The Runaway Queen

Chapter 5

Seraphina raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. Orin waited, revealing nothing.

"I will comply on one condition, which is not negotiable."

"What is it?"

"That the bird remains in my company at all times, is never subjected to harm of any form, is not caged, and is provided an adequate diet that is appropriate."

"I will check to see if that is acceptable."

Orin reached the king, who was standing at the window watching Seraphina.

"My lord?"

"Her terms are approved, but ensure that she understands that compliance extends to many things, such as acceptable behaviour and staying within the authorised areas. If she tries to harm me or anyone like the staff, I will harm her bird. If she tries to leave, I will take the bird to the far end of the country and let it go. I want you to ensure she acknowledges that her actions have consequences. It is your duty to ensure that Seraphina reaches the manor house without issue. If that means that you have to threaten the bird to ensure she behaves, then so be it."

Orin nodded and watched as the king and his advisor left the room. He sighed, glancing at the other guards.

Re-entering the interrogation room, Orin had the handcuffs in preparation.

"The terms are simple, Seraphina. We agree to the safety and ongoing care of the bird and allow it to remain in your company on the proviso that you behave. To ensure that you do not have any issue with that, we're going to consider the bird an insurance policy. Anything you do will have consequences against the bird. Harm someone while you're a guest in the royal house, and we will harm the bird. Try to leave, and the bird will be permanently taken from you. Do we have a deal, Seraphina?"

She scowled at the guard.

Orin didn't falter. He held out his hand and stared at her. With a grunt of frustration, Seraphina grabbed his hand and shook it. Orin didn't want to admit that it was strong and that she could easily cause pain if she gripped it too hard.

Turning Seraphina around, Orin placed the cuffs on her wrists. With her passed over to the guards, he picked up the bird in the cage.

The guards moved quickly. One held the chain between her cuffs, guiding Seraphina to the basement. Several were in front, and as she looked over her shoulder, Seraphina saw more behind her. She thought it was somewhat extreme, but when she saw that more were waiting for them, Seraphina believed they were going overboard.

Several Range Rovers waited, parked next to each other in the basement. Seraphina was moved into the one on the exterior, and Orin sat on the seat next to her. Bram was still in his cage, quietly accepting that freedom was not available at the moment.

"I'm not going to run away," Seraphina muttered. "I don't want the bird to be hurt or lost. Could you at least move my hands to the front?"

Orin nodded, releasing one hand. He was grateful that Seraphina played nice and allowed him to cuff her again. It would be more comfortable for her hands to be at the front of her body rather than behind. Of course, it would be much better for there to be no cuffs, but Orin didn't trust her.

"I would hope you'd want to stay without being forced."

Seraphina snorted a huff through her nose, turning her attention to the window. Two cars moved out before their car moved. She glanced back at the ramp as the car turned out onto the street, noticing that three more cars followed. Two at each end for protection, two in the middle to be protected.

"And perhaps offer a little courtesy to your king as he offers his home to you."

"He is not my king," Seraphina muttered softly. "And it is not his home."

She watched as they passed the street where Jackson was. He was still on his bike, but Seph could see he was talking to someone on the phone. It had been hours, and she hadn't emerged. A time hadn't been discussed, but missions usually didn't take that long. He would know that things had turned bad and was calling for instructions.

"We know of your friend."

Seraphina turned to look at Orin. He offered a smug smile as he shrugged.

"Our eyes are everywhere. The guests will be moved out before anyone tries to storm the building. Remarkably, there are issues with street access. So strange, don't you agree?"

A car rolled into place as they turned the corner. Seraphina looked back to see another crash into it. She knew the doors would be locked, and the drivers would disappear into the night.

It wouldn't stop the government or the police from rolling in, but it would delay their efforts. Seraphina knew that all access points would have something to cause a disruption.

As for Jackson, he probably didn't see a thing. Seraphina thought he probably missed the six black cars with heavily tinted windows driving past him. It couldn't be more obvious, but he wasn't behind them, and no one was following them.

"Why am I being kept alive?"

"Because the king thought it would be amusing."

"Well, he always was an asshole. Good to see that nothing has changed."

Orin said nothing to the statement. He wasn't going to agree or even comment about it. Their love-hate dynamic was never going to change.

Poking his finger through the bars, Orin traced it over the silky black feathers. The bird didn't react.

"What's the deal with the bird?"

"One of the wings is injured. I'm caring for the bird until it's better."

"It's so tame, though."

"Perhaps it's luring you in with a false sense of security."

Orin pulled his finger out and looked at Seraphina. Her haughty smile made Orin think he was tempting fate with the bird, so he vowed not to stick his fingers in the cage again.

"Are you looking forward to returning to the sanctum?"

"Why would I want to return to the place where the fallen roam the corridors at night, wailing that they cannot find peace because they were brutally murdered by someone they foolishly trusted?"

"There are no ghosts in the sanctum. You need to let go of the past."

Orin was distracted as the car moved onto the A10. He didn't see Seraphina's sadness grow as she lowered her gaze to Bram. The bird ruffled his feathers and tilted his head to look at her. She liked to think that Bram was always a consoling sort of bird but nothing that anyone offered could help her at the moment.

She was stuck in a situation that was the furthest from her expectations. Returning to the sanctum and to Hawthorn was never an option. Her plans to kill him had been temporarily taken from her. Seraphina vowed to try again, but for now, it would wait. Until Bram was better and she knew that he could escape any situation on his own, Seraphina couldn't do a single thing.