The Deadly Alliance (The Deadly Alliance Series Book 1)

by Megan Bradish

  “You don’t need to say anything. I chose this. Besides, it’ll all end soon and I can finally be on my way.”

  I nod my head, thankful for the first time that I have Marjorie in my life. Even if it is only while I’m asleep.

  “Your day is beginning now. Remember what I said, Blair. Keep your guard up at all times,” Marjorie says.

  Before I can say a word, she disappears into thin air. Almost like she was never here in the first place.

  The sun is shining brightly through the window, waking me out of a sound sleep. I look to my bedside where Marjorie was sitting. “Thank you,” I say to the air. I know she can hear me still, even if I can’t see or hear her.

  Milly comes to my room as we both get ready for the day. We don’t say a word about Adelina. I think it’s too painful for either of us to speak of right now. It’s like all of yesterday was a blur, a distant dream that I can only kind of remember vaguely.

  Milly is better today, but I think shock still has its grip around her, choking her and squeezing her, for it looks like she could break at any given moment. She stands in front of the full length mirror. At first I thought she was checking her outfit, but as I look closer, she’s just staring deeply at herself in the mirror.

  I slowly go up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we take a walk?” I suggest.

  She nods her head, giving a soft smile. She’s pretending she’s okay, but I know she’s not. How could she be? I’m not okay either. But if we are to survive this, and get out alive, we need to stay focused. Once we’re safe, and away from here, then we’ll have time to mourn.

  We step out of the room, Lucien and Jake are just arriving for their shifts, excusing the other guards from their duty. My heart flutters in my chest at the sight of him. He’s everything that I could ever dream of, and then some. I guess that’s my silver lining out of this whole mess. Even as I lay crumbling in a million pieces, I still have this man by my side.

  “We’re going for a walk, will you both join us?” I ask Lucien and Jake. Milly blushes a little as she looks at Jake. So she does notice him. I can’t help but smile.

  “We’d be happy to. Jake and I have decided the two of you are never going anywhere alone again,” Lucien says, the same passion that stole my heart in the first place, soaring through his eyes.

  “Honestly,” I say, rolling my eyes. “There’s no need for that.”

  We begin walking, Milly and I side by side, while Lucien and Jake stroll closely behind us.

  “There’s every need, your majesty. We can’t be too careful,” Jake says.

  I look back at Jake. He has such a kind and gentle look to him. He’s stocky, with a soft round face. His black hair is short and spiky. He’s trying his best to act his part. A serious, and protective knight. But I can tell he wants to open up and be himself around us, by the way his upbeat eyes beam with the longing for adventurous fun.

  He is absolutely perfect for Milly.

  “Jake, we’re all friends here. You may call me Blair,” I say.

  He looks delightfully surprised. “Yes, your maj...Yes, Blair.”

  I can’t help but let out a small laugh. Milly smiles, glancing up at him quickly, before looking away.

  We make our way to the courtyard, through the back of the castle, and down to the winding gardens. I lead us to the spot past the hedges where Lucien and I first met. The breeze from the crystal clear pond is cool and inviting. We all stand by the water’s edge, side by side, and for a moment it feels like nothing is wrong.

  “Marjorie came to me again last night,” I say abruptly. I can feel everyone staring at me, but I keep my head straight, looking out at the water.

  “What’d she say?” Milly asks, breaking the silence.

  “She said we needed to find a way to leave here. That sometime soon, the answer would come to me. She said when the time came, I’d know what I had to do.”

  “Do you think she’s right?” Milly asks.

  “She’s been right so far,” I say. “She saw Adelina’s death. She didn’t suffer, Milly. She didn’t even know it was coming.”

  Milly’s eyes well up with tears and she lets out a small sob. I quickly wipe away my own tears, as to not be seen. Queens don’t cry right?

  What an idiotic custom that is.

  “Did she say anything else?” Lucien asks.

  I hesitate for a moment, looking between the three. “She...she said more devastation was coming before we left here. Starting today.”

  Lucien clenches his jaw and instinctively steps closer to me. Jakes eyes widen, as if he’s thinking ‘how could it possibly get any worse?’. And Milly has gone pale. She looks back out to the water, a hardness in her face I have never seen before.

  “How much more do we have to take? When will enough be enough?” She asks.

  “It’ll never be enough, as far as Elias is concerned. That’s why we need to make a plan to leave here, as soon as we possibly can. I wrote my father, I told him to come here. It shouldn’t be long now.”

  Milly goes off to sit by the water. After a moment, Jake goes to sit next to her. They begin talking quietly amongst themselves.

  I turn to Lucien, and smile at him. “Don’t look so worried,” I say.

  He inches closer, reaching his hand up to my cheek. “I just need you to be safe,” he says. Realizing we’re out in the open, he quickly drops his hand.

  “We’ll all get out of here soon. This will all be behind us,” I say, wishing I believed it myself.

  “Until then, I’m not leaving your side. Jake and I arranged to have our rooms next to you and Milly,” he says.

  My heart flutters in my chest. “You did? Why?” I ask.

  “I can’t stand leaving my post for the night, not knowing if you’re safe or not.” He looks over to Jake and Milly. “And if you can’t already tell, Jake is in love.”

  I let out a small laugh. “I can definitely tell.” I turn serious now as I look into his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Relief floods through me at the thought of Lucien and Jake being close all through the night. Between them, and the guards Tobias picked for us, I have a small army at my side. Yes, very small. But it puts my heart at ease.

  “Blair?” I hear a small voice. I spin around to see Randolph standing in the hedges.

  “Randolph,” I say, crouching down next to him. “What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be doing your studies?”

  “I just got done. Miss Ellie said it was getting late.”

  I look at the sun positioned low, to the west. Where did the time go? We’ve been out here for hours talking amongst ourselves, but I didn’t expect it to be this late already.

  “Have you eaten dinner yet?” I ask.

  Randolph bobs his head up and down. “Miss Ellie ate with me.” He pauses for a moment. “And then Elias came.”

  My heart sinks at the sound of his name. “What did he want?”

  “You,” he says, looking nervous. No doubt from the last encounter we had with him.

  I feel my head becoming light, my breathing shallow. “He wants to see me now?” I ask.

  He bobs his head up and down again. And I think of what Marjorie said. More devastation to come, starting today. Obviously it all has to do with Elias. And now he wants to see me.

  So it begins.

  I look up at Lucien, his jaw clenched tightly again. Milly and Jake come up to us. Milly looks like she might be sick.

  “I’m coming with you,” Milly says.

  “You and Jake should head back to your room,” I suggest.

  “No!” She cries. “No. Remember what happened the last time you went to see him?” She stops, realizing Randolph is still standing next to me.

  I nod slowly. “Of course. We’ll all go together.”

  We head back through the gardens, making our way to the castle in the distance. The sun is setting now, creating an eerie, foggy dusk across the castle grounds. I stare straight ahead. Lucien walks next to me, look
ing like he’s ready to fight. Milly and Jake are behind us, and Randolph is clinging tightly to my arm.

  As we near closer, my heart begins to pound rapidly. I can feel the blood pulsing heavily in my throat, and I fear it may cut off my oxygen. Whatever was to come, I could only hope it was quick and...mostly painless.

  Chapter 22

  “Randolph, you should go find Miss Ellie now,” I say as we reach Elias’ chambers.

  He clutches my arm tighter, looking up at me with worried eyes.

  “No. Have him come in,” Elias says. “All of you, come in!” He says cheerfully.

  I glance over at Milly, and she looks terrified. I rub her arm, snapping her out of it a little.

  As we enter, Elias greets us all warmly. “How wonderful it is to see all of you!” He exclaims.

  None of us say a word, as we all stare at him blankly. He walks to Milly, “How are you fairing, my dear? It must be so hard being the only lady now. How do you do it all by yourself?”

  Milly begins to shake, as she looks down to the floor. “I’m fine, your majesty,” she says in a voice I can hardly hear.

  “Elias, is there something you wanted?” I ask, in the nicest tone I can muster.

  He looks to me now, cupping my face in his hands. “Why, yes, my love. I just wanted to say how sorry I am for the loss of your lady. I know you two were close. Yesterday was...rough for you. And I wanted to let you know I’m not angry for the way you reacted towards me.”

  I stiffen at the feel of his sweaty hands touching me. He takes notice, and backs away, displeased. He grabs his cup, chugging down whatever is in it. He won’t take his eyes off me as he sets the cup back down, nearing closer to me once again.

  I can feel my blood turning ice cold, for I’ve seen this look before. It’s the same look he gave me the night he attacked me. I clutch my side, feeling for the dagger. Elias looks down just as I clutch the handle. He gives a devilish grin and shakes his head.

  “You stupid girl,” he says, as he rips it from my hand. He throws it to the side of the room and it skids in a loud thump across the floor.

  Elias puts his arm tightly around my waist, forcing me against his body. This is it. I knew this was coming again. I close my eyes, and force myself to breathe evenly.

  “Randolph, get out of here, okay?” I say.

  A tear slips down his little cheek as he shakes his head. “You come with me, Blair,” he cries.

  “I can’t sweetheart. Not this time,” I say, choking back tears.

  Elias rolls his eyes and lets out a huff. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re going to stay right here,” he says to Randolph, and then looks to the rest of them. “All of you are staying right here.”

  “Nobody needs to see this,” I say in a pleading tone.

  He grabs my face hard, smashing my cheeks against my teeth. “They do.”

  Elias turns me around so I’m facing Lucien, Jake, and Milly. Randolph is hiding behind Milly’s skirt, only peaking out once in awhile to see what’s happening. She has an arm protectively around him, and quickly pushes him out the door before Elias can do anything about it.

  Lucien puts his hand on his sword, ready to draw. His eyes are wild with anger, the blood rushing to his face, turning him beet red. Jake quickly follows suit.

  Elias has his arm tightly around my chest, so my back is pressed against his stomach. I can feel his erection jabbing into me, and I feel like I might be sick.

  “Do you think you’re gonna stop me?” Elias asks, as he sees them ready to draw their swords. “You can’t. Take a look behind you.”

  They turn, and four of Elias’ guards come in, surrounding them. Elias smiles. “You’re all going to stay and watch. You’re gonna get a lesson on what it means to be a man.” He wipes the sweat from his forehead. “You see, this bitch thought it would be okay to defy me. Her king. Her husband. This is what happens when women don’t listen. They get only what they deserve. Oh, and she really deserves this,” he says, as he presses his face against my hair, breathing me in.

  I let out a sob as I look into Lucien’s eyes. His fists are clenched, angry tears welling in his eyes. I know if it weren’t for the guards blocking him from moving forward, he would have lunged at Elias by now. In a way, I was thankful. If he tried to stop Elias, he’d be dead. The thought of that was worse than the thought of what was coming next.

  Elias throws me on to his bed, and quickly rips my clothes off, exposing me to everyone in the room. Jake quickly looks away, and Lucien tries to lunge forward. Jake grabs his arm, still not looking up. The other guards close in tighter on him, so he can’t escape through them.

  Milly begins to cry, pleading that he let me go.

  He thrusts deep inside of me, causing me to yell out in pain. He has his hand tightly around my throat, something that I’ve noticed gets him off. Seeing a woman in pain, and scared for her life that excites him like no other. And people in the room watching apparently.

  Did he do this to Marjorie too? Did he make people watch as she suffered underneath his sweaty body?

  I notice that Randolph is still trying to peer into the room, as he screams relentlessly for me to come with him. “Get out of here. Now, Randolph!” I yell. My heart shatters for him, and I want nothing more than to wrap him in my arms and tell him everything will be okay.

  Finally, before he can see much of anything, a servant frantically drags him down the hallways, as he kicks and screams the whole way.

  I block everything out. I don’t look to Lucien, I don’t think I could bare it. Instead, I turn my head so I’m facing the wall. I focus on the picture hanging there, a beautiful farm scene, with sprawling, rolling hills, and a barn positioned to the side. The grass is a vibrant green, cows grazing lazily throughout.

  I picture myself there, alone with only Lucien. A couple of kids running through the field as they chase each other around. Lucien and I in our small farmhouse, having lunch together before we wrangle the cows in the barn for milking.

  I’m jolted out of my fantasy when Elias slaps me across the face. “Pay attention to your husband!” He spits. “Tell me how much you love me. How much you love this. Tell me how good I feel inside of you.”

  “Never,” I say in an even tone. “Never.”

  Luckily he doesn’t seem to notice what I say, for he’s too enthralled in what he’s doing to me. I didn’t think it was possible, but he pumps harder now as he comes close to climax. I shut my eyes hard, feeling like I have given up on everything. I try to drown it out again, but the pain I’m suffering is too great. My cheek is stinging from his palm smacking hard across it. My throat feels tight from him squeezing the life out of me for so long. I’m tired. I’m so tired.

  Finally, I can feel his erection pulsating inside of me, and I know he’s finished. He rolls off of me in a slump, a look of satisfaction spread across his face. I slowly sit up, not even caring that I’m still exposed to all of these people in the room. Why should I care now? I slip my dress back on, zipping the back the best I can before giving up. I slowly walk past Milly who is now crying.

  “Find Randolph. Take him to Miss Ellie,” I say in a sluggish tone as I walk out the door. I don’t look to Lucien or Jake. Or the other guards. I can’t see the expression on Lucien’s face. I know it would break my heart. I can’t look at Jake, for he’s a friend that I’ve grown to care deeply for. And I certainly can’t look at the guards who didn’t care to look away from my exposed body through the whole thing. They enjoyed it. They were just as sick as Elias.

  Once I get to the hallway, I begin to run. I don’t know where I’m going exactly. Before I can think too much about it, I find myself outside. The rain is coming down hard, my body becoming instantly soaked. The lightening flashes in vicious streaks across the black sky, the thunder sounding like loud explosions. If I didn’t feel so empty, it might have made me jump. But I don’t care. I don’t care about anything right now. The only thing I want is to get away from this hell I’m living.
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br />   I find myself in a small alley by the horse stables, and I sit, leaning against the wet stone walls. I focus on the feel of the cold rain against my face. It helps, a little. But the fog still settles deep within my head. I can’t think straight. I really can’t think at all. I’m too numb. I can’t say what happens next, for I pass out from exhaustion. I welcome the darkness. I can finally breathe.

  Chapter 23

  “I found her! She’s over here!” I hear a distant voice yell out.

  I feel somebody gently touching my face, trying to wake me. “Blair? Blair please wake up.” I know the voice now. It’s Lucien.

  I slowly open my eyes, the rain blinding me as I try to focus on his face.

  “She’s waking up!” Milly calls out. Someone else is coming up to me too.

  I look over to see Tobias, kneeling down next to me. “Blair, my dear, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?” He asks as he gently checks me over.

  “I...I’m a little sore. My throat,” I say. I swallow hard, and wince in pain.

  Lucien rests his head against mine, water dripping off of his black hair. “You scared the hell out of me,” he says. His voice sounds like he’s crying, but I can’t tell.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

  Tobias begins lifting me. “Lets get her to her room,” he says. Lucien helps him get me to my feet, and Jake comes over to help them.

  Milly stands helplessly in the dark, the rain looks as though it’s washing her out. I can hear her sobs through the rumbling of the thunder, and again, my heart breaks for everyone but myself.

  “It’s okay,” I say to her. “I’m okay now.”

  I’m able to walk the rest of the way to the castle, but Lucien doesn’t let me go. I don’t think he’ll probably ever let me go again. And I’m okay with that. The feel of his arm wrapped tightly around me, causes a warmth to wash over me despite the cold air.

  “I need to see Randolph,” I say as we near closer to his room.