Kingmaker (Ace of Queens #5)

Pt.38 Sweet Slumber

Chapter 38

Xavier had someone quickly take the little blue box away from Maksim. Mavi threw her arms around her son and rubbed his back to calm him down.

But nothing was helping. Owen saw the shift in Maksim's eyes as he went from broken to down right terrifying. His nostrils flared as his hands balled into fists. Range came off of him like violent waves on the sea. Mavi tried her best to tell him to stay calm but there was no holding him back anymore.

Just then, the doors to the throne room opened and Gemma rushed in. Her braid was messy, almost half undone and her skin was flushed as if she had run a marathon. Her eyes bounced around the room before they settled on Maksim.

"We found them," she said panting.

Mavi and Owen sighed in relief as Xavier gave Alec a nod.

"Have the queen's guard ready," Owen told his brother as he started to follow him out of the room.

"Inform the New York offices," Gemma told Exton. "I'll give you the location. Tell them to surround the building."

As everyone moved around to do something, Maksim turned on his heels to follow Owen out. Mavi reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. As Maksim stopped, Owen and Alec looked back.

"Your training isn't complete," Mavi said. "Let your dad and Alec handle this, please."

"Have you lost your mind," Maksim narrowed his eyes and slowly pulled his arm away from his mother.

"Maksim, I know how important this is," Mavi said. "Trust me, I do know. But you will be of no help to Ella if you get hurt."

"I don't need to be trained to rip off their heads, mom," Maksim said in a low voice. "Trust me when I say they will regret ever laying a hand on her."

Mvi opened her mouth to protest. She was terrified of her son being hurt. But before she could say a world, one of the Queen's guards spoke up.

"Your highness," he said to Mavi. "I think you all might want to see this."

Everyone in the room turned in the direction of the young guard. His hands trembled as he licked on one of the large screens.

"This is being broadcasted live all over the world," he said as an image of Ella sitting next to a man with a trimmed white beard popped onto the screen.

Gemma gasped as the haunting sight of Ella drilled fear and panic into all of their minds. Maksim took a step closer to the monitor. His eyes took in the many bruises on Ella's face and neck. She had a cut above her right eyebrow. The blood from it had dried against her skin. Her hands were bound to the table, wrists held in place by black metal cuffs. Maksim counted each and every single mark on her.

He wasn't going to spare them.

"Citizens of the world," the man next to Ella cleared his throat. "We, the Sons of Tovio, have a very special message for you tonight."

"Who is he?" Maksim snared as he looked to his mother.

Mavi had her eyes glued on the screen, "Roman Cosima."

"My human brothers and sisters," Roman continued to speak. "We have suffered for far too long under the thumbs of the wolves, witches and other vial creatures that pollute the world we live in. We will no longer sit back and let them dominate. We must rise up and fight. Our battle starts now. It starts tonight."

The royal family watched in horror as Roman turned to Ella. A whimper left her trembling lips as the man gripped her hair and pulled her face closer to him.