The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)
Chapter Twenty-Two: Horse Killer

“Yea. Here we go. What’s going on?” Cillian snapped.

I glanced over my shoulder to look at Dani and Dougal before turning back to him, “What’s it look like?”

“It looks like everyone’s been ignoring my orders for the past week and a half.” He replied, pinning each of us with a sharp look as he stepped further into the tent.

“I meannnn...come on, did you really expect us to listen?”

Cillian gave me an expressionless look before flicking his eyes down, “Why is there a Dwarf here and why were you two fighting?”

“This is Grumpy and he’s going to give us the metal we need for our weapons.”

“What’s he getting in return?” Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Looking down, I snagged the back of Grumpy’s bright colored tunic, “Why do you keep trying to run? You already agreed to fulfil the deal.”

His beady eyes were wide as he twisted in my grasp to whisper loudly, “Do you know who that is?”

“No. Who is it?” I whispered back at the same volume.

Tugging himself out of my grasp, he stepped to stand half behind my left leg and held onto my thigh, “That’s Mab’s Commander! My cousin heard from his friend, who heard from his brother-in-law, that he told a village in Tiveal that you were a unstable murdering psycho who couldn’t be trusted.” The second he finished his sentence the end of a battle axe slammed into his forehead and knocked him out cold.

Brow raised, I pulled my head up to look at Cillian, “Is that true? You’re the one ruining my good name?”

“At what point in time was any mention of your name good?”

“I know but a murdering psycho? That’s pretty harsh, I think my feelings are hurt.”

With gleaming silver eyes, he responded, “Thanks for reminding me. We need to talk. Everyone out.”

My gut reaction was to deny that we had anything we needed to discuss but then I remembered the epiphany I had when I visited Kai. Keeping eye contact with him, I announced, “Everyone out. Dougal take Grumpy home, Dani will show you where he lives.”

Cillian’s left brow lifted ever so slightly while everyone else in the room paused. When I made no move to repeat myself or look at them, Dani and Dougal slowly started towards the exit. Stopping beside us, Dougal bent down to grab the Dwarf around the waist before standing tall.

Gray eyes flickered between me and his son for a few seconds, “I’m not sure what’s going on...but don’t kill each other.”

“If I haven’t by now, I think it’s safe to say I won’t.” I muttered on yawn while sliding my sword back in its sheath.

Turning around, I left them standing by the tent entrance as I shrugged off the double sword sheath strapped to my back. Pulling my arms free of the leather, I straightened out the straps and hung it on the side of the privacy screen. Reaching my arm back, I picked up the plate of Choco Blasts I left on the bed and plopped down at my desk.

As Cillian and Dougal shared a look, I thought over how I was going to say what I needed to say. Admitting that I had been hypocritical was not something I enjoyed doing. Shit, in the past I never would’ve even considered admitting that I was wrong. But here I was, becoming a better person. Ughh.

Grimacing, I swiped another Choco Blast off the plate and aggressively bit into the rich chocolate. I didn’t have to forgive him for sending me to Slykhelm but I did have to accept the fact that he wasn’t at fault for everything after that. The person responsible for that was the same person responsible for everything else that went wrong in my life. Mab. And that wasn’t an exaggeration. She was literally the reason for everything bad that had happened to me since the minute I was born.

“Why did the Divines give me such a heinous cunt of a birth mother? I mean, what could I have possibly done in my past life that’s worse than what I’ve done in this one?” Thinking about it for a minute, I took another bite and then almost choked when I realized what I could’ve done. “I was a horse killer. Oh Divines, no. I think I hate myself now.”

The men at the entrance looked over at me with mirroring expressions of concern before Dougal told Cillian, “I don’t think she’s slept since you left.”

“You think? What’s she been eating besides chocolate?”

Dougal hefted the knocked out Dwarf higher up on his hip, “Everything you told Bria to bring her.”

“Did you watch her?”

“Like I told you before you left, Asshole. I’m not a child. I ate.”

Flat out ignoring me, he kept his eyes on Dougal until he answered, “No. We didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Right.” Tone clipped, he turned his back on his father and walked over to me. “When you come back, bring her a plate of wild rice and a small scoop of kili pasta.”

Jaw tight, Dougal nodded at his son’s back and left the tent with the drooling Dwarf in tow.

“I don’t like kili pasta.”

“I didn’t ask, Cell Bait.” Cillian said flatly, sinking his large body into the chair across from me.

Leaning back in my own chair, I squinted at him, “We have to talk.”

“Your saying that like this wasn’t my idea.”

“I need to be able to trust you Cillian and right now, I don’t. As my Commander in an upcoming war, that’s a big problem.”

Scooting forward in his seat, he placed his elbows on the table, “I know that. So, I’ll ask you again. What do you need from me to be able to trust me?”

“I need a Cluiche Grudge.”

“Done. What else?”

Raising a blue brow, I looked over his indifferent expression, “You don’t want to think about that?”

“What’s there to think about? If you need me to do this to move forward, I’ll do it.” He responded with a shrug. “We’ll need witnesses, so by the end of the week. The sooner the better.”

Nodding in agreement, I took a few breaths before asking the question that really mattered, “Why Slykhelm?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why’d you send me there, why did that prison roll off your tongue so easily?” I questioned, tapping my fingertips on the desk as I watched his expressionless face go blanker.

His arms shifted to cross over his chest, “Why are you asking me that?”

“It’s a simple question. Answer it.”

“No.”

Brows furrowing, I jolted forward to lean across the desk, “The fuck do you mean ‘no.’?”

“I mean, I’m not answering that.” He said, silver eyes flashing.

Falling back into my seat with a huff, I gave a bitter laugh, “Cillian, I’m trying to give you a chance here. To put all the shit between us in the past for the better but to do that, I need this from you. I can’t move past what you did until I know why. ”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” I gritted out, fighting down my rising anger.

The veins in his arms rose as his jaw clenched, “Ask me anything else.”

“No!” I snapped, slamming my fist into the wooden desk. “I’m asking you this one.”

“And I’m telling you to ask another one, Macha.”

Pinning my blue eyes to his silver ones, I stared him down for what felt like the longest minute in my entire life. Rage caused tingles to race over my skin and the wood beneath my fist to creak in distress.

Silver eyes shot to my hand before he locked eyes with me once more, “Later. After the Cluiche Grudge.”

Searching his eyes for any type of lie, I flexed my hands flat against the table and choked out, “Fine. But I am only doing this because you will answer me at some point. Whether voluntary or forcefully with my boot up your ass.”

“Oh I believe it, Cell Bait. I remember from our youth.”

Smothering a smirk, I scrunched up my nose and eyed him. Damn him.

His lips twitched, “I always could make you laugh.”

“No. You always could piss me off.” I corrected him, slouching back in my seat.

“Practically the same thing with you.”

This time I couldn’t hide my grin, “Fuck off.”

“Have you really only been eating chocolate since I left?” He asked, nudging the plate.

Grabbing another one, I took a bite and patted my stomach, “How do you think I keep this figure, Babes?”

A silver brow rose, “Don’t call me that and you need to eat the meals I give you before you pass out from malnutrition.”

“I do eat them. I just like chocolate better.”

“Macha, you just admitted to eating only chocolate for almost two weeks.”

Tilting my head, I thought over my sentence before the last and then laughed tiredly, “Holy shit, your good.”

The shaved down sides of his head flashed as he shook his head, “You never would’ve said that if you weren’t severely sleep deprived. Which is a huge problem, Macha. You need to take better care of yourself before you start making bad decisions.”

“I slept for like eight hours last night. I’m fine.”

“That’s why you’ve been blinking heavily this whole time?”

Giving an experiential blink, I felt a heaviness fall over me like a blanket and my head sway slightly. Forcing my eyelids to part, I looked at him under low lids, “I don’t know whayour talking about.”

“It took you almost five minutes to open your eyes and you’re slurring your words.”

Making a face at his blurry one, I said, “Woah. Why are you lying?”

“I’m not, Cell Bait. You’ve gone without sleep for too long, you’re crashing.”

“Babes. I’m not even driving. Are you okay?”

Something that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh filled the silence.

Snuggling down against the armrest of my chair, I shushed him, “Imma just rest my eyes for like two seconds. Not sleeping. Don’t wanna sleep.”

“Why not?”

“You’re trying to get answers outta me. That’s a pretty low blow, even for you.” I replied, cracking an eye open to look at his hulking form.

“I don’t need answers. I already know about your nightmares.” The blurry figure responded.

I waved a dismissive hand, “Sure you do, Babes.”

“I also know how sometimes you have blood on you afterwards too. Is that why you don’t like sleeping?”

“Divines, who are you? Dr. Phil?”

Wood creaked, “I don’t know who that is.”

“So you know Sleeping Beauty but not Dr. Phil? Suspicious.” I snorted before sighing and snuggling deeper into my chair.

“You watched too much human T.V. in prison, Cell Bait.” He said, his voice sounding a lot closer than before.

Licking my lips, I murmured, “Yea, well. It was my only escape.”

With my eyes closed, I felt my chair being pulled away from the desk and thought two things. One, this motherfucker was going to pick me up. And two, I could let him and feel up his chest or I could be the independent Queen I am and move to the bed myself…..

A pair of thickly muscled arms plucked me free of the chair and I immediately used my unpinned hand to feel his chest, “Wow, so your muscles aren’t just for show.”

“What are you talking about?”

Slitting my eyes open, I blinked to see him looking down at me, “Well, I beat the shit out of you and then that Troll got the drop on you…”

He cocked his head, “Are you calling me weak?”

“You said it, not me.” I sighed, closing my eyes again.

Cillian jostled me in his arms before walking over to the bed, “Then expect to get your ass kicked in the Cluiche Grudge.”

“Mmmmhhh.” I muttered.

“Macha.”

“Shhhh. Just set me down, Babes.”

“I would but you’re caressing my nipple.”

Cracking my eyes open, I blinked to clear the fuzziness and immediately started laughing, “Holy shit, I am! I didn’t even know I was doing that!”

The chest I was pressed against disappeared as a moment of weightlessness overcame me and I bounced across my fur covered bed. Smushing a pillow into my chest, I shoved my head deeper into the furs and then kicked my feet, “Boots. I can’t shleep with boots...on.”

Distantly, I felt a tug on the laces of my leather boots as Cillian spoke, “Why the sudden change, Cell Bait?”

“....Huh?”

“Why are you forgiving me?”

Slipping into unconsciousness, I garbled out a response, “Not forgiving. Just accepting...that everything...after wasn’tyourfault. Made...similar decisions too.”

“I’m glad, Cell Bait. Because I’m tired of you calling me Cillian.”

——

YASSSSSS! Actual real progress! Can someone scream finally? Lmao. The plot is finally going to start picking up the pace a little bit from here. And y’all are gonna get some much needed answers out of Dougal and Cillian.

Feel free to like or leave your thoughts on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

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