“Definitely not dead.” She indicated Narcissa with a jerk of her chin. “It was my sister behind this like I originally thought, not my aunt.”
Hauk tsked as he moved forward to cover Narcissa with his own weapon. For an instant, Narcissa looked like she was about to try and fight him, but since he literally towered over her, she thought better of it. He cuffed her hands behind her back while Caillen and Desideria went to check on Gwen and Kara.
To her complete amazement, Gwen pulled her into a tight hug. Until she went ramrod stiff. “You didn’t kill Mom, right?”
“You heard Narcissa. I had nothing to do with it.”
“Just checking.” She pulled her back into her arms and held her. “Thank you, Des. Thank you!”
Caillen helped Kara to her feet. “Are you sure we shouldn’t be taking this one into custody too?”
Desideria looked at Gwen. “Well?”
“Kara saved my life. Had she not pulled me out of Narcissa’s line of fire, I’d be dead now.”
Her aunt lifted her chin as if she was mortally insulted. “Unlike Narcissa, I take my oaths seriously. I am Qillaq and I would never kill someone in cold blood. Only in fair combat.”
Narcissa curled her lip. “Oh shut up, you sanctimonious whore. I’m sick of all your—”
Hauk stunned her with his blaster.
Narcissa cried out before she slumped to the floor.
Hauk made no moves to break her fall. Instead, he holstered his weapon and met Desideria’s gaze unabashedly. “My mother always said that if you can’t improve the silence, you shouldn’t be speaking.”
Fain let out a low whistle. “You stunned a girl, bro. Then let her hit the floor. Damn, and I thought I was callous.”
Ignoring Fain, Caillen left Kara’s side to stand by Desideria’s. She could tell by his expression that he’d been worried about her. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a passion that ignited that part of her that craved him most. And it made her hungry for so much more. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the warm scent of his skin and just savored this one moment of peace.
It was over.
Her sister and aunt knew she had nothing to do with her mother’s murder.
I’m free…
Caillen tensed ever so slightly before he pulled back and turned her to face her sister and aunt who were kneeling reverently on the floor.
“My Queen,” Kara said. “I will serve you every bit as faithfully as I did your predecessor.”
Gwen looked up and actually smiled at her. “As will I. Long live Queen Desideria.”
Strange how those words weren’t as important to her now as they’d been before. Indeed, unlike Caillen, they left her completely cold.
Caillen draped his arm around her shoulders. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. “You’re back where you belong.”
Why didn’t it feel that way?
She looked up at him. “But you’re still not off the hook. Karissa and her daughter are after your throat.”
“Karissa?” Kara scowled at them. “My sister, Karissa?”
Desideria nodded. “She’s the one who killed Caillen’s father and blamed him for it. It appears she and Leran have been behind all of this madness.” Kara winced. “I should have known this would happen.”
“How so?” Desideria asked.
“I knew Karissa hated us for the fact that she was forced into a political marriage. To her, it was beneath her and she resented the fact that your mother had won the throne. She swore to me that she’d live to see her daughter as our queen.” Kara glanced to Narcissa and sighed. “Stupid child. They would have killed her too and Karissa would have been the one to rule here. Never would they have allowed Narcissa to keep this throne.”
Because Karissa’s offworlder husband was now dead…
That would clear the line of succession. She could easily return to Qilla and claim her former rank. The plan hadn’t been to divide and share rulership. Karissa had wanted it all for herself and her daughter. And since Kara couldn’t fight for the throne, with Desideria and her sisters out of the way, no one would have been able to stop her. Cold, but clever.
Caillen sighed. “It was a brilliant plan.”
Kara let out a long sigh. “When you spend years plotting and executing it, it usually is.”
Gwen shook her head in denial as she stared at Narcissa’s unconscious form. “I still don’t understand how they seduced Narcissa to help them. Why would she betray us?”
“Remember five years ago when I went to visit Karissa?” Kara asked her.
“You took Cissy with you.”
She nodded. “They must have started their plans with her then and kept in touch with her after that.”
And that explained why Narcissa’s attitude had turned so cold at that time. Why she’d been so vicious toward her and Gwen. Not that she’d ever been particularly kind. But after that visit she had returned very different.
How tragic for all of them.