No Greater Love {Completed}

Page 16

"A plan is only as good as those who see it through."
- Unknown

Shannon's POV

After two days of recovering the queen sent for me. Aviana was against it because she said I need more rest, but I couldn't say no.

"Shannon, you really should rest some more," Aviana said looking at me with worried eyes.

"I'll come back and take a nap if that'll make you feel better." I kissed her the cheek and moved a stray hair from her face.

She sighed deeply and moved away to sit at the desk. "Don't do anything to make her angry. I don't think your body can take any more of her venom." She didn't look at me as she talked, but I could hear the worry in her voice.

I spun her chair around to face me and kissed her softly. She stood and tangled her fingers in my hair.

"Don't go," she whispered breathlessly against my lips.

"I have to," I whispered back.

"Fine." She let go and returned to the desk.

I felt slightly hurt. I wanted to stay, but I know I couldn't especially since the queen summoned me. I quietly left the infirmary and walked to the queen's chambers. As I walked through the halls all eyes were on me. Human servants looked at me with admiration and hope. Lurians looked at me with disgust, resentment, and fear. It was the my first time out of the infirmary since the reaping, and apparently things had changed. For better? Or for worse? I guess only time would tell.

As I approached the queen's room the servants opened the door for me. She was as I expected sitting at her vanity admiring herself in the mirror. I bowed when she looked back at me. "You're Majesty," I said politely.

"My great and wonderful servant. How are you?"

I was taken by surprise. She never used flattery, so I quickly became suspicious. "I'm still recovering, but I'm fine."

"Good," she said smiling. "Do you remember what I said to you?"

That's right. She said next time we meet she would have an offer to make me. "Yes, you're Majesty."

"Well there are multiple things I'd like for you to do. First, I need you to spy on that little doctor of yours. I fear that she may be... Withholding information about who she really is. Second I will appoint you to commander and chief of my guard, but you must kill Kylie."

"You're Majesty she's your daughter."

"She's of no use to me anymore."

"You're Majesty I can't kill an innocent girl."

"You can and you will because if you don't I will execute your brother."

My heart stopped. "What reason do you have to execute him?"

She turned to her vanity and pressed something in the side of the mirror. It flashed and suddenly it was like watching a porno. One of which my brother and her daughter were the stars.

My stomach sank and began to churn.

"This is happening as we speak. I became suspicious when one of her servants came to me and said that she had been very secretive and was sneaking off with your brother. Then another came to me and said they were kissing in the garden. So I took the liberty of having a camera installed in her room."

I couldn't stop the sinking feeling. Everything was ruined. I could have easily lied when it came to spying on Aviana, but this. I didn't know what to say or how to even deal with this.

"I'm waiting for your answer," the woman pressed.

"Can I at least talk to Jared about this first? Make him stop this so neither one of them has to be killed?"

"It's too late. The moment he took her virginity is the moment he insured her death."

"Why is her virginity so important?"

"Don't question me," she snapped.

"Before I accept, can I at least explain to him why I have to kill her?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I suppose."

"Will I be appointed before or after I kill her?"

"Does it matter?"

Now was my chance. I could possibly save the four of us, and get us to freedom I just had to choose my words carefully. "If you were to appoint me aft killing her, it would soil your name my Queen. It would make you seem as if you're praising me for the murder of your daughter. If I were appointed before, you could say she committed treason, and you trust me enough to preform her execution."

"You're right. I suppose you will want training as the commander then?"

"Yes you're Majesty. To make it seem more believable."

She sighed. "Very well, however you are not to see your brother. He will be kept in a separate wing away from my daughter and away from the rest of the palace."

I nodded. It was going to be hard to explain a plan to someone when you couldn't see or have any kind of communication with them, but if it was a shot at saving our lives then it was worth it.