30. The beginning

Adrian looked up when the door opened and Shirleen entered the room. She was dressed in black tights, blood red leather corset, black thigh high boots and a black leather coat. Her hair was in braids and was tied in a ponytail. Adrian walked towards her a smile on his face with his eyes clouded with desire forgetting that they had an audience including Angela, Stacey and a representative from the Queen's blade tournament who was supposed to confirm her identity before she put on her mask and who will be following her throughout the tournament. She was the only one in the tournament who will be allowed to wear a mask due to her sensitive position as a future leader to a powerful crime family in Africa. "You look hot," he said and she laughed kissing him. "Nervous?" he asked.

"I thought I would be but now I am looking forward to it," she told him.

"That's my girl," he said softly touching her face in a caress. He touched the delicate gold necklace around her neck that he had given her the previous night with a locket the design of a gun hanging from it and she smiled at that private joke. "I am sorry I can't come with you."

She touched his lips and looked into his eyes, "I need to be strong and this journey I must take alone just like you told me. I am not doing this for revenge. I realised that yesterday when you fell asleep and all I could do was look at your perfect body with all my favourite scars scattered all over," she teased but he could tell she was serious. "I am doing this to be able to stand by your side as your equal. Don't think I can't tell when you are with me is the only time the cruel sparkle in your eyes disappear. You have a temper that you are trying to hide not only from me but everyone in this world. I always thought you are more like Joker from Batman but you don't show the world you are Joker. Instead it is like you are playing a joke on the whole world and you are the only one laughing."

"You are comparing your boyfriend to a homicidal maniac who is halfway insane you know?" he teased, she laughed and he smiled his eyes soft, "I was foolish to think I could hide it from you," he replied. "Everyone else in this world should be afraid of me because I am capable of doing terrible things to every one of them, just as long as you are not afraid of me. I can never hurt you not even on purpose."

"I know," she whispered. "I like you just the way you are."

"Okay you two cut it out before you send this nice gentleman running out the door gagging," Angela said rolling her eyes as she stood up carrying a black leather box with her which she handed to Shirleen. Inside the said box was a half silver mask that looked gorgeous and sexy as hell. "Yeah, your boyfriend here chose it for you," Angela said when she saw Shirleen's awestruck expression. "Now listen this is important," she said softly looking at Shirleen. Shirleen turned to look at her a frown on her face. Since Angela had trained her for the last month an uneasy truce had been struck between them. Shirleen had acknowledged Angela's skills and Angela had acknowledged Shirleen's tenacity and resilience. Somehow, they had found middle ground within that month. "As an heir many of the contestants will want to kill you, not maim or hurt but kill. So don't go easy on them. They will try to attack you immediately the tournament begins after all killing you will be like being handed a prize. Some will follow you through the countries' you will visit just to get a chance at you. If you can avoid them do so. As I already told you in every city only one fight occurs between two contestants. Immediately a winner is chosen the next three cities are announced the first two contestants to meet in those cities fight and the loop goes on. This is to avoid detection or interference from the law. Guns are not allowed and that is why it is called the queen's blade and not the queen's guns. You cannot fight very well if you are injured so try to avoid unnecessary fights." Angela moved to her seat, "To avoid any foul play your boyfriend here has assigned you four bodyguards. They will only interfere if they think someone who is not in the tournament is trying to assassinate you or cause you harm. It is not unheard off that some contestants have been killed through assassins sent by rival families. Any questions?"

"If I am injured how do I get treated. I do not think I will able to just walk into an emergency room with a fake passport in a foreign country and demand to be treated with a stab wound. You are aware only African hospitals don't report stab wounds to the police," she said sarcastically unwilling to let Angela know how much the advice she had given her was appreciated and weirdly made sense.

"Stacey will be accompanying you, smart ass," Angela said with a scowl. "She studied medicine before she came to work for me as a secretary. She would have become a surgeon if she had not changed careers and joined me in this messy world we call crime."

"You mean I am to trust your pet to fix me and not poison me, are you serious?" Shirleen asked looking at the emotionless woman by Angela's side. "You are trusting my life with her?" Shirleen asked Adrian just to confirm.

Adrian smiled and turned his cool, cruel eyes on Stacey and a smile full of malice appeared transforming his face from the mild-mannered Adrian to the continent renowned Dragon heir. It was scary to watch even for Shirleen. "If she dies on Stacey's operating table due to neglect, I will want her in my dungeons for a year maybe two where she will beg for hell and then I will deliver her head on a platter to you Angela. Are we in agreement?" he said almost pleasantly. Shirleen smiled and reached to touch Adrian's hand sometimes she found herself attracted to his cruel and maniacal side.

"Stacey?" Angela called.

"We are in agreement," Stacey replied.