He Calls Me His Queen Chapter 1 Read Online for Free

Present (2018, February)

"I'm asking you something, Alizabeth," he said, his tone getting louder with every word, "how could you do this to me?" He yelled, letting go of my hand and now grabbing my hair from over my veil, as he pressed the gun to my temple with his other hand. I whimpered in pain, and pulled at his hand which was holding my hair, trying to get him to let go.

ONE HOUR AGO

I had never thought that the day of my wedding would turn out to be this way. I had always thought that my family would be rejoicing, the sound of laughter and music would be echoing in the air, and that the day would be full of colors, joy and love.

But this wasn't what was happening, as I wasn't marrying because of love. It was an arranged marriage, being carried out with the son of one of our wealthy family friends in order to ensure my security, and although I didn't love someone else either, I somehow knew that my fiance wasn't the one. He loved me, he had made it pretty clear, but I didn't love him back. Thus I had a heavy heart, after all, I was indeed trading my happiness for my safety.

"Liza?" Rachael called, as she entered the Bride's room, closing the door behind her. I didn't bother to respond, or to even turn around to look at her. Instead I just stared at her through the mirror.

They say that when a person is hurting, and they come face to face with the one they are the closest to, they tend to let out all their emotions, finally breaking down. And for me, Rachael had always been that person. My throat started to burn as I fought hard to suppress the cries, and the sobs, that were trying so hard to escape; but I couldn't be vulnerable, not on my wedding day.

Plus I wasn't going to destroy the one thing that had actually turned out to be perfect: my appearance. My hair was braided back into a beautiful bun, with loose strands falling delicately to the sides of my face in perfect curls. The dress I wore hugged my body in all the right places, showing off my curves, and my veil extended past the tail of my dress, just like I had always imagined it to be.

"You really look perfect," Rachael commented, a small smile on her face. She walked up to me, standing behind me, as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "Just like we had always imagined," she added softly, her voice breaking at the end, and I could see the tears glistening in her eyes.

I stood up from the vanity chair, swallowing the non-existent lump in my throat and turned to her, cupping her cheeks with both my hands. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, even though I knew what her reply would be.

"I'm really gonna miss you," she sniffed, looking up to blink back her tears.

"Hey, hey, Rach, it's okay," I said softly, "I'm never leaving your side, alright? I'm right here."

"I know," she nodded, now looking me in the eye, "but Liza, I really hoped you'd find the love of your life."

Her words made my heart ache, as I once again fought to put a smile on my face.

"Rachael, it's okay," I said to her, "it's not like I love someone else, right? Plus Elijah is a great guy, maybe I'll fall for him after we get married."

I wasn't sure myself whether I was trying to console her, or actually attempting to reassure myself. But it didn't matter, because it was evident that my words didn't really affect either of us.

"I know, maybe." Rachael nodded with a small smile, before her expression turned serious again. "But Liza, what about him? Are you certain that you don't feel anything for him anymore?" She asked, and she didn't need to clarify who she was talking about, as I was fully aware of who she was referring to.

The image of his fearless, yet soft, dark eyes flashed in my mind, and the sound of his velvety, deep voice rang in my ears.

"I rule this place, Alizabeth, and you're my Queen. No one messes with my Queen."

The memory made my heart skip a beat, and for a tiny second, I found myself actually questioning my feelings for him, but I instantly shook my head to get rid of those pointless thoughts.

"No," I stated, "I don't feel anything for him."

As soon as I arrived at the aisle, the small crowd of people (who had managed to be present for my wedding at such a short notice), broke into cheers. Normally people would expect the bride's father to walk her down the aisle, but I wanted Rachael to do that, as both of us had always felt that fathers doing so was too cliched and sentimental. Plus, given how my entire family was already on the verge of tears, I didn't really want any emotional moments, because even I wouldn't be able to hold the tears back if I'd see Mom cry.

I closed my eyes, allowing Rachael to lead me to the altar, and only opened my eyes when I felt a large warm hand taking mine. I still didn't meet Elijah's eye, as I didn't want him to see that I was upset, and thus I kept my gaze fixed on the ground. Before I even knew it, the ceremony had commenced, and it was time for the vows.

"Do you, Elijah Blake Halston, take AlizabethZoey Saunders as your lawfully wedded wife, and promise to protect, love and care for her in times of happiness, as well as sadness, in sickness and in health?"

Without missing a beat, Elijah replied, "I do."

The Priest then turned to me, and my heart paced.

"Do you, AlizabethZoey Saunders, take Elijah Blake Halston, as your lawfully wedded husband, and promise to protect, love and care for him in times of happiness as well as sadness, in sickness and in health?" He asked me, and I felt my body freeze. A deep voice once again echoed in my ears, sending shivers down my spine.

"I love you, Alizabeth, and no one can take you away from me. Not even you."

"If I ever find you even looking in Alizabeth's direction again, I swear on Alizabeth, I'll bury you alive."

"You can't escape from me Aliza, not now, not ever."

"Liza?" Elijah's whispered, slightly tightening his grip on my hand. I looked up at his concerned, and pained eyes, but I couldn't do anything except blinking. My mind was fogged up, with memories, as well as fear. This wedding had been too easy. It wasn't possible.

The Priest cleared his throat, and once again asked me, "Do you, AlizabethZoey Saunders, take Elijah Blake Halston, as your lawfully wedded husband, and promise to protect, love and care for him in times of happiness as well as sadness, in sickness and in health?"

"I... I d-"

Bang! An extremely loud sound cut through the air, making us cower down and cover our ears. It was followed by two more sounds of gunshots, as screams and gasps filled the air, and before I could even process what was happening, someone ripped me away from Elijah, and stepped in front of me.

The scene was chaotic, the guests were running away to safety as the armed men in sleek suits pursued them, scaring them away. Meanwhile Elijah and I's close family members stared at us in horror, some of them like my brother and Mr. Halston even trying to reach Elijah and I, but they were being held back by his men. However even in that hysteria, what perked up my senses was the scent of his strong, woody cologne flooding my nose, but I stood frozen, staring at Shadrach's back with wide eyes. He had a gun pointed at Elijah's head, and I felt an urge to back away from him, but his free hand was holding my wrist, and I knew better than to do anything that would piss him off further.

He is here. He's here to take me.

"You bastard, you dared to try and take what's mine," Shadrach growled at Elijah, his voice menacingly low and seething with anger. I could tell how pissed he was just by the rigid stance his body was in, and how tight his grip on my wrist was.

"She isn't yours," Elijah replied, and my mouth parted at his courage. I shook my head at him, knowing that he was making a huge mistake by talking back to Shadrach.

Hearing Elijah's reply, a dark chuckle escaped Shadrach's lips, as his grip on my wrist tightened further. He took a step closer to Elijah, and I was forced to do the same.

"Say that again," Shadrach challenged him, now placing the muzzle of his gun against Elijah's temple. The guests broke into cries, and I could distinctly hear Elijah's parents crying for help. In fact, scanning my eyes over the small crowd, I could see that everyone was praying for someone, some knight in an armor to swoop in and save us, but I knew that this was the end. No one could help us now. More accurately, no one could help me now.

"What happened? Aren't you going to say it again?" Shadrach mocked, pressing the gun harder against Elijah's temple, as Elijah stood completely frozen, his gaze now on the ground. I shifted my gaze to Shadrach's face, and the way his eyes were narrowed dangerously, and his jaw was clenched, made me realize that I had to step in. He would kill Elijah if I didn't.

"Sh-shadrach," I managed to whisper, my voice so small that I could hardly hear myself. But he? He heard me. His body relaxed slightly, and his grip on my wrist loosened a tiny bit, as he hummed in response. He wouldn't turn to look at me, because he knew that was his weakness. I was his only weakness.

"L-let him go, please," I whispered, and this was enough to spark a reaction from him. He removed his gun from Elijah's forehead, swirled it around in his hand before hitting his head with the back of the gun. Another gasp escaped my lips as Elijah dropped unconscious to the ground, his head bleeding, and I tried to free my wrist from Shadrach's iron grip. In one swift motion, Shadrach turned around and pulled me towards himself, twisting my arm behind my back painfully. His gun was now aimed at me, and I froze completely, staring into his eyes which contained anger, frustration, and most of all, hurt.

"How?" He asked, trailing the muzzle of the gun down the side of my face, as I trembled, tears rolling down my cheeks. "How could you do this to me?" He asked, but the anger was absent from his voice now. The sound that escaped his lips was sadness; only sadness and pain, and when a lone tear rolled down his cheek, I felt my chest tighten for some reason. It was evident on his face that he was on the verge to cry. Because I had almost married someone else.

Present (2018)

"Maxon, let her go!" Rachael screamed, but I gestured with my hand for her to stop. I was aware that if anyone would try to intervene at that moment, the consequences wouldn't be good. I had to handle it on my own.

"Sh-shadrach," I squeaked out, as more tears escaped my eyes, "I-I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" He chuckled sarcastically, stepping away from me, as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Of course," he said, before grabbing both my arms and pulling me towards himself, making me hiss in pain. "You do this, and then you say that you're sorry. Because Shadrach is a fucking fool! He loves you, and you take it for granted, right?" He yelled, making me flinch, as loud sobs finally escaped my lips. I shook my head, crying, my eyes tightly shut.

"I'm sorry, Shadrach. You... You have me now, right? I'm yours. All yours. The wedding didn't happen," I cried out. "Just stop this, please." I begged. "You're hurting me."

A chuckle escaped his lips once again, but he instantly let go of my arms when I told him that it hurt. I kept my eyes shut, too afraid of staring into the storm that was brewing in his dark eyes, but when he gently cupped my face, I opened my eyes to look at him. The rage in his eyes was enough to send shivers down my spine, but I felt like I had only known true fear for the first time ever in my life, when he leaned down to my ear and whispered his next words to me.

"No, my Queen, you're not sorry. But you will be. I promise." He placed a lingering kiss on my forehead, before pulling away.

Chapter 1 – Wedding Crash