Still, he did have a point.
Just not the one he thought.
I raised my hands to his chest and slowly pushed him back. We were both panting, the tension so thick it felt like it could snap at any moment. His eyes were so intense, I could see his need for me inside them. A need so visceral that his own powers betrayed him, and lightning struck across those blue orbs from within. Flashes of his lust striking and lighting up his eyes. His powers summoned to the forefront by the force of his emotions, out of control as they rioted.
His hands still held my upper arms, but I kept pushing him back. Cyrus reluctantly gave up ground as I looked up at him, steeling myself.
If this court was full of plots and games, I would need to adjust to survive. My rural upbringing didn’t expose me to the politics and games of court life, and that was a weakness that I’d have to correct immediately.
I could do that. Play my own game. Find my own power.
I may be new to it, but I was always a fast learner.
I smirked, raising a brow and watching as he followed the curve of my lips with rapt attention. He licked his own, and I resisted the urge to do the same. I had a point to make here. “Is it reallytruepower, if it’s given to me? True power, I would think, needs to be earned…ortaken.”
“I knew I’d have my hands full with you, my dear.” Cyrus chuckled softly, his voice a husky rasp.
He leaned in ever so slowly and brushed his lips against my cheek. He was far too close to my lips, and his mouth lingered, smooth and soft against my skin. My eyes fluttered for a moment before I caught myself.
“You take what power you can,whenyou can. Power is a currency we can’t deny, and any bit of it we get, must be guarded against thieves just the same.” Cyrus stared hard at me, hoping to impart this wisdom and change my mind. That the chance to take any scrap of power may be fleeting, a momentary opportunity in time. I couldn’t deny a part of me wanted to take him up on his offer. A life of luxury is hard to turn away from, after all. But I desiredtruecontrol over my own life, and that was something he could never provide.
“Think about it. In the meantime, we must plan for my sibling’s plots, and my parent’s, for that matter.” Cyrus grumbled, the lightning in his eyes clearing as he returned to business as usual.
I found myself a bit sad to see it go.
“Wait—” I shook my head free of the spell he’d seemingly cast over me in the last few minutes, “Your parents are against you?”
His lips tilted up as he nodded. “Oh, yes. My father, specifically. He thinks I’m not heir material. I’m not living up to the standard he requires. My mother disagrees, so my father can’t do anything to me, not without royally pissing off my mother. He instead tries to find subtler ways to undermine me, like at dinner last night. I’m sure you heard him talk with me about the defenses?”
“I did.” I nodded slowly. I’d thought it was peculiar that the king would go after his own son, his heir, that way. Cyrus reached out and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. Finally calming from the desire he’d stirred unwillingly within me, the touch felt much too intimate.
Don’t get attached.It doesn’t ever end well.
“I don’t trust anyone outside of my direct circle. It’s a small group, but powerful enough to secure my reign when the time comes. My allies work in the shadows.” Cyrus stated proudly. “My family’s plots are so obvious, it’s actually funny. They are so distracted by their plans, in fact, that they don’t see what is right under their noses.”
It was actually sort of genius. Hide your allies and have them work to dismantle from within. His family wouldn’t even know to look for them.
“Who are they? Other lords and ladies? Slaves? Business owners in the cities?” I found myself immensely curious.
His smile was broad now, as he neatly dodged answering my question. “See, I knew you were special, Asteria. I want you with me for this. I need you with me.”
The words would have seemed almost romantic, had they been in a different context. But this wasn’t that. It was something deeper. I looked at him, really looked deep into those lightning eyes trying to decipher what his words really meant.
But what I found was a lonely, frustrated male, someone who couldn’t trust anyone. Cyrus couldn’t even trust his own family.But he owned me, and he trusted those he owned to do as he said. Cyrus had no fear of using humans when Fae didn’t suffice for the job. And he wanted me with him, by his side, plotting and planning with him.
In his bed, if he had his way.
This was…pure possession.
But if I needed to play the game—maybe giving in a tiny bit was the right move. I’d already learned so much more than I thought possible from what he shared with me today. What else would he reveal?
He wanted someone; I wanted control of my own life.
I could use his want of me and turn it around on him. I could manipulate and maybe, if I played this right, I could—could I?Would it be possible? Could I gain what I wanted most?
Freedom.
My heart beat double time in my chest. The thrill of possibility nearly made me shake as the desire to fly free overwhelmed me. If I could play Cyrus in the right way, I could find a way to escape. If he trusted me and let me move around the palace freely…I’d find a way.Somehow.
