THE OFFICE SMELLED of her after she left. Every corner was imbued with her scent, that distinctive rose perfume. Then, of course, there was the scent of sex, a reminder of what they had shared minutes ago. Delton shouldn’t have done it. Knowing what he knew of her, he should’ve chained his hand and stayed far, far away.
His wife was Ifer. The moment he discovered the mask, everything had fallen into place. Ifer’s desire to reclaim Escayton, the use of King Elian’s seal, his connection to Snakefront, Walric, and Osric, and the timeline of his career. Delton closed his eyes and leaned into his palm. He had been trying to find an alternative story but none had been as convincing.
He didn’t know whether he had forgiven her. Did he want to? Xara had hidden things from him—things that could hurt him. However, unlike Karina, she’d never pretended to love him. She’d never even said that she forgave him. All the while, he’d been one-sidedly falling for her. But the way they made love with nothing between them…He exhaled a shaky sigh. There was no going back from that. He shouldn’t have let it happen. But he couldn’t stop. She had buried her tentacles deep in his heart and he had no idea how to extricate them.
A knock resounded on the door. Delton looked up expecting Darius, but Felix appeared in the doorway, oblivious to the chaos in his heart. He walked in and Delton noticed that Darius was gone. Had Xara spoken to him on her way out?
“The queen visited her cousin and left a few seconds ago.” He had come to report on Xara, Delton realized. Ever since the discovery, he had been debating whether he should tell Felix the truth. But he wasn’t ready yet. Delton needed to make sure Xara was indeed Ifer. The time to make a decision was drawing close. “Everything has been prepared to lure later tonight. Heires will be at Ifer’s farmhouse at eight. He has agreed to come alone. We will be there when Ifer arrives. The farm is large so he might run. General Darius has agreed to help. He may even lend us a few soldiers.”
“What is the address of the farm?” Delton asked. Felix handed him a slip with the address of Ifer’s farm and a map. As soon as Delton’s eyes fell on the address, he groaned.
“Is something the matter?”
“Nothing.”
On the page Felix had handed him was the address of the farm where he’d taught Xara to swim. No wonder she’d suggested it. The farm, the farmhouse, and the lake belonged to Ifer. She should’ve known nobody would come there. Still, it hurt to know that she’d hidden this from him. He couldn’t believe the place where they’d made beautiful memories, the place where he’d first realized that he loved her, was tainted with Ifer’s sins.
“We will surround the place by seven. He’s scheduled to arrive at eight—”
“There’s no need,” Delton said. “I will go there alone.”
“You, Your Majesty? But…” Felix’s eyes widened at this sudden request. Delton had contemplated what to do about Xara’s situation ever since he’d found the mask in her room. After she left his office, he’d come to the conclusion that he didn’t want anyone else to find out the truth. Delton could protect her but if Felix or Amara found out, who knew how they would treat her? He couldn’t bear the thought of Xara being tortured in prison. He’d never let it happen. The only way to prevent a disaster of that magnitude was to catch her himself.
“Yes, Felix. Call off the soldiers and spies. I will go alone.”
“Alone? But the place is too large. It would be better to have help—’
“Felix, are you questioning my decision?” His tone sounded ominous and imposing, every bit the king that he was.
“No,” Felix replied with a sigh. He wasn’t happy about Delton’s last-minute change of plans, but Delton didn’t care. If he was going to unmask her, he preferred to do it alone.
“I will go there by myself and catch him red-handed. I don’t trust anyone else to do the task. Ifer has gotten away too many times already.”
Felix nodded. “Understood.”
“Prepare everything for my departure.”
Delton glanced at the clock and realized it was already one in the afternoon. Seven more hours until he found out the truth. Until he had to confront his greatest fear.
THE WIND BRUSHED his face as he stared up at the wide expanse of land where they’d been just a few days ago, making love on the grass. The sky was dark, much like it had been that day. The twinkling stars only expounded his sense of dread. Deep in his heart, he knew that he’d have to make drastic decisions once tonight was over.
Heires’ shadow lingered in the distance, hovering close to the front door of the farmhouse. Lamps were lit outside the stone house, and acres of grass-covered land stretched out. The lake sat at a comfortable distance from them, reflecting the pale full moon. Ifer would meet Heires alone outside the house. Delton was hiding behind the house, tucked between a tree and the wall, watching Heires’ movements. Felix had warned him against running away, but there was nobody to monitor his actions that evening except Delton. Not that he knew it. His deal was to make sure they got Ifer in exchange for his freedom and a great deal of money. Felix, realizing how addicted Heires was to money, offered him the deal. He had taken it.
Delton had no experience in espionage. If push came to shove, he’d just kill everyone and get his way. The impatience in his bloodstream was only countered by the dread. He needed to make sure Heires didn’t get away, no matter how things went down that night.
The criminal looked left and right nervously, anticipating Ifer’s approach. Delton wondered if they’d met here before. There was nothing but trees to the right of the farm. Perhaps that’s why Ifer used it.
With silent inhales and exhales, Delton waited for his archenemy’s arrival. He didn’t have to wait long. A solitary figure became visible a few minutes later. Heires’ head turned to the shadow who appeared from the west.
She moved closer to Heires, her face catching the light spilling from the lamps. Heires had lit them upon his arrival. Felix had brought him here and only left minutes ago when Delton told him to leave. Ifer’s mask came into view, making him take a deep breath in.
It was the same mask he’d found in her room.
Pearls, rubies, and black silk shimmered in the moonlight.
He closed his eyes momentarily, letting disappointment crash over him. It was like standing before an executioner, waiting for the noose to tighten around your neck.
He reminded himself that she hadn’t betrayed him. She had been Ifer long before he returned. But she had lied to him. And that’s what hurt him the most. Delton didn’t know if he would’ve been understanding if she’d confessed the truth to him. Probably not. Yet, he hoped that she’d be honest because she loved him as he loved her.
“Heires.” Her voice was deep, quite unlike anything he’d heard before. But he recognized the smokiness of it.
“Ifer, I didn’t think you’d come,” Heires’ eyes shifted left and right. He inched closer.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” Xara’s voice remained calm but he could see her shoulders stiffen as Heires approached her. With one startling movement, he grabbed her arm. Then, he shouted, “He’s here.”
It was meant to be a signal for Felix’s spies. Except Delton was the only one in the vicinity. He didn’t move, watching the scene between Heires and Ifer play out. Xara reached for the hilt of the sword buried in her hip but Heires caught her other arm. Nevertheless, she tackled him, pushing him away. Finally unsheathing her sword, she pointed its glinting tip to his neck.
“I should’ve known you’d betray me.” She began inching back but Heires pursued her. “Who is here?”
“The Sapphire Serpents,” Heires confessed. “They captured me weeks ago and said they’d let me go if I led them to you.”
“You traitor.” Xara’s sword reached forward but Heires had pulled out his weapon.
“It’s too late to run, Ifer. They have us surrounded.”
“You don’t know what I’m capable of.” Heires attacked her sword and she swung back.
“Oh, you don’t know what I’m capable of,” he said, reaching for her other hand instead of her sword. Xara brought her sword forward in time but not before he scratched her palm. She turned to her bleeding hand, and he lunged forward and flicked the sword away from her. It fell away in a flash.
Delton moved out of the shadows. Ifer spied him through the corner of his eye. Realizing it was futile to fight, she turned and began to run. Heires lunged at her, pummeling her to the ground. Xara fell on the grass, her back hitting the soil with a cry. He trapped her body between his thighs, pushing her down. When her hands rose to fight him, he gripped them tight and pushed them over her head. That got Delton moving faster than an arrow. He didn’t like anyone touching his wife.
“I’m finally going to find out who you are.” One hand closed over the corner of her mask. Xara writhed under him but he was much heavier than her. “I don’t understand how a puny creature like you has managed to avoid discovery for so many years.”
“Stop—’ She tried to thrash and kick but he had her pinned down.
“No point struggling, Ifer. The chase is up.”
“No!“
It was her voice. He heard it clearly. The feminine voice must’ve startled Heires for he paused. She raised her leg, in an attempt to kick him off but Delton got there first.
Without a second thought, he plunged his sword into Heires’ back. A startled cry erupted from Xara’s mouth. Blood splattered on his clothes the minute his sword made contact with his skin. The sound of skin being cut, of bones breaking, was like a symphony to his ears. He had gone too long without killing.
”What—“ His motion stilled as he turned back to see Delton’s shadowed face. “You…the king…?”
His blood drenched Ifer who was trapped beneath him. It was only now that Ifer noticed his presence. The writhing body went still. Delton’s hand grabbed his neck. His magic was triggered immediately, draining the life from Heires’ body.
“Next time, don’t touch what’s mine.”
Heires’ muscles spasmed as he went still in Delton’s grasp. Within seconds, the body crumpled and fell over Ifer’s. Xara began moving under him, trying to push him off her body. With a swing of his leg, Delton pushed the corpse to one side. As soon as it was gone, Xara sat up, ready to break into a run. His arm gripped her tight, pushing her back onto the ground.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
He climbed over her, to where Heires had been moments ago, and glared. When his fingers reached for the corner of her mask, she went still under him.
Up close, Delton saw her small frame. Her body was unrecognizable in the men’s clothes and layers of padding, but he could make out her shapely legs and large butt. But what gave her away was the smell of roses. It wafted from the skin like they were in a garden. He’d gotten so used to smelling it that it filled him with a sense of calm. He needed to be calm about what he was about to do.
Before he could remove the mask, her gloved fingers came to his, closing around his wrist. Her final plea.
“Don’t do it…” It was her voice.
It took all that he had to refuse the escape route. The truth was a painful thing. Delton had always known that. But when his finger dug under her mask, the pain that lanced through his heart was unlike anything he’d felt before. Her grip loosed as he peeled her mask away—inch by inch. Nothing could’ve prepared him for what lay on the other side.
Her brown eyes hit him, a mixture of defiance and fear, and the fire he’d come to love so much. Her body was padded and unrecognizable, but he’d know the scent of her anywhere. She was under him but not in the ways he’d had her before. This time, they were clearly on opposite sides of the fence—enemies with no prospect of reconciliation.
His face shattered along with whatever was left of his heart.
It was her. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was his wife.
Her beautiful lips parted, a mixture of confusion and agony. He held the mask in his hand, trying to drag gulps of air into his lungs.
“Xara…” His voice was wispier than the clouds that covered the moon. There was no denying the truth now. Ifer was indeed his wife. She grabbed his arms, trying to push against him. Even in this state, her touch seared his skin. The trail of blood-hungry fantasies he’d dreamed up fizzed away like bubbles. He couldn’t slit Xara’s throat or ruin her. He couldn’t torture her in prison or make her beg for her life. He couldn’t even think of hurting her. All his sins had led him here. “You’re Ifer.”
She didn’t deny his accusation. Instead, she stopped fighting, slumping on the ground with a defeated sigh. Slowly, she nodded. Breath leaked out of his lungs.
He had done it. His decades-long dream had come true. Ifer, the greatest criminal mastermind on the planet was in his hands, at last.
Why then, did he feel so hopeless? Like his heart was breaking piece by piece?
