Chapter 200

Jason continues to watch me and Kira as I follow Kira down the hallway. Only after we round a corner, physically breaking line of sight with him, am I confident he is no longer looking at us.

Kira doesn’t say one word to me all the way back to her room. She opens the door for me, ushers me inside, and then closes the door behind me. I stay near the exit as she moves around me and walks farther into the room.

On top of a nearby table is a few bottles of various liquors and wines. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“No,” I say. While I’m mostly sure she wouldn’t try to poison me, I’m not taking any chances. I also have no intention of staying in this room for longer than is absolutely necessary. Given that we are alone here, though even if we weren’t, I don’t feel the need to be particularly rude about either point. So I keep my mouth shut.

Kira pours herself something from one of the decanters. The dark liquid half-fills the short glass, then she sets the decanter aside.

“You wanted to talk,” I say, prompting her to start.

“I wanted to make one last plea to you, as a mother would for her son,” Kira begins. “You do not seem an unreasonable sort, Harper. For a harem girl, you are quite well-spoken, able to win over the hearts of those around you easily. Yet, none of this makes you qualified to sit beside my son on the throne.”

Technically, I was sitting on him, but that seems a bit crass to mention.

“This sounds like something you need to discuss with Caleb, not with me,” I say. “Caleb is the one who determines who sits where near his throne.”

“You have enchanted him by means unknown to me,” she says. She lifts her glass and sips. “He sees something in you that is invisible to me. When I look at you, I see nothing but a greedy whore trying to claim much more than she deserves.”

“If that’s all,” I say, half-turning toward the door. “I was willing to hear you out, but I will not stand here and be insulted any further.”

“You will listen to me,” Kira snaps. She places her cup down on the table with a harsh clank. Some of the liquid spills out.

“You cannot threaten me,” I say.

“Oh? Oh can’t I? I was once the Luna of this kingdom, standing beside my vicious, bloodthirsty husband for decades. You truly believe that I cannot make good on my words? On my threats? You think that you, some insignificant little slave, can dare to have a chance against my will?”

Hidden behind the bottles, Kira now reveals a dagger.

I grab the handle of the door and try to open it, but it’s locked. I hadn’t seen or heard her lock it!

“My son Evan chose to love a commoner, and it proved to be his undoing,” Kira continued. There’s a touch of madness in her eyes, making them unfocused. She’s glaring at me, but she also seems like she’s looking at something a thousand miles away.

“Evan wasn’t killed by his love,” I say. “Your husband sabotaged him, forcing Caleb to kill him.”

“Don’t be so naïve,” Kira says cruelly. “Evan had to die. It was the only way we could maintain the status quo in this kingdom. The servant class will never be considered more than the tools they are. They are all mindless sheep who will do what they are told.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is – for most of them. You continue to prove difficult, ever a thorn in my side.”

As she continues to creep closer, I step to the side so that we are forced to walk around each other. I will not allow myself to be blocked up against the door.

I don’t know how experienced Kira is with that knife, but in the past year, I’ve trained to fight in the arena, as well as taken personal lessons with the Pitmaster. I will not allow myself to be cornered or caught unawares.

“I’ve given you plenty of chances to walk away, Harper. I’ve warned you time and time again to leave Caleb alone,” Kira demands.

“The note on the door…” No, not just that. “All of the notes, the threats.” I’d thought they were from Annabelle, or other jealous members of the Harem. “They were from you.”

“If you would have done as you were told, it never would have needed to come to this.”

“You’ve lost your mind,” I say. I move to place the table between us. Still she keeps approaching, coming closer and closer to me.

“I love my children,” Kira says. “I’ve always loved them, even when the difficult choices needed to be made. Evan had to die so that we could save his reputation from being smeared. Now, I will save Caleb’s. If I need to become a villain to do so, then so be it!”

With that, she lunges at me.

She moves with the accuracy of training, but either with disuse or her advanced age, she lacks the speed. I side step her attach, then reach out and grab her wrist, stopping her from countering with a second strike.

She struggles against me, we shove each other back and forth. I refuse to let her go, knowing that would give her the advantage and an opening to attack me.

In our struggle, the table with the bottles crashes over, the bottles smashing onto their ground. Glass shatters, splinters flying across the room. The liquid pours out, wasted, drenching the room with the smell of alcohol.

“Let go, you vicious little bitch!” Kira shouts.

“Put down the knife!” I shout back.

Someone pounds on the door. The handle jiggles, still locked.

“Stop, Kira! Please!”

As she has a wolf, she is stronger than me. It’s all I can do to hold on. But I won’t give up.

She wants to kill me but I won’t just roll over and let that happen.

Caleb has finally chosen me. I didn’t fight to make it this far just to lose everything now.

We continue to tussle back and forth, when someone kicks in the door.

Jason rushes in, takes one look at us, and hurries toward us. I’m nervous at first, uncertain which side he’s on.

“Hold on, Harper!” he calls, seemingly coming to my aid.

He grabs Kira by the shoulders and tears her away, throwing her across the room. She tumbles, her dagger loose in her hands. She tries to harden her grip as she falls – but the dagger is pointed the wrong direction.

When she hits the ground, the blade slides right between her ribs.

Immediately, she goes still and silent.

Jason and I look at each other, and then at Kira.

“Is she…?” I ask.

“I don’t know…” he says.

I step closer, trying to see.

The pool of blood beneath her grows and grows, a small lake of red.

She still isn’t moving.

“I think she’s dead,” I say.

At just that moment, guards storm into the room. The do a one over, their eyes catching on Kira and the blood.

“Everyone, freeze!” one of the guards shouts, withdrawing his own sword.

All I can do, is hold up my hands in surrender.