“You will walk by my side and not look back,” he hisses, and my steps automatically quicken to keep up.
Arianna must be pulling back her power, since the darkness enveloping the wards is starting to dissipate. It takes only a moment for the gleaming white castle to emerge from the black void.
Grief and terror war with each other in my chest, both threatening to pull me under. The thought that this may be the last time I ever see them makes it hard to breathe. But Sin’s parting words fill me with abject terror. If he waltzes inside the Council wards to get me, his powers won’t work. He’ll be outnumbered onethousand to one. If he comes for me, he’s going to be locked away or killed.
All I want to do is shut down, curl up, and sob until this all feels like a bad dream. But that won’t save him. The grief in my chest hardens as I replace it with molten rage. The anger grounds me, dragging me back to the present.
“Smile,” Leon snaps, and I realize we’ve stopped walking. We’re only a short distance from the castle doors, and I assume he wants to stay out of earshot of the guards stationed there.
He stares at me expectantly, but I don’t stop glaring at him.
“Now,” he hisses.
The leash tugs, and I comply, making sure to show himallmy teeth.
His eyes narrow, and his hand tightens over my fingers, grinding the bones together. The pain only lasts for a moment, though, before his anger melts away. It’s replaced by a quizzical expression, and he’s gentle as he pulls me against him. For anyone watching, it must look like we’re locked in a tender embrace after facing off against Sin and Arianna.
I stiffen. My personal bubble is very precious to me.
I should invest in a taser. It would probably be more effective than using humor as a coping mechanism.
Leon’s breath fans over my ear. “Do youwantto be punished, pet? Is that why you’re testing me? I made it clear what you can expect if you displease me. But… perhaps you crave my discipline.” He straightens and tilts my chin so he can look into my wide, deeply horrified eyes. “Is that what you need in order to feel better for all the ways you’ve betrayed me?”
Of course, Leon would look at my blatant hatred and only see an invitation to assault me.
Normalize castrating rapists.
I look at him like he’s insane, because clearly, he is, and shake my head.
The corner of his mouth dips down, but he doesn’t say a word as he releases me and starts walking back to the castle.
Two burly men guard the doors, and the small part of me that was hoping to see Damien is left disappointed. The feeling only worsens when I take in the deadly focus in their cold gazes. There’s something about them that screams ‘experience.’ I get the feeling these are some of the guards who passed the maze test. Elites.
The guards greet Leon with a respectful nod before opening the doors for us.
Well, that’s new. Unfortunate, but new.
Cheers erupt from the main hall, the sudden burst of noise making me jump. The same crowd that was deathly silent only moments before is now yelling and applauding.
Leon seems unsurprised by their response, and he throws on his most charming smile, once again slipping into his mask of the charismatic prince charming. His strides grow even more confident as he navigates through the crowd. They part just enough to let us pass, with many eagerly offering their gratitude to Leon. Some pat his shoulder, while others hold a hand to their heart. He smiles through it all,tossing out some comments about how he was only doing his duty to his people.
Thankfully, no one tries to touch me this time, but I could have done without the snippets of whispers that I catch behind me.
“… so romantic.”
“… saved her.”
“…true love.”
My stomach lurches. I’m not sure if it’s because of the words or the stench of too many perfumes. Either way, I don’t like where this is going.
Leon leads us to a set of wide stairs on the far side of the room. It’s the kind you see in those ballroom scenes, where people’s titles are announced to the hall, before they make their grand entrance. He only stops when we reach the second-floor landing that looks over the hall. Taking my hand, he spins us to look down at the crowd.
They stare up at us, still cheering, and his chest puffs as he eats it up. He lets them continue for a moment longer before addressing the crowd. The moment he opens his mouth, a hush settles over the room.
“Morgana’s Destroyer has left,” he starts, and pauses for dramatic effect. The crowd breaks out into another thunderous round of applause, and he holds up his free hand to quiet them.
A voice rings out from below. “How did you make him leave?”
