Guarding His Queen

Chapter 4

An hour was plenty of time for me to shower, ridding myself of the sweat and ill feelings that came with all of today's events. At least, on the surface it was enough to get me clean. I knew that I would lie awake tonight, staring at the ornate ceiling, wondering if someone was lurking outside, waiting to kill me. Would there be gunshots as soon as I fell asleep? I had never heard the sound before, but after today I was sure that it would be seared into my mind forever. They would haunt my dreams, so would the images of my people fleeing, running away from a danger that I couldn't save them from.

But, after my shower, it was easy enough to convince myself that this was all a dream. A really awful, granted, but harmless. I told myself that I had just woken up after a disgusting nightmare and I would carry out this day as if it were any other. That meant that my hair was pulled into a tight bun on the top of my head and my body was covered up conservatively in a pebble grey blazer and skirt. As I swiped on my black mascara my gaze landed on vibrant red lipstick and I felt the familiar pull in my heart of wanting something more than sheer gloss and nude pantyhose.

But today was not the day to stand out. It had already almost gotten me killed. Blending in was my best defense now.

My shiny lips were neatly pressed into a straight line as I strutted down the empty hallway. Though I was conscious enough to keep my hand unclenched at my sides I was beginning to notice the spans of time that I was without a guard. They seemed extensive. Had they always been this bad? Was I just being paranoid? Were they distracted with other things right now? Having meetings and regrouping perhaps.

Finally, I saw the guard from earlier approaching me, I shot her a curt smile. She fell into step beside me.

"What can you tell me about this Canadian?" I asked.

"Well, we have confirmed that he is an active member in CSIS. They were delighted to hear that he had done such a wonderful job and even offered him to us on loan, should we feel we need his expertise," she rambled on. "You know how the Canadians are, always so willing to share."

Right, because I needed some overly polite Canadian to strengthen my team. I would be happy enough to get some basic information from him and send him off to finish his vacation that probably consisted of him finding maple syrup in foreign countries. He was just at the right place at the right time. It had been luck.

"What else is there?"

"Well, his brother was involved in a scandal a while ago. He committed treason and fell in love with a woman running a million-dollar company in Canada. That has since been straightened out, but for our Canadian in particular, I'm afraid there isn't much. All we know is that he's good. Very good."

"Perfect, then this will be a very fast meeting."

Once I was in the Great Hall with Edmund seated at my right, I asked for the Canadian to be brought in.

I expected someone that would fit the stereotype. Someone with light hair and buck teeth and a goofy personality. I was going to mentally give myself bonus points if he apologized, mentioned hockey, or maple syrup.

But the man who entered my Great Hall did not fit my vision.

The first thing that I noticed about this man was his size. He filled up a doorway. He towered over my own guards, the people who were supposed to protect me. And even if he hadn't been that large of a man, he would've felt big. Shoulders back, eyes sharp, and a thick mop of dark hair, he looked positively lethal and had one hell of a presence. Had they maybe gotten the kind man who saved me mixed up with the man who had tried to kill me?

"Are you alright, Zara?" Edmund asked.

It was then that I noticed I was gripping the arms of my chair like a life line. My fingers automatically released and I clasped my hands in my lap instead.