And it hadn’t done him any favors.
“What would you say to returning to Australasia with us when we leave here?”
I almost faltered then as my brain tried to figure out if he’d just said that. “Oh, as wonderful as that sounds”—lies, all fucking lies—“unfortunately I cannot leave school again. I need to catch up on the classes I missed.”
His smile—smirk actually—sent chills across my skin. “Sweet child, you really don’t need Arbon any longer. Your one goal was to secure a future, and yours is set. You’ll carry the future heir of the Australasias. There’s really no loftier position you could reach.”
He didn’t say I would be queen, just that I would carry the heir. I wondered if he intended for me to actually marry his son or just be locked up in their dungeon, raped, and forced to give birth.
What a delightful man.
“My education is important to me,” I said to him, still trying to appear unfazed by what an absolute monster of a human this fuck was. “I’d like to finish it before I have any children. If I decide to have children at all, of course.”
I couldn’t help myself with that last line, even knowing it was going to cause me all kinds of trouble.
His brow bunched, shadows crossing his face. “You really have no choice. The king must produce an heir, and Alex is to be king.”
There was a command in his voice.
“Maybe I’m not the right partner for Alex, then” I suggested.
More darkness, and his grip was actually super painful now. I was going to have bruises worse than from my last fight.
“You have no choice, you gutter trash,” he muttered. “You’ll shut your mouth, do as you're told, and maybe you won’t end up like Jasmine.”
I swallowed roughly. “Jasmine fell.”
We all knew that wasn’t true, but I wanted to hear what he’d say.
“She did,” he confirmed, that fucking smirk back. “After she decided to get pregnant by someone who was not her betrothed. It was a terrible tragedy.”
“So shewaspregnant?” I pushed. “By whom?”
A smug look crossed his face. “She chose to try and elevate herself to queen earlier than she should have. The father over the son. She forgot her place.”
What in the…? Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Before I could ponder the idea that Jasmine might have been pregnant with King Steve’s baby and he’d killed her for it, I was jerked against him so hard my body was plastered to his.
I could feel the slight bulge in his pants pressing my stomach, and I fought down the scream that was rising in my throat. I was about five seconds from losing my shit and beating the fuck out of this king, but if I did that, I would sign my own death warrant. And I had too much to fucking live for.
There was still hope that I would figure out a way to get out of this. I had powerful friends and allies. I was not alone and I would not let this king scare me.
Moving as fast as my hands and body could, I managed to twist out of his hold, putting a few feet of distance between us. He blinked at me like he was trying to figure out what had just happened.
“Thank you for the dance,” I said. “It’s been truly enlightening.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but I was already gone, pushing through the crowd as I tried to hold my shit together.
I couldn’t stay in here a second longer. I needed some air, but I was also afraid to wander around alone. Clearly King Three-inch-dick had big plans to lock me down, and I couldn't let him get his hands on me. I’d disappear never to be seen again.
My palm reader buzzed.
Angel:Jordan’s room. Now.
With a quick look around, I slipped out of the ballroom, lifting the skirt of my dress so I could run along the halls. Before I made it close to Jordan’s though, a dark shadow stepped onto the path in front of me, and I just managed not to kick Rafe in the head.
“You’re lucky I’m wearing heels,” I said shortly.
His hands shot out, rubbing along my arms. “You’re trembling,” he said, fury vibrating his voice.
