by K. Lyn Hill
The smile she cast could have frightened away the largest of predators. "Well then your majesty. I suppose your secret is safe with me."
Her cackling behind him would haunt him for the rest of his days.
After finishing negotiations with the evil whelp herself, he stepped out into the swirling fog that was now his life. Once out of ear shot, he shared one knowing glance with his most trusted advisor, who had witnessed the whole thing. "Benjamin, make sure she doesn't ever leave the forest. I want it to be like she never existed."
Benjamin nodded with wise eyes. “Yes, your majesty. But sir, about the children? What do we do about the mark?”
“Have a brand created in an exact replica. Tell the forgers that it is the utmost discretion.”
“What do we tell the people happened to their Queen?” Benjamin asked.
“Tell them she died giving birth. We will hold her funeral tomorrow.” He answered despite the bile rising in his throat.
With a nod Benjamin began to turn away but then faced him once again.
“Sir, your wife struggled to give birth to Damien. I believe it might be hard to convince the people that she had two babies before dying.”
“Then I will only claim one as my son. The other put in the castle nursery.” He hated how emotionless his words sounded when speaking about his own family but he couldn’t view them as such. Not after he knew how they were created.
“Which one, your highness?”
At this point, he didn’t care. Numbness settled over his body. The thought of his wife being dead was enough to send him in a blank stupor. He could no longer handle his responsibilities as king. There was nothing left of him to give. All of him was missing along with his wife.
His mind. His heart and his soul.
All gone.
Now he was simply a husk of what he once was trying desperately not to crumble apart.
“Either. Just pick one.”
“And what about the staff that saw both babies be born?”
“Do whatever you need to and make the problem disappear.”
∞∞∞
Find out what happens next in the third book of the series...
A Flare In The Fallen Kingdom
(From Forest To Flames #3)
