The Queen's Conquer

Chapter 40 : Sisterhood

Ophiomormous • [off-ee-oh-mor-muss]
Snakelike.

🖤

~+~

I've become desensitized to my surroundings—to the nerves in my body. But I already know my eyes are practically falling out of their sockets; my fists are clenched and my nails are boring into my palms.

I'm only able to choke out, "Y-y-you..."

The scaly female observes me for a moment as if the first time she'd tried to kill me with one of her throwing knives wasn't good enough for her. She doesn't make much of a move to attack me. And I can understand why.

There are others in this manor. Others that would notice if something happened to me. Others that would not take a cold-blooded murder lightly.

"I wasn't aware you were visiting," she begins, clicking her tongue as though this is a game to her. "Then again, I don't know anything about you."

I had prepared myself to face Bianca and Jace and the depths of whatever Mylithia's library holds. But not this. Not—

She takes a step closer and I stagger away some more.

"H-h-how a-are you e-even...?" I swallow tightly before rephrasing my words. "T-there's n-no way that y-you're m-my—"

"Oh, please," she snickers. "It couldn't be any more obvious with our similar scents."

I pause for a moment, take in a very cautious breath, and—

A sickening feeling arises in my gut. A sickening feeling that makes me want to run as far away from here as possible.

The woman's smile seems to widen at this. "Father would be so disappointed that it took you this long to figure it out," she says, crossing her arms. "He thought our first confrontation was good enough for you."

Flashbacks of that Goddess-awful night replay in my mind—how I was forced to use my abilities on that one-eyed rogue. How I'd wished being dead over breathing another second of air because of the way their actions had tormented me.

Maddox had sent them, I know that for certain now. But has he sent her again to Mylithia to terrorize me? Because it's easier without the inconvenience of an entire wolf pack chasing her out of their territory? To capture me and take me back to him?

The ground practically falls out from under my feet as my blood turns disgustingly icy. "W-why the h-hell are you h-here?" I whisper, trying my hardest to relax my muscles.

She releases a long breath. "Business matters," she mutters, sounding unamused by it. "And in order to do that, I had to kick Mother and her sad husband out of the kingdom for a while."

So that's why—

"Where the fuck did you send them?!" I seethe under my breath, finally gaining control of my stammering words as I'm tentative of my volume—because anyone's voice could easily echo through these infinite halls. Meaning anyone could overhear this conversation.

"They're not dead if that's what you're thinking," she snaps back. "They're just a liability and needed to take a short vacation until I'm able to sort some things out."

My pulse has increased tremendously to the point where I'm not sure if my ribs can withstand the pounding of my heart anymore. I'm not even sure if I can move my limbs from this spot with how concrete my joints have become.

And then, a blurb in time stops my thoughts short from speaking to the horrid woman further.

Anastasia, a soothing, recognizable voice echoes through my conscience. Anastasia, what's wrong?