“What is this?” Hemlock’s voice grounded out, metal on rusted metal, scraping out each word.
The flames from the torches instantly dropped, flitting back to a small glow like soft, silvery tea lights.
Hemlock stepped closer to me, his fierce brow shifting its attention between me and Mathias and back again.
Around his neck, a small glow gleamed from inside a crystal charm, humming softly a song, a lullaby I once knew.
“Mathias?” he growled, hands closing into fists at his sides.
“Father, please—”
“You beg of me?” Hemlock’s glossy-eyed stare snapped at Mathias with a vengeance. “You beg of me for this pathetic creature. A creature not yours to even waste your thoughts on?”
“She is part of me,” Mathias growled, stepping forward. “And I won’t let you harm her. I told you.”
“Yes,” the king smiled in his awful sinister way. “You did tell me, did you not? You made an oath to me to keep her safe, didn’t you,son?”
“Father—”
I watched the exchange as if floating above the room. They squared off, both of them coiled into fists and gnashing teeth, shouts and words that meant nothing to me.
Rose and Bain stood on the sidelines, hands clasped above their chest, waiting to see the outcome, waiting with bated breath to see who would win. Then Rose’s eyes caught mine and her tongue slipped out over the edge of her lip, and Bain next to her, slowly slipping off his gloves, one finger at a time, and I realized then and there—they all wanted what I could give them. They all wanted to feel human again.
As Mathias and Hemlock shouted chin-to-chin, chest-to-chest, Bain leaned forward into a crouch and a slow sly smile grew across his face as he watched me. Rose’s hands were bare as well, both of them clasped tightly to her chest. Was she praying? No. No, both of them, both of them were coming for me. They were just waiting for the best opportunity, a diversion like the one that was happening in front of us.
I staggered back, trying to run. I wasn’t going to let Bain or Rose touch me, no damn way in hell was I going to make them feel human again, not unless they wanted to remember how painful it could be, as well as—.
Hemlock was in front of me with a bolt of lightning and a roar of thunder, and all I felt was a tremendous push and me sprawling backwards. Somewhere behind me a wall hit my back and my knees buckled and the floor was at my face.
Mathias’s cursed shouts followed, growling words and grunts, steel hitting steel. I scrambled to get up, stumbling around in the dark.
The room spun and blurred. Suddenly my eyes were too heavy to hold open and my head swam in waves of watery darkness. I fought the fatigue, against the onslaught of instant pain and sharp throbbing of my head and chest. I wasn’t even sure how I got hurt, not until I felt the warmth of my blood as it trickled and dripped down the skin of my arms and spilled from shoulders and chest.
My fingers trembled as I held my hands up to my face and watched the crimson of my blood give color to the room.
Then all I saw was the gleam in Hemlock’s eyes when he lunged for me.
Chapter 13
“He wears your soul like jewelry,” Rose hissed in my ear. Her bare hands were on my arms, sliding my clothes off me and stuffing me into another ridiculously inappropriate outfit. “You don’t even realize how important you are here, do you?”
“Where is Mathias?” I asked hoarsely. We were dragged out, both of us from my bedroom, separated by dead guards with long steel swords.
“Again with your foolishness. Shut up, child.” Her palms clasped over my shoulders, her hands were ice and stone.
“Stop trying to touch me,” I snapped, shoving her hands away from me.
“How is it then? What do you need to do to make me feel alive again?” Rose whispered, with wide saucer-like eyes.
“Sorry. Can’t help your stupid dead ass. Now get away from me.” I stood up, dizzy and bleary-eyed. I leaned on the dressing table and tried to calm my breathing, but the fury bubbled up and over.How dare anyone touch me without consent. How dare they fight over me and what I could do for them.
Rose lunged at me and I pushed her forward, slipping past her.
“Child. Before he ruins you, let me feel it. Please,” she begged.
“Ruins me?” I snapped, slapping her hands away. “How will he ruin me?”
“Just do what he tells you, girl, but please…please give me a taste.”
