Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,98

fight for the throne until the bitter end.”

Even though Leonidas had said that his brother was plotting against Maeven, more shock still spiked through me. Milo was talking about assassinating the queen, his own mother. No, not just talking about it—actively planning it with a noble rich and powerful enough to help him pull it off.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, though. If the Seven Spire massacre had taught me nothing else, it was that assassinations, even of queens, were easy enough to arrange.

Emperia nodded, as if satisfied with Milo’s answer. “What about your brother and sister? They won’t take your mother’s death very well.”

Milo shrugged yet again. “Leonidas and I have never seen eye to eye. He’s always been soft and weak. Always wanting to broker peace with the other kingdoms rather than bringing them to heel under Mortan rule like they should be. I’ll kill him too. That way he can’t cause us any trouble.”

Worry churned in my stomach, and twin spikes of fear and dread skewered my heart. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Leonidas, but he had saved me from the mine, and I didn’t want him to be killed, especially not so Milo could seize power.

Emperia nodded again. “And Delmira?”

“If she makes too much of a fuss, then yes, I will kill her too,” Milo replied in a flat, emotionless voice. “But I doubt that she’ll do anything more strenuous than cry. Delmira doesn’t have enough magic to threaten me, so I’ll marry her off to some lord in search of a young, pretty wife. Someone rich and loyal, who shares my vision for Morta.”

Emperia nodded for a third time, apparently pleased by his plotting. Then another seductive smile spread across her face. “I must return to my chambers soon, before Corvina wonders where I’ve been. But before I go, perhaps we can finish what we started in the hallway.” She tilted her head toward the open archway. “That looks like a perfectly serviceable bed.”

Milo grinned. “I do so love experiments. Let’s test out your theory.”

He leaned forward and kissed her neck, even as his hands slid down her back and he pinched her ass again. Emperia let out another girlish giggle and wrapped her arms around his neck, a triumphant smirk filling her face. Milo might think he was in charge, but the noble lady definitely had her own agenda. She was probably just using him to kill Maeven, and then she would turn around and kill him, clearing her own path to the throne.

Milo started walking Emperia backward toward the archway. She giggled again, then took his hand and tugged him into the other room. A few seconds later, springs squeak-squeak-squeaked as they dropped down onto the bed. After that, well, I tried to block out their passionate sounds, although I wasn’t entirely successful.

Once I was sure that Milo and Emperia were fully . . . engaged, I reached out with my magic, speaking to the liladorn again.

Let me go now. Please.

The vines quivered, then slowly loosened their grip and retreated. I turned around, plastered my chest up against the wall, and tiptoed over to the window.

I tried to open the window, but the frame was stuck. Frustration filled me, but I forced myself to stop and listen. Milo and Emperia were still engaged with each other, so I sent out a tiny trickle of magic, just enough to loosen the frame.

It screeched as I lifted it, but no shouts rang out, so I pushed the frame up as high as it would go, then hooked my leg over the sill and crawled out of Milo Morricone’s workshop of horrors.

* * *

The window opened up onto a steep, sloping roof that was cold and slick with frost. As soon as I was outside, I used my magic to shut the frame behind me. Hopefully, Milo and Emperia would be too distracted to sense my small bursts of power.

My relief didn’t last long, though. I might have escaped the workshop, but I was still stuck on a roof, some five stories above the ground. I started to get to my feet, but one of my heels slipped, so I took off the shoes and shoved them into my pockets. The frost burned my hands and feet, but my skin sticking to the stone made for much better traction. I sat on my ass and slowly wiggled down the roof, making sure not to go too fast lest I slide off and plummet to