Chapter 99


    One Hundred: Natalie


    Natalie''s P.O.V


    Joselin looked right over me. Her face looked gaunt, and what little color she had to her skin had faded.


    I had wanted to speak with her to see if she was okay, but she hadn''t been aroundtely.


    Since we came home, this was the first time I had seen her outside of my visit to the infirmary days


    ago.


    But I jumped at the chance when I saw her out and about. I hadn''t seen her teleporting recently, and I


    took advantage of the opportunity, following her on foot to Agatha''s grave.


    Joselin whispered an incantation softly as she lifted the soil and let it fall through her fingers. She was


    hurting, and in turn, so was Tobias. He couldn''t take his eyes off her. So I sat where he could see her


    as we waited.


    I found a bench and waited for her, keeping my eyes averted to give her privacy. But Tobias openly


    stared at her with longing. His hands clenched and unclenched as he stood guard several feet in front


    of me and to the side.


    When she was done, she walked right past me, her eyes floating over me as if she hadn''t recognized


    me. It was awful to see her in so much pain. She hadn''t even stopped to acknowledge Tobias.


    That had concerned me more than anything. Until now, the woman had been mad about wanting him to


    notice her. She was in it deep, and while I knew he was too, he had yet to cave into her.


    "Joselin!'''' I called out, jumping to my feet and chasing after her. She stopped and turned, lowering her


    body into a curtsey, something I had never seen her do before when she didn''t have to. My lips parted


    in surprise as I stared at her.


    "Yes, your majesty?" Her reply was curt, short, and almost offensive. She was the one who had insisted


    on us being friends. Now, her sarcastic, quick, and witty attitude was gone. Her tone was void of any


    emotion.


    I nced around in confusion, but no one here could overhear her. Her respectful and reserved fagade


    was usually only saved for public interactions.


    It was just my guards and us.


    "What''s going on? What happened?" I wished I could see more in her white eyes, but she didn''t take


    her gaze away from my chin, refusing to meet my stare. I waited as she pressed her lips together, but I


    grew frustrated when she refused to speak. "Did I do something to offend you?”


    Her eyelids widened before lowing again, her chin tilting further down. "No, you didn''t. We are fine. I


    just need time."


    "Are you leaving?" I was almost scared to ask. Our rtionship had been rocky initially, but I had grown


    to care about Joselin. I didn''t want her to go. She had been the only one here consistent in their


    treatment of me and everyone around me. She may have been socially awkward, but she was funny


    and good.


    "Of course not. I can''t leave you here with Rona roaming the halls. That bitch is up to no good." Joselin


    ground out from between her teeth, and I narrowed my eyes. I was there when Rona had admitted to


    stealing her mother''s magic and killing her, so she could take her ce on the council. Nothing


    indicated Rona was doing it to Joselin now, but I would be watching very closely.


    I didn''t trust her at all.


    To be fair, I didn''t trust anyone on the council, which was worrisome, but I had no other choice. Killian


    had told me that they had been chosen because they were the strongest of their kind and the most


    loyal to the throne.


    Joselin was the only one I trusted. But she was clearly hurting, and I wanted to show my support. I


    reached out, squeezing her arm gently." Okay, but whatever it is, don''t let yourself sit on it for too long.


    I''m here for you when you''re ready to talk."


    She nodded, looking away from me to hide her emotions. "Don''t be so mushy. It''s annoying."


    I smiled when I saw the corner of her mouth twitch with amusement before she turned and stomped off.


    It reassured me that she would be fine, but when I turned to Tobias, the look in his eyes told me not to


    talk to him about her.


    Something might have happened between them, but it was not my ce to press for information on


    their rtionship.


    I narrowed my eyes at him, but he held my stare unashamed, revealing no emotions. There was no


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    way that he would be giving me any information. He barely talked as it was. I doubted he would tell me


    what was happening in her head.Jf he knew.


    The way she had tantly ignored him wasn''t a good sign to me, but I needed to give her the space


    she asked for. I would be here when she was ready.


    Thomas cleared his throat, making me look at him, but he stared straight ahead. If I had to guess, it


    was his attempt to spare his friend from my re. But I gave up, turning to walk back into the castle.


    The hot mid-day sun beat down on my shoulders with cruel intent, and I was eager to get back inside.


    Rona was smiling widely as she spoke to Lindsey, Killian''s ex. Lindsey''s shoulders tensed, and her


    eyes widened when she saw me enter the courtyard. Two power-hungry women bing friends was


    never a good sign.


    The bright red, curly hair was impossible to overlook in the sun, and I watched her smile harden as she


    turned to look at me. It was incredible how malicious she looked as she lifted her hand and waved her


    fingers in my direction. The long pointed grey nails resembled ws so closely that I imagined she was


    just waiting for the chance to sink them into someone''s chest and rip out their heart.


    Maybe she would eat it too. A woman willing to kill her own mother for power was a woman I would


    never trust.


    My groan of annoyance was caught in my throat, and I stered a smile on my face as Rona left


    Lindsey and jogged up to me.


    "Natalie!" She eximed with feigned excitement, and I gritted my teeth.


    "It''s Your Majesty." Thomas corrected with a clipped tone.


    "Hm, yes. It is." She hummed in agreement, falling in step with me as I climbed up the castle''s front


    entrance. Her failure to correct herself had my already thin patience disappearing rapidly.


    "Is there something you need, Rona?"


    The witch''s arm brushed against mine as she moved closer. "I thought that maybe we could get to


    know each other. I can help you train until your motheres back."


    I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back my distaste. I didn''t want her hovering around at an already


    stressful time for me. If anyone would piss me off to the point of me unintentionallymitting mass


    murder, it would be her. Because she was known to kill for power and with how powerful my mother


    and I were, I didn''t want her anywhere near us. Then again, they always did say to keep your enemies


    closer.


    It could be an opportunity to watch her and ensure she wasn’t getting up to anything she shouldn''t be


    before she left.


    Rona took a step back as I walked through the door, and my beast hummed in pleasure in my head as


    the witch finally showed me some respect. Whatever game she was ying, I would get to the bottom


    of it.


    "That sounds lovely, Rona. But right now, I have ns with the king. We will have to catch upter." I


    smiled at her as genuinely as I could before walking ahead of her to head to our bedroom. Killian had


    requested a lunch date, and I would have been stupid to deny him.


    My race upstairs was more of a brisk walk as I tried to remain calm. As long as I could keep my


    emotions under control, I would be fine. Everyone would be okay.


    The door to the bedroom was cracked open when I arrived, and I shivered with pleasure as it mmed


    shut behind me.


    "We have something that we need to discuss before our date, my love." Killian''s low growl made my


    stomach turn to butterflies, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as he moved up behind me.


    "Do we?"


    His finger slid up my spine, stopping to pull gently on a strand of hair. The anticipation was enough to


    form wetness between my legs as his hand was ced gently on my shoulder. He slid it around my


    cor until he could grab my jaw.


    His thumb pushed against it, tilting my head to the side until I was looking over my shoulder. Killian


    bent his neck and hovered his lips over mine. His chest pressed against my back, and I let out an


    involuntary whimper when he refused to kiss me.


    "It has been a week since you have let me touch you. A week since I have been inside you." His


    hardness pushed against my ass as evidence of his intentions, and my eyes slid shut. His tongue


    teased my lips as he stole a taste. "A week since I have heard your sweet little moans or the way you


    cry out my name while you''re cumming on my cock."


    "Is that what you want to talk about, Killian? How long it''s been since I let you inside me?" I opened my


    eyes, my hands moving back to grab the


    sides of his muscr thighs to steady myself. "I have to say that when you asked me to meet you for a


    lunch date, thest thing I expected was to hear the king begging me for sex."


    I gasped when he grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it momentarily before letting it


    go. My tongue involuntarily traced the flesh where his lips had just been, wanting a taste of him.


    "I don''t recall begging."