Page 79 of Regal Queen

Dimitri's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes on my fingers. "Wha--"

But he was too late.

At my signal, Bourbon immediately became deadweight. It knocked Dimitri off balance. Knight appeared, having snuck up behind him. He put a gun to Dimitri's head, cocking it.

Dimitri jerked in surprise. Bourbon took advantage of it, twisting himself to knock Dimitri's gun from his hand.

Then Knight slammed his gun against Dimitri's head, knocking him to the ground.

Everyone scrambled at once.

The rest of our men raced towards the plane to free Coulter and the rest of the men.

I stepped back to give Knight and Bourbon space to incapacitate Dimitri, who was swinging at both of them with all his might.

After a few minutes of fighting, they forced him onto the ground and I scrambled to straddle him.

Bourbon and Knight both held him down while I took Knight’s gun from him. The one we'd practiced with several times. The one I knew as intimately now as my own hand.

I held it firmly towards Dimitri's face, my hands steady. "Tell me why you want Aster.”

Dimitri stopped struggling, and his eyes lit up like a kid seeing snow for the very first time.

"You must really care about this girl. Otherwise you would have killed me already."

I leaned down, shoving the gun into his forehead, my focus purely on him. "Tell me. Or I'll make sure Knight tortures you the way you tortured him. He will peel your skin from your body, and that's only the beginning.” I gave him a manic grin of my own. “But, if you tell me now, I'll kill you quickly."

His face darkened. "I want to live. I will tell you, and you let me live."

I shook my head. "That's not on the table. You will die today."

“Then you will never know, princess." His lips twisted upwards in a cruel smile, "but know this, I am only the beginning. There are more men, more dangerous than me. I would never have fucked her, but other men, they won't be so kind."

I growled, all the pent up rage and anger coming out. I screamed, spittle flying from my mouth. "Tell me the fucking truth. Who is coming after her."

"Only if you let me live."

"Fine," I spat out, knowing that Knight would love to have at him. "I'll let you live.”

“Swear it.”

I grit my teeth. “I swear. Now tell me why you want Aster so much."

There was a glimmer of warmth in Dimitri's eyes. A brief flicker that was gone in an instant, but I knew I'd seen it.

"She is my daughter." His eyes met mine, and my heart pounded furiously as he revealed the truth. "I fell in love with your mother, and Aster is our child."

"You lie." I screamed, angry that even now, he was playing games.

He laughed cruelly. "Believe what you will, but why do you think she looks so differently than you do? No," he shook his head. "She is my daughter."

"If that's the truth, what do you want with her after all these years?"

He lifted a shoulder. “Times are changing. Women are becoming stronger. I have no sons. I wanted to bring her home, to me. To my empire. She will rule beside me.”

At this, I saw the truth in his eyes. For once, the cold blackness that existed in Dimitri was gone, replaced with a glimmer of hope.

He was speaking the truth. I could see it now, the likeness between them.