“But I?—”
“There’s nothing you can say.”
Something was wrong with him. His movements were too controlled, like he fought himself with every step. The way he kept glancing at his gauntlet was like how I checked my servant’s bracelet, like it was a leash he couldn’t remove.
“You saved my lifetwice. Why do that if you meant to kill me?”
His stride faltered. A shadow rippled over his face, one that didn’t belong to the cold killer dragging me to my doom. Then it was gone, shuttered behind steel.
His merciless shove caught my shoulder, and I stumbled forward. He opened the door, pulling me through. Guards fell in line, their steps echoing with my pounding heart.
He led me down the dim corridor. The hallways twisted, leading us deeper into the castle’s belly, closer to death.
Rheya.
I’d never see her again. My vision blurred. I blinked hard, refusing to cry. The chill deepened as we approached a set of tall doors. This was it. I was going to die.
His shoulders stiffened.
Guards pushed the doors open.
The executioner bared his teeth. The iron grip on meslackened like he wanted to let me go. Blood dripped from where the gauntlet’s edge bit into his wrist. The metal seemed fused to his skin, like it had grown there. His fingers twitched, and more blood welled up. His gaze burned into mine.
Then he dragged me into the room where I’d die.
10
UNLEASHED
The executioner hauled me into the chamber.
The walls were stone, blackened in places by magic when the fae sacked the city centuries ago. Bewitched light illuminated fragments of human craftsmanship defaced with runes. A vaulted ceiling arched overhead, its ribs vanishing into shadows.
Rows of benches faced the dais at the far end. A pedestal stood in the center, carved from obsidian and veined with blue. A massive sacrifice rune surrounded it, drawing all energy toward the stained depression in the floor. At its edge, a small crystal sat nestled within a brass holder.
Why was I here? Executions happened in the Square, where everyone could watch, but this room was tucked away in the palace. Perhaps they didn’t want the public knowing about me?
I searched the room, heart hammering.
No sign of Vaeris. Not among the nobles lounging like cats on the benches. Not near the advisors with their pinched expressions. If he wanted to help, where was he?
I’d let myself hope again, like a fool.
The ugly truth settled in my chest—he wasn’t coming. Maybe he’d tried and his father stopped him, or he’d never intended to be here at all.
Either way, I was alone.
King Vaeron sat on his throne, the queen beside him like a wraith dressed in onyx. Father and son shared the same jet-black hair, the same sharp angles that made them beautiful in the way winter was beautiful: harsh, distant, deadly. But where Vaeris’s eyes held flickers of warmth when he forgot to guard them, the king’s were flat as frozen lakes.
Vaeron’s mouth was a slash of cruelty. I’d seen Vaeris laugh hard when we were alone, but his father seemed carved from disdain.
Queen Livia sat so still she might’ve been part of the throne. Flawless like a sculpture, too perfect to be real. Something uncanny shimmered beneath her porcelain skin. When she breathed, it seemed more like mimicry.
The executioner forced me to my knees.
Henrik stepped out from the shadows. “This girl destroyed a structure enhanced by six master clerics. She wields power that could shatter cities. Your Majesties, I beg you not to underestimate this monster.”
Monster.That settled in my gut like rot.
