The Red Queen by Meg Xuemei X

I’ll show you—”
    Then, an unseen shock wave—sweet and seductive — reached her. Ashburn jogged toward her, his hands aloft to show he was unarmed. His desire for her in his silver eyes sent a pleasant chill throughout her body. “Siren,” he said humbly, “I—we surrender to you, completely.”
    Finally they got it. A smile of relief grew on Lucienne’s face, and her gaze grazed over Ashburn, as if truly seeing him for the first time. She was no longer interested in taking the Czech prince’s heart.
    Forbidden Glory grunted. She ignored it. She decided to satisfy herself first, with Ash. His nearness sent her a wave of electric pleasure—the Lure now battling Forbidden Glory—but the angel’s Glory wouldn’t give up easily. Conflicting energy and emotions, different in nature and temper, twirled in Lucienne like cyclones.
    Fury, pleasure, love, and hate.
    “They’re tearing me apart,” she moaned, then screamed, “Stop!”
    Time stopped for her. And the world switched back.
    For a moment, she was disoriented. Until she saw blood streaming from a hard, bare chest, a blade pressed against it—she was the one who held the knife still dripping Vladimir’s blood.
    She immediately released the weapon. It clattered to the ground harshly. She looked up at Vladimir’s face in horror. He gazed back at her, a mosaic of emotions in his hazel eyes—pain, love, and triumph.
    Shaken and nauseated, she looked down at her white dress. She blinked vacantly, then blinked again. Everything instantly came back to her, making her relive the nightmare. No, she was the nightmare.
    She looked frantically around her. Vladimir. Ashburn. Ziyi. Her guards. Kian. They stared back at her, then called her all at once.
    “Lucia?”
    “Láska?”
    She dropped her gaze toward the ground. She was a monster. She couldn’t face them. She could never look into Vladimir’s eyes again. Not Kian’s. Not anyone’s.
    “I’m sorry.” She didn’t hear her own whisper. She couldn’t beg forgiveness. Only shame, agony, and fear drenched her, dragging her down toward the deepest pit. This time she was going down alone.
    “It’s okay now, kid.” Kian’s exhausted voice brushed past her. “You’re fine. We’re fine.”
    She wasn’t fine. Neither were they. They’d never be fine.
    The sky was falling.
    The earth moved beneath her feet. The ground opened up. Let it swallow her whole and never return her bones.
    Falling through space, she lifted her gaze toward the light far above. She saw Kian reaching a hand toward her, his eyes glowing with warmth, as if it were reserved for her forever.
    She knew she didn’t deserve it, but she stretched her hands up toward him, like the baby she was when Jed had brought her to the Red Mansion. And when she’d spotted Kian, she drew out her chubby arms toward him and chose him to be her ultimate protector.
    “Help me, Kian.” She heard her broken voice.
    Before Kian caught her, Lucienne blacked out.

CHAPTER 4
    CONFESSION OF LOVE
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Lucienne’s breathing evened out when she saw herself in a white sleeping gown.
    The sun settled into late afternoon. The curtain was half-closed. A man slouched in a chair near her bed, his clean-cut head buried in his big, calloused hands.
    “Kian,” Lucienne whispered.
    He popped open his eyes, raised his head, and sent her a warm smile. “Hey, kid. Didn’t know you were awake.” He twisted open the lid of a bottled water and handed it to her, as if knowing her throat was parched. She drank the water in gratitude.
    For the first time, the guards weren’t hovering in the sitting room. She was alone with Kian. She put down the water bottle, now half empty, on the ivory bedside table and regarded him. His eyes were bloodshot. Unshaven stubble made his face look rougher. In his mid thirties, he already had gray hair mixed among the brown strands.
    “You’re a mess,” she said.
    “You’re no better.” He gave her another