The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #2) - Gena Showalter Page 0,73

at him. “She is Leonora the Burner of Worlds. Our downfall twice over. Kill her now, or step aside and watch as I do the honor.”

As much as I wanted to deny the queen’s claim—I’m not Leonora, I’m just her skin suit—I kept my mouth closed.

“You do so enjoy watching as others die, don’t you, Mother?” Saxon offered silkily. “If you touch her, you die.” He wrapped a strong arm around my waist. “Ashleigh is mine.”

At any other time, I would have reveled in his protectiveness. Now? Too emotionally flayed.

I considered running to escape the pair, but how far would I get before I passed out? The sobs had drained me. I barely had the strength to remain on my feet. At least Leonora seemed to have retreated...for now.

With his free arm, Saxon motioned to the sky. I looked up in time to see a boy I hadn’t met descending from the overhead pack to approach us.

When he landed a few feet away, Saxon gave me a squeeze and told him, “Take the girl to the palace. Leave her on the balcony of the bedroom I secured before her arrival.”

He was able to secure a room for himself, but my father hadn’t planned to offer one to me? How very... King Philipp.

After what I’d done to my mother, though, I couldn’t blame him.

A new whimper bubbled up.

“If she receives a single scratch,” Saxon said, incorrectly guessing the reason for my upset, “you will pay with your life. Understood?”

I might not be the witch who’d harmed Craven all those years ago, but I’d enabled the phantom who had. Saxon owed me nothing, and I owed him everything; he’d still put more protective measures in place.

“The feathers,” I croaked, wanting to apologize. I would redo this task. I would do every task he assigned from now on, exactly as he commanded. I needed to make true reparation.

“Consider it a successful finish, the goal met.” He avoided looking in my direction. “Don’t forget you are to remain at the palace.”

“I won’t forget, and I won’t leave unless forced,” I promised.

“You safeguard her?” Raven demanded. “Did you learn nothing from your past? She is an angel in the beginning, and a devil in the end. She will never be accepted as your queen. If you wed her, you cannot be king.”

“Enough,” Saxon bellowed. He snapped his fingers at the wide-eyed avian boy. “Go. Now. And heed my warning.”

The boy urged me against him, flared his wings and eased me into the air. I didn’t speak, just tried to contain my grief.

By the time the avian set me down on the balcony and flew away, I was strung tighter than a bow, even one of my own design. With a series of sniffles, I pushed my way into an unfamiliar bedroom, spying mirrored walls, a massive four-poster bed, and potted plants. Lovely, pearly white moonpetals bloomed from the foliage, perfuming the air.

My gaze zoomed back to the bed, where two ball-shaped blobs rested on a pillow. I recalled Noel’s words. I left a gift in your bedroom. You’re welcome. When you see it, scream. You’ll be glad you did.

I tripped over to the bed. I needed to lie down, anyway. What I found... I had to do a double take. My red dragon eggs.

A flare of excitement was quickly extinguished by my misery. Scream Noel? Very well. I dropped to my knees at the side of the bed, threw back my head, and screamed at the top of my lungs. Rage, frustration, and grief blended together in an ear-splitting crescendo.

I screamed until my voice broke. I screamed until my lungs threatened to collapse. I screamed until my heart skipped beats in an effort to escape my pain. Let the world hear.

When finally I quieted, I sagged to the floor and rolled into a ball, weak and sobbing anew. But it wasn’t long before a faint scraping sound caught my attention. I tensed.

If someone had entered the room, I would... I would...

Oh, what did it matter? I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to talk or care. I just wanted to forget. To cry until I passed out. The presence of another wouldn’t stop me.

The scraping persisted. Eventually, I pushed up, balanced on my arms, and twisted, glancing over my shoulder. What the—

There, on the pillow, cracks spread through both eggs.

I scrambled to my feet, watching as a piece of shell dropped, thick gooey liquid spilling over the sheets.

A membranous red wing peeked out.

13

He isn’t