Chapter 5 THE QUEEN OF THE KINGDOM

CHAPTER FIVE

Nikki crossed her arms. Almost as soon as she made the move, she dropped her arms again as if aware of her every vulnerable gesture. "You admitted to getting my friend to spy on me. And I'm sure you've had your men trail me."

"Or I could've bugged your apartment."

"You didn't. Did you?" Then her brows came together angrily. "The flowers."

Mario rolled his eyes. "Nikki, I was kidding. I didn't bug the apartment. Have the programmer check."

Nikki glared at him, clearly unamused.

"Listen." He ran his hand through his hair. This wasn't going how he'd envisioned. He wanted to be straight with her for once. No games. No bullshit. "I want to talk to you. To get everything out in the open."

"Everything?"

He thought about it. "Okay, no, not everything. You know some of my secrets are better off kept. It's not just about me, it's about my business-"

"Your business is the thing that's keeping us apart."

"Is that why you left?"

She clammed up, shaking her head and looking down again, hiding her eyes from him.

He took a step forward. She stepped back automatically and he stopped in his tracks. "Tell me why you ran. Talk to me." It was infuriating not knowing what was going on in her head.

"Still giving orders." She shook her head but didn't look at him.

"I remember you liking when I gave orders."

When she didn't take the bait, he sighed. "What are you afraid of?"

The silence rose again between them.

"Is it BJ? Because he's gone."

"Gods." She turned her back to him, shoulders suddenly tense.

"I know you felt threatened." If Mario could kill BJ all over again, he would. And he'd draw it out this time. "But I can keep you safe."

Nikki stared across the garden. The wind whipped the tops of the trees; the leaves shivered below them. She leaned forward onto the stone balustrade and Mario couldn't read her body language. He didn't like it.

He came and leaned on the railing next to her. "When BJ called and said he had you, nothing else mattered anymore. You mean so much. You know that, right? You know you're everything to me."

Her eyes closed like his words pained her.

His arm brushed hers and she flinched away. Mario pulled back, chest cinching tight.

"Don't ever be afraid of me, Nikki." His voice came out more rough than he intended, but hell. "I'd never hurt you. I was angry, but mostly I was worried about you. I tried so hard to keep the ugliness of my world far away from you."

"You failed," she choked out, finally looking at him and there was such pain in her eyes. It sliced him to the bone.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to put you in the middle of things. And when BJ took you..." He broke off, shaking his head, not able to continue. He still didn't know everything she'd endured that day. She'd come to him covered in blood.

His hands shook, thinking about it. BJ had done something to her, made her witness something-not only brought her into their world but drenched her in it. And of course she'd run. If Mario were any kind of good man, he'd send her away instead of luring her back.

"It's ok," Nikki whispered. The wind blew hard enough that even though she wrapped her arms around herself, chill bumps were still visible on her skin.

Mario frowned. So much for taking care of her. "Let's go back in. Get you out of the cold."

She made a noise that could be interpreted as negative, so he took off his coat and came towards her instead. At the last minute, she turned around and let him place it on her shoulders.

"I swear to you, Nikki, I'm not a monster." Standing so close and breathing in her familiar scent, he could almost believe it.

He'd done great and terrible things to ensure the stability of his city and they'd rightly named him King of the Netherworld. He'd soullessly embodied the title for years, holding the wicked in his iron grip so the weak didn't suffer unduly. It was purpose enough, he'd told himself. It was atonement for failing to protect his sister all those years ago.

But Nikki had burst into his black and white world in an explosion of vibrant color. She'd thawed the ice in his heart and he couldn't go back. Not once he knew what it was like to love her and feel her love in return.

He felt her body tremble at his closeness. "Come back to me," he breathed in the shell of her ear.

When she shook her head, he could feel her hair catch on the rough stubble of his chin.

"You're not safe on your own. Without me."

"People don't think I'm safe with you." She squeezed her eyes shut like if she closed them long enough, he'd go away.

Instead, he turned her gently towards him, and tipped her face to his.

"Who?"

"My friends," she replied, a little breathless.

"Ophelia Randall?" Mario gritted out. He'd looked into both her roommates. "Or the stripper? Your so-called friends who left you with BJ? I don't need to tell you what I think of their judgment."

Nikki stiffened. He felt it, and his hands fell away.

"I want you back. I need you close to me, where I know I can keep you safe. I know we can work things out, if we just talk-"

She whirled to face him. "This is why I left, Mario. You try to control me. You can't let me be."

"I haven't called or spoken to you in months."

"And you corner me and ask-no-tell me to come back to you. I left because I'd had enough of that. You can't control me."

She wrenched off the suit jacket and thrust it back at him. When he didn't take it, she spun around and draped it over the parapet before leaning against the cool stone again. She gazed into the garden, stubbornly angling her body away from him.

Pushing her more tonight wasn't going to get him anywhere. But she needed to know he wasn't giving up. Not even remotely. She'd given him a taste of paradise, him who'd lived so long in hell. He wouldn't live without her. He couldn't.

"You can't run forever," he said finally. "We'll talk again in a few days." Before she could say anything else to contradict him, he turned on his heel and went back through the double doors into the mansion.

He'd allow her the illusion of choice for a little while longer.

The party was over; the last guest had gone home along with most of the staff. Nikki sat in a sea of blue green feathers, packing the decorations away into their proper boxes and trying not to think about Mario. She felt buzzed, exhaustion pushing her to the point where she didn't feel tired anymore. Sparring with Mario hadn't helped.

It wasn't only him, though. Ever since that night, she hadn't been sleeping. Work wore her down enough she'd been able to get a few hours of sleep sometimes; today she'd gotten two hours in as a midday nap before coming back to attend the party and she considered that a win.

Armris strolled up, hands in pocket, a leather satchel over one shoulder. Like her, he'd changed out of his formal clothes.

"Still cleaning up?" He smiled down at her, watching her wrap the feathers in tissue paper.

"Trying to get as much packed for the movers tomorrow." She looked up at him, trying to gauge his mood. Standing there, hair mussed and deep circles under his eyes, he looked like a hardworking spa owner, not a devilish flirt.

"You mean today. It's almost dawn."

She nodded.

"I'm surprised you're not scrubbing the floor, Cinderella." Armris jerked his head to indicate the spot where Annabelle had given an impromptu performance earlier. Then his eyes got a little glossy. "Your friend is really something."

Nikki smiled at him. "Yes she most definitely is. Don't worry, my staff cleaned the floor. If the hosts complain, my company will pay for the damages."

"It'll be fine, Nikki." Armris squatted down near her, putting his satchel to the side.

She smirked at him. "Nice purse."

"Thanks. It's not a purse though, too manly."

"Right. It's a man purse. A murse." She stopped and scrubbed a hand over her face as a wave of sleepiness hit her.

"When was the last time you slept?"