Chapter 104 Bad Intentions pt 2
King Mikhail
When I arrived back in my quarters, intending to clean up after the mess outside, I found that my luck had turned. For over six years, I hadn't seen the witch who was currently standing in front of my window. I'd assumed she was dead. She spun to face me as I entered. Her eyes, like chips of obsidian, held no warmth, only the familiar, unsettling gleam that always promised trouble. The silence in the room stretched, taut and expectant, as if the very air held its breath, waiting for the first word to shatter its weight.
She broke first. Hitting her knees, she bowed her head low. "My King." Her voice quavered. "I'm sorry that I've been absent for so long. I would have returned sooner if I could have."
"Why didn't you?" I stood in front of her now, looking down, taking in the details. Torn and tattered robes, hair now streaked with gray. The time away had not been kind to her.
"I was imprisoned, Your Majesty. My sister's coven. They lured me to them using my sister as bait and locked me in a cage. I bided my time, waiting for an opportunity, any opportunity, to make my way back to you."
I bent down, placing my fingers under her chin and raising her face to mine. "Is that so?"
"Yes, my liege. My sister left the coven, for what I don't know, and I stole the chance. Without her there, the wards were weak. I broke through them as soon as they cracked enough to let me. I came directly to you as soon as I was sure they couldn't track me."
Guiding her to her feet, I saw the hardship of the past six years written into her bones. Where she used to carry softness, there were stark lines. Her robes hung from her thin frame. Even with all of that, she was still strikingly beautiful.
I pulled her into me, my lips crashing down onto hers. Her arms looped up around my neck as she pressed her body against mine, meeting my fervor with passion of her own. My hands roamed over her, feeling ribs and bones and trying desperately to learn her unfamiliar figure. The kiss finally broke, both of us heaving, as I pressed my forehead to hers.
"Meredith, my dear. I thought you were dead."
"I almost was. As it stands, I still need time to recover. My powers waned while in their prison."
"You have two months. Train, recover, and be ready. We'll be moving on the werewolf kingdom just after that. Do you know where your sister went?"
"No. They kept quiet about her movements when they were near me. I couldn't risk staying to find out more information after I escaped. But don't worry, once I rest, finding her shouldn't be too much trouble. I was always better than her at that."
"And the rest of your circle?"
Hatred flared in her eyes. "They can join us. On the front lines, with the rest of the pawns. Not once did they attempt to rescue me. They ignored my pleas, though they knew Sacred Oak had me. They're traitors, the lot of them. But they can still be useful. Let them burn themselves out protecting our army and decimating the wolves."