Free The Assassin: (Mortal Beloved Time Travel Romance, #2) by Pamela DuMond Page B

doubt she means anyone harm.”
    I bent my head to the King in deference, hoped the entire room couldn’t hear my heart pounding in my chest, swiveled, and stared at Inêz. “Lady—I am so very sorry I am tardy. I am here to take care of the children— like I always do. What say you? Should I feed them a late night bite so the hunger goblins do not wake them up in the wee hours?”  
    “Yes, of course,” she said.
    “Perfect.” I strode to her, kneeled down, looked into her eyes and placed my hand on her cheek. “And then we will sing songs, and play games, and I will put them to bed.” I wiped away her tears with my thumb. “And tomorrow we will all wake up and begin another glorious day. Like we always do, yes?”
    Inêz nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Children, go with our servant girl—”
    “Please just call me Nadja—like the children do.” I held out my arms to her kids. “Come on! I think there are sweets waiting for you…”
    “Thank you.” Inêz plucked her children’s small, chubby hands from her clothing. “Go to Nadja.” She kissed her daughter on her forehead. “Go, Beatrice. Watch after your brothers. You are the oldest.” She kissed Denis on his cheek and pushed him toward me. “Mama loves you and will see you later.”
    I picked up Denis and cradled him tight against me with one arm while I squeezed Beatrice’s hand in mine. I beckoned to the boy who still clung to Inêz. “Come on! Let’s go eat something tasty and I will tell you fantastic stories by, oh, a fabulous story teller called Sir Seuss.”
    He shook his head and pouted. “I’m staying with my mama.”
    I eyed Inêz.  
    “John, go!” she said.
    “I am not leaving you,” he said.  
    Inêz sighed and hugged him. “Thank you, Nadja for your service. You may leave.”

~ ten ~

    I walked away from the villa’s living quarters and entered a corridor. “Where do you think the sweets are?” I asked Beatrice and Denis.
    “There!” Denis pointed to a door.
    I shepherded them into the kitchen and closed the door as firmly and solidly as I could. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and covered it in the folds of my long skirt as I stationed myself with my back against the entry. “You can have whatever treats you like tonight.”
    “Yay!” Denis and Beatrice exclaimed as they scrambled through the cupboards pulling out containers of honey, biscuits, and thick unsliced bread. This whole scene quickly became a floor picnic as they dipped hunks of fresh bread in honey and ate   with their fingers.
    Moments later, I heard muffled screams and shouts. I could only assume they dragged Inêz out onto the terrace. I sang “Do-Re-Mi”from the top of my lungs as I clattered pots and pans together, like an insane woman. I heard Inêz’s faint protests and cries and I winced. I found more sweets and staples to feed her kids and tried as hard as a circus clown to distract them from whatever atrocities were happening to their mother.  
    Inêz’s screams escalated to one soul piercing shriek and then abruptly—silence. Male voices conferred but I couldn’t make out actual words.  
    Beatrice and Denis were covered in honey and breadcrumbs as they sat on the kitchen floor and collapsed back against the low cabinets. Their eyes lowered, probably from the sugar shock and the fact that they were nodding off. I didn’t think they even registered their mother’s muffled shrieks.
    I totally sucked as a Messenger and I felt like the worst person in the world. I could only hope that one day after I got over my abysmal heartache, perhaps I could score a job as a time traveling nanny.
    I didn’t trust that Rat-face wouldn’t come back to finish off Inêz’s children or me. I didn’t dare try to escape with them from the estate because I had no idea where we should go. Who would offer us safety? I was the last person who knew the answer to that question. It also wasn’t the smartest idea to venture further into the villa