Blood Life Read Online Free Page B

will not tolerate this! He will not accept my absence; what will I say? What will I—”
    Roman leapt out of the cot searching for the clothes she had lost during the course of the night. Alexandria jumped out of bed and rushed around the room in frenzy, wringing her hands and practicing delicate excuses for her father.
    “Don’t worry, my darling.” He walked over and pulled her to him by the elbows. “Calm down, baby. Shhhhhh,” he cooed. “Just take a deep breath and I’ll go fetch Devendra.”
    He held her for a moment before leaving.
    Alexandria wept. She knew if her father found out about her relations with Roman, he would not hesitate to have him executed. She couldn’t bear losing him. Everything she loved would be taken away from her without remorse.
    Please, father, not this time; I beg of you.
    The fear haunted her deep inside, threatening to devour her sanity. Continuing to force herself to breathe, she threw on her cloak, then hurried out to meet Roman.
    Devendra waited patiently for them to mount. Alexandria slid her arms around Roman’s waist and pressed her cheek against his back, closing her eyes and praying for salvation, for her father was the devil.
     

     
    Five
     
    Her room has never felt so cold, thought Elizabeth as she stood silently, gazing out Alexandria’s window. She cursed herself for telling Morgan his daughter wasn’t in her bed; she panicked and wasn’t thinking clearly. But, in all honesty, she couldn’t have stalled him long enough to find Alexandria without his rage clouding the air.
    Ancestry made Alexandria a Morgan, but it was Elizabeth who had raised her as her own child. In her eyes, Alexandria would always be hers and now her daughter was missing.
    Elizabeth’s eyes continued to sweep the courtyard and surrounding land. She looked down at her thumbnail which she’d bitten to almost nothing.
    “Oh, where are you?” she sighed to herself.
    Although Morgan’s guards covered every section of land, she somehow knew Alexandria was just outside the gates. Squinting into the distance, she spotted the silhouette of a horse at the edge of the forest.
    “Oh, Alexandria, what have you done?” she whispered, raising trembling fingers to her lips.
    Moving in a secretive hurry, Elizabeth made her way through the hallways unnoticed. She checked over her shoulder before entering the last corridor.
    “Elizabeth!” A deep authoritative voice startled her. “Have you found my daughter?”
    As hard as she tried, Elizabeth could not bring herself to turn around. That would mean she would have to face the voice and explain why she was sneaking around in a tiptoed hurry: her posture crouched and arms slightly out to her sides.
    Morgan walked around her frozen form, crossing his arms as he moved. She managed to convince herself to meet his glare. His eyebrows raised so high, she wondered if they would disappear into his hairline.
    “No, your Majesty, but I’m in the process.”
    Surely the King noticed her nervousness. Why on Earth had she said anything to him in the first place?
    “This is your duty. Stop gallivanting around these halls and find her!”
    “Yes, Sire,” she said, softly, bowing her head to him. She did not breathe until she closed the door behind her. The pain of anxiety in her chest made itself known, throwing her off balance for a moment.
    Maneuvering her way through the back hallways and stairwells, she managed to get out into the courtyard. Her eyes darted along the forest line, attempting to locate the outline of that horse. Unable to find any signs of human or animal, she searched the gates.
    Within a few glances, she noticed her Princess jogging cautiously across the courtyard, toward the stables, with her hooded cloak seized in her hands.
    Elizabeth started walking, swiftly toward her, only to be restrained by a terse grip on her shoulder. She froze, once again losing her breath.
    “You have done quite enough, Elizabeth, now go back to your quarters.