attention to what I was looking at. God, what was it about that man? Why was I so irresistibly attracted to him? Why couldn’t I feel that way about the man I was marrying, as I speak? I wanted to feel that way about him. But if I were being honest, even if I wasn’t afraid he murdered his first wife, I’d have a hard time being attracted to anyone who was almost my father’s age. I tried, when I kissed him. And though it felt good, it didn’t feel right.