King Drakkar turned to me, towering over me. Like Astrid’s, his eyes shifted from icy blue to gold, then red in a blink. “Silver wants my throne.”
A strange laugh escaped me. “What?”
“She’s threatened to take it many times?—”
“Is that why you sewed her mouth shut? So you wouldn’t have to hear it?” I wanted to reach for her and rip her from his arms, but she was already so frightened, like a small rabbit, cowering in the claws of a wolf. And even if I could take her, what would Sten and Astrid do? What would King Drakkar do? My stake was discarded by the servant’s door and my pendant couldn’t take all three of them down. Not without the element of surprise that my burning blood had given me in the woods against Astrid and Sten.
“She can compel vampires too.”
“You’re fucking sick,” I spat.
“It’s my throne, Lux.” He spoke clearly, unafraid of upsetting me now. He didn’t care for me, he never had. All he cared about was his fucking throne and claiming a wife to sit on it with him.
My stomach knotted at the thought of what he did to me on that throne. What I wanted him to do.
“Let her go,” I said.
He shoved past me, pushing Silver forward with him. “I can’t do that.”
Astrid’s laugh boiled in my blood. I gritted my teeth and glared at her as she waved her hand toward King Drakkar as if to present him to me. Sten had shuffled to his partner’s side.
King Drakkar hissed at her as he passed by. “I’ll deal with you two when I return.”
“Good luck,” Astrid said. “The rest of the council has returned. We’ll be tied up with the Blood Council for hours after you beheaded Dante.”
He cursed under his breath as he marched toward the door, my sister still in his grasp. I ran after him, stopping in front of the doors to block his exit. “No way in hell are you going to lock her back up.”
Astrid’s laugh echoed again.
“You can’t stop me,” he said.
“I won’t marry you.”
He cursed again, shouting so loud this time it made my sister jump. “It’s too late, Lux. You’ll be my wife tomorrow. I told you, at first light you will either marry me or I’ll kill you. The council is returning before the sun, and they’re expecting the end of the huntress just like I am, whether that’s through binding yourself to me or your death.”
“I came here to destroy you.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. I couldn’t help it. Seeing my sister flinching away, his fingers holding her with such force her pale arm was already bruising.
“You’re buying right into what Astrid wants. She wants us to kill each other so she can take over.”
“Because everyone wants your throne?”
“Yes.”
I stood my ground. “Then add my sister to the deal. I’ll give up the Gods and on becoming the huntress if you let her go too.”
He released a string of curses this time. “You’re fucking impossible. That’s not happening, Lux. We already agreed on the deal and Silver is not part of it. Unless you want to add her to my deal? Marry me or you both die.”
My heart lurched. Cold fear curled around it and slowly crystalized in my veins. Everything hurt. I could have accepted my own death, but her’s? After a lifetime of suffering? I couldn’t allow that.
King Drakkar tilted his head, throwing his chin out to direct me to the side with a mere flick of his head. “Now get out of my way or I’ll be forced to imprison you too.”
I could not move. Even if the smart decision would be to stab him with the pendant and run for the stake, I could not do it.
My eyes fixed on my sister and I only thought of her. I would not risk scaring her more. What would King Drakkar do to her if I attacked him? I opened my mouth to compelhim but I could not even do that. Exhaustion stripped me down more naked than I had been bared before the king. Then, I was only without clothes. Now at the vampire king’s whims, I was vulnerable, broken down to my bones.
Exhausted or not, I remained upright. Here in front of the king, at the threshold of his throne room, I stood my ground.
I only moved when he grabbed my arm and forced me to move.
