Chapter Forty
R aven
I had just made my way down the aisle when the screens lit up with a breaking news report. I didn’t know why they were placed here in the first place, but I assumed Lars wanted to make sure everyone could see Zeke take ownership of me. “Sorry for the interruption everyone. I’m Lacey Cloud with some breaking news for you. An anonymous source gave me some very pertinent information that I need to share with you.”
I looked around and noticed how deathly silent everyone was. I was grateful for the small interruption because it gave me a moment to think. My heart was racing so fast it would probably beat out of my chest. I took advantage of the distraction and placed my hand around the knife.
“I have DNA test results confirming that The Queen herself is not the heir to the throne.” My face heated. There were several gasps around the room and then more silence as the reporter went on. “The King is not her biological Father, which means that this wedding is in fact null and void.”
My eyes went to Zeke, and even he seemed surprised. His gaze wasn’t locked on mine; he was glaring at Lars as if he had a deal with him that went wrong.
“You want to explain what’s going on?” Zeke asked Lars, and everyone seemed to inch closer to the conversation.
“Now’s not the time for that, we need to get on with the wedding.”
Zeke laughed, his face turning as red as a tomato. “What wedding? I was told that if I married this piece of shit, I would be the next King. You lied to me, you motherfucker!”
I took a step back. First off, where the fuck did this guy get off calling me a piece of shit? If anyone was a piece of shit, it was him. Second of all, when was the right time to make my move? I bit my lip. I wanted to kill him. I didn’t care if I would be branded a traitor, or placed in prison for the rest of my life. He would pay for what he’d done to me. If I really had it my way, I would torture the fuck out of him. Make him anticipate what I would do next, counting down every possible second until I was done with him. But if I had it my way, I would never be done with him. I would make him suffer the way he made me. I would restrain him like he did me. I would take a knife and poke holes all over his body until he begged me to stop.
I would make him beg for mercy. The other part of me though, the most rational part, just wanted it to be over. I was tired. Tired of the pain, the emotional trauma, the heartache. I was just ready for it to be over. I just wanted to be with my daughter, living in peace. So if that meant killing him in one move, I’d take it.
This was starting to get ugly. Should I make my move? Or just run? I was frozen in place. It was trashy television right in front of me. Everyone around us scooted in their seats, ready for their popcorn and own version of the Kardashians.
My breath caught when the man of my dreams made his presence known, with two cops standing beside him. Was this his plan? It seemed pretty mild for him. I thought he would come in guns blazing.
He briefly made eye contact with me, and all rational thought went out the window. I couldn’t think. He was wearing jeans and a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It was so simple yet enough to drive me crazy with how good it looked on him. I just wanted to be by his side, but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
Zeke stepped closer to me, and I took another step back. He was going to do something, I just knew it. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Slade folded his arms over his chest and smirked. “Do you want to tell him Lars, or should I?”
The current King paled, as if he had dug himself a hole he couldn’t get out of. He had made so many deals with lies upon lies. It was bound to catch up to him. He kept glancing at the cops, as if he just knew what would happen next.
“You see, Lars is my biological father, not Raven’s. He murdered my mother and then shipped me off to the States so he wouldn’t be reminded of his past. Then he met Raven’s mother and you all know how that ended.”
The King scoffed, “You can’t prove shit.”
Slade chuckled, “Indeed I can.” He held up the Manila folder that held everything inside. The DNA test stating that Lars was in fact Slade’s father. Evidence collected over the years for the murders he committed, including his mother’s and mine. Information on the trafficking ring he conducted, with a black list of names the cops could go after.
And then he held up one more thing. My journal. He placed it on top of the folder and gave it to the cops. My mind raced. They couldn’t see that journal. I would go to prison in a heartbeat if they read what I’d done to that poor man.
He gave me a head nod and took a step back, and the cops moved towards Lars. “You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.”
They read the Miranda rights to him and all the pressure that was on my shoulders seemed to fade away until Zeke decided he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
He grabbed hold of my hair and dragged me to him. A small scream came from my lips, and it was then that I decided I would no longer be his victim .
I would no longer be his plaything that he could use whenever the fuck he wanted. I’d had enough of him. Enough of his bullshit, of his desires, and of him causing me a grotesque amount of pain.
I pulled against him, and he wasn’t prepared for that. The veil fell from my hair, along with his hand. Without waiting for anything else to happen, I took the knife from the bouquet and stabbed him in the chest.
“Oh my God!!” Someone screamed from the crowd and people took off running.
Slade moved through the crowd, pushing the cops out of the way to get to me. He pulled me into his arms and held me through the chaos. He lifted my chin as tears leaked from my eyes. Being in his arms, after everything I went through, made the memories briefly disappear. “I will make this go away. I promise. All of the pain, fear, and heartache they’ve put you through. This will go away. That is my vow to you.” His lips met mine in a heated kiss and the pain in my heart temporarily healed.
In a heartbeat, the cops pulled us apart. I’d only been successful at killing one other person in my lifetime. At that point, I knew the only punishment I would receive for it was the one I gave myself. Now, as an adult, and “Queen” of a country, I had rules to follow and laws to abide by. I’d just commited the worst crime one could commit.
Both the King and Queen’s chess pieces fell on the day of the wedding funeral.