The Mortal Queen | The Cruel Prince / Wicked King Fanfic

Seven

Jude

Five seconds. That's how long it takes me to realize the weight of Cardan's ultimatum.

He may be bluffing and trying damn hard to call me out on the carpet, but he can't lie. Which means he's actually telling the truth in that I'm on my own if I let him slip away. The bluff is in him hoping I don't.

Damn him. And damn him for kissing me when I was already confused by his presence.

With a rush of panic I throw some money down on the table to pay for our half-eaten breakfast and run as fast as I can for the door.

I burst onto the busy sidewalk outside and look down the street for him. There are quite a few people but I don't see anyone that even closely resembles him. Good thing he's tall so he can easily be spotted.

I whirl around in the other direction and there he is, just a few yards away, leaning against the brick wall of the cafe, with his arms folded and looking at me with a smug expression.

I should slap that smirk right off your beautiful face.

I hold in all the nasty things I want to say to him as I stomp over in his direction.

I put my finger in his face to scold him and he gives me a crooked grin. "Listen—" I say.

"That took you exactly ten seconds less than I thought it would, and it bothers me that I was wrong." He says with a smirk.

I fold my arms and try again to chastise him for the trick he just played on me, but he interrupts me. Again. How annoying.

"Tell me something, Jude." He says and pushes away from the wall to stand in front of me. "Was it that you realized you got played, or—" he leans in and smirks. "—was it that you hoped I'd kiss you again?"

Despite all the unresolved issues between us, I can't ever get his kisses off my mind. There's no way I'm admitting that to him right now.

"Oh, please." I say and smack him on the arm. "Don't flatter yourself."

He laughs, then comes to stand beside me and puts an arm around my shoulder as he steers us down the sidewalk. I try to ignore the warmth of his body this close to mine.

"I just realized you were bluffing and telling the truth. It intrigued me is all." We continue walking at a leisurely pace, my hands feeling restless as I don't know what to do with them. I shove them into my pockets.

"So you don't want to come home?" He asks for clarification. The way he says home unsettles me, and the fact that I'm unsettled by that unsettles me even more. I hate how confusing this is.

I sigh. "No, I do. I'm just— so mad and confused. About everything." I admit.

Cardan stops and stands in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"You're angry with me." He says, a crease emerging on his forehead. "If you have doubts about why I sent you here, then I can see how you would be angry and confused." His hands drop from my shoulders and he puts them in his pockets instead.

"Is that supposed to make any sense?" I ask.

"Well, it would, if you were paying any attention." He says with a grin.

I try to work that one out in my head, and when I don't say anything he steps beside me as we start walking again.

What could he possibly mean by that? I look up at him as we walk, but he doesn't look at me, and he doesn't say anything. He just lets me stew and stew on his words in classic Cardan fashion.