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Her hand flew out and I felt a force of energy propel me against the wall.

“Away,” she commanded me, with a power I had not known she had. She was holding me against the wall and was beginning to chant words of some magical origin. She was casting a spell on me. It took all of my power to break out of her power, to rip free of the magic that was holding me.

At that moment, a terrible cold descended over the room. It became instantly dark, darker than night, the way black magic transformed a space. From his bed, Vlas rose, a strange shape in the dark, filled with a fierce energy.

He lifted his hands and balls of fire shot from them, striking his wife and engulfing her in fire. Instantly, the darkness vanished. Vlas fell onto the bed and Taheera sank to her knees, trying to stamp out the flames on her clothing. Then her hair caught fire and her screams ripped through the room. It was terrifying.

When I looked at Vlas, I could see the king was no more. The effort of stopping his wife one last time, had been too much for him.

The door to the chamber opened and Harris came in. He looked at Vlas and Taheera, who was writhing on the floor.

“What the hell…?”

I shook my head, unable to explain. It was too much.

“I just had a call from the Human Council,” he said, a gleam in his eye. “The shifters have surrendered. They are ready to talk peace.”

I nodded. “Good.”

“Can you lead our delegation?”

I shook my head. “How about Vermont does that? Good way for him to start his training for the top job, don’t you think?”

“But…?”

I pointed at the bed. “The king has passed. The queen is gone. It is time for a new king to step up.” Besides, I had better things to do.

I didn’t feel like telling him that my work here was done. I wanted to go to Ruby and her mother, I wanted to tell them about my land and I wanted to show Ruby all about the birds and the bees.

I was tired of war and fighting. The betrayal and the murder, all the backstabbing. I had found out who had killed Matteo and suddenly, I had no energy for any politics anymore. I knew that I had been tired of it all for some time, but when Matteo was murdered, I felt responsible for finding out who had killed him and I wanted to avenge his death. Bring the perpetrator to justice or kill him. Whichever was easiest.

I had not expected to find out that his lover had killed him. This man who had given everything for the kingdom, who had never married but apparently, had fallen in love with a woman who got rid of him when he lost his use for her.

I was done with the Capital.

I wanted nothing more to do with it. I was finally ready to go back to my estate, to fill the house again with love and happiness. I could see Ruby there, wandering the halls, decorating the rooms to her taste, changing the wallpaper and the drapes. She could do whatever she wanted.

I wanted to be with her. Nothing else mattered.

Chapter 29

Ruby

I got up for breakfast and knocked on my mother’s door. We had agreed the night before that she would wake me in the morning and we would go down together to get something to eat but she had never called me. I knocked again.

“Mom?” I went inside and found her in bed, sitting up.

“You okay?”

She gave a tired smile.

“I think I may need to go to the hospital again.”

“Are you feeling sick again?” I rushed to the bed and felt her forehead but she didn’t have a fever.

“I’ve been feeling a bit weak. It started yesterday, but you know, it’s been a busy couple of days.”

“We’ll find you a hospital here,” I said. “I’ll call today and…”