Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“I got a message you want to talk,” Evander said as he came farther into the sitting room, folding his arms across his chest, not once glancing Sabine’s way.
Rainer pushed his sleeves up higher then raked a hand through his wet hair, as if combing it.
Horror filled Sabine. It looked as if she and Rainer had just bathed together, among other things. This was a set-up—she was sure of it. Anger coursed through her at how easily she’d played right into Rainer’s hands.
The king sat on the sofa next to her, his arm going around her shoulders. “Have a seat, prince.” Rainer motioned to the sofa across from them.
Since she’d sat in the corner of the sofa, she couldn’t scoot away from Rainer.
However, she wouldn’t even if she could.
Not only was Rainer going to stake his claim to her in front of Evander, but he was testing her as well.
To pass, she needed to pretend as if she felt nothing for the handsome Avoni prince.
As if his mere presence here didn’t affect her.
Evander scratched the side of his neck before sitting across from Rainer and finally peering at Sabine. “Your Majesty,” he said, a slight bow to his head.
“I’m sorry I’m so informally dressed,” she said. “I didn’t realize we had a visitor.”
“You traveled together,” Rainer said, motioning between the two of them. “I’m sure the prince has seen you dressed casually before.” He squeezed her shoulder, the gesture part assurance and part threat.
Her skin prickled with unease. Clasping her hands together, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves so Rainer wouldn’t know how uncomfortable she was right now.
“I have three older sisters,” Evander said. “I’m used to women running around in robes. And since the queen and I did travel together, and I’ll be marrying Princess Lottie soon, I consider Sabine like family. My fourth sister.” The corners of his lips curled into a slight smile.
Her face warmed with humiliation. A sister.
When she’d first realized Evander wasn’t the horrible assassin she thought him to be, and that they actually got along quite well, she considered him as a sibling of sorts.
But then their friendship grew, and she realized he was neither sibling nor friend. He was so much more.
Rainer stroked the side of her face, the act possessive. “Are any of your sisters this beautiful?”
Evander chuckled, resting his arms on his legs and leaning slightly forward. “I learned early on to never compare women’s beauty as they are all beautiful in their own right.”
“Smart man,” Rainer said. “Lottie is lucky to be marrying you.”
“I feel like I’m the lucky one,” Evander replied smoothly.
Wanting to change the subject, Sabine asked, “Why is the prince here?”
“We have some business to discuss,” Rainer said, his face turning somber. “Sabine, darling, why don’t you go to bed. I’ll be along shortly.”
His words made her cringe. He wanted Evander to think they shared a bed, that the king owned her body.
But he didn’t. Evander had to see through this act.
He had to know that after the day they shared together, she wouldn’t give herself to another man—even if that man was her husband. At least not yet. Not tonight.
“Yes,” Evander said, a slight drawl to his voice, his eyes not looking her way.
“Run along. Let the men discuss important kingdom matters.” His voice held a sharp edge to it.
Sabine knew he had to be joking because there was no way he agreed with the way Rainer treated her, excluding her from crucial matters.
If she were married to Evander, it would be an equal partnership.
She stood, wanting to say something snarky, but not wanting to upset Rainer and have him take it out on her later. Instead, she bid them both goodnight and went to her room, locking the door from her side.
A soft knock sounded on her outer door. She went over, cracking it an inch, revealing Harper and Drew standing there. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
Drew shook his head. “We need to talk.”
Dread filled her. Not wanting to have an important conversation with Rainer so close, she quickly dressed before joining them out in the corridor.
They silently headed to the nearby turret.
Her guards remained in the stairwell with Harper, while Drew and Sabine went onto the rooftop, going over to the railing, as far away from the stairwell as possible so no one could overhear them.
“You’re scaring me,” Sabine whispered. “What’s going on?”
“Earlier, the king called me into his office and informed me that there have been a slew of murders in our military camps across Lynk.”
Sabine had heard about these murders first at Felix’s gathering, then again at Karmen’s.
“So far, the victims have been mostly high ranking military officials,” he continued. “No one knows who’s responsible or who will be next. It’s causing panic across the kingdom.”
“This is why the king spoke to you?”
“Yes.”
Then it had nothing to do with her activities today.
She needed to talk to Evander about these murders to see if he knew who was committing them.
King Kai had informed her that a group of Avoni assassins were stuck in Lynk.
Though, she suspected stuck was a bit of a stretch.
Even though Rainer had burned and sunk the Avoni ship the assassins were supposed to leave on, the group had to be resourceful enough to find another way out of Lynk.
After all, Evander had managed to do so without issue.
“The king said he was going to question Prince Evander about the murders,” Drew said.
“When and where did the most recent murders take place?”
“Last night, about ten miles from here.” He leaned on the railing.
That explained why the king wanted to meet with Evander. “Obviously the prince isn’t committing these crimes.” She rubbed her forehead, realizing he wouldn’t be able to reveal his alibi for today since it was her. If these murders were tied to Avoni, Evander would be in grave danger.
“If it’s not the prince, it could be one of the prince’s men.”
Since Drew didn’t seem to know about the missing Avoni assassins, Rainer must not either. That being the case, the most likely person to pin this on would be Evander or one of his personal guards which explained why Rainer was questioning him. “Thank you for telling me this.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. You should also know that Rainer has increased security around both the town and the palace. You’ll need to be more careful with your daily trips.”
She nodded, hoping no one had seen her today and reported her movements to Rainer.
“I should escort you back to your room.”
“Before we go, I want to thank you for your kindness and loyalty.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bowed.
“Can I ask you why?” She wanted to know if it had something to do with her, an oath he’d taken, or if he had his own personal reasons.
“I believe you’re what’s best for Lynk,” he answered honestly. “At the end of this, if only one monarch is left standing, I want it to be you.”
Sabine didn’t sleep at all that night. After going over various scenarios in her mind, she determined the easiest way to stop the war would be to get rid of Rainer.
The easiest way to do that was to accuse his sister of treason and have him executed right alongside her.
It was a bold move and one she hoped would work. Thousands of lives would be saved.
Sabine and Harper utilized the quiet hours of the night to write letters to everyone of importance not only in the palace, but in the nearby town as well. When they finished, Harper took the letters and hid them. Once Lottie was arrested, Harper would see that the letters were delivered.
The plan was for Rainer to not know what was happening until it was too late to stop it. Once he figured out what she’d done, he’d probably want to kill her himself.
Not wanting to second-guess herself, she dressed and had her guards escort her to the military compound.
When she arrived, she found Commander Felix training with a group of men and asked him for his assistance.
After he appointed someone to lead the drill in his place, he joined her.
The two of them stood off to the side, far enough from her guards and the other soldiers so no one would overhear their conversation.
“Your Majesty, is everything all right?” Felix asked.
Fiddling with her hands, she tried to keep her uncertainty from showing.
“Commander,” she said, wanting him to know she was there on official business.
“I personally overheard Princess Lottie speaking to an assassin about killing me. I also heard them discuss my sister’s death.
Therefore, I intend to have Princess Lottie arrested and tried for treason. ”
He nodded, folding his arms. “How can I assist you?”
“Who do I speak with about having her arrested?” She didn’t think Felix would handle this sort of thing, but she wasn’t sure.
“I’m assuming you already discussed the matter with King Rainer?”
“I have.”
“And he isn’t pursuing the correct course of legal action?” he prompted.
“No, he is not.”
His face remained passive, not showing a hint of emotion. “And is Captain Drew in charge of your security?”
“He is.”
He nodded, rubbing his chin. “Then I’d have Captain Drew make the official arrest. He’ll work with Captain Lithane since he is in charge of all security matters at the palace.”
She hated asking Drew to get involved in this matter. However, if this was the correct chain of command, she would take it. “Thank you.” She took a step back, about to turn and leave when Felix held up his hand, taking a step closer to her.