“I’m not agreeing to be yours, and I will not be sleeping with you.” I told him plainly, hoping that this would be just enough to entice him into further opening up to me. “But I’m not opposed to helping you.” Cyrus looked at me greedily, already ensnared. And like a Siren Spider, I just needed to spin a web around him. Perhaps at the end of it, I could scurry away with none the wiser.
“I’m glad you’re finally seeing some reason. The rest will come in time.” Cyrus smiled brightly as I rolled my eyes, but his arm came around my waist and pulled me into him. I gasped, my breath catching in my throat at the unexpected move.
His body was flush against mine. I could feel his chest pressed hard against my full breasts. His hips against mine. Legs twined over one another. His arms held onto me tightly, asmine involuntarily went to his biceps, steadying myself. I forced myself to ignore the firmness of his muscles. I looked up at him, and immediately regretted it. I could see nothing but ruination in the lightning flashing in his eyes—an ominous warning of what the future would hold should I not succeed.
“And itwillcome in time, this I promise. You could have everything at my side. No one can resist that type of allure for long.” Cyrus whispered, wrapping me as tightly as he could within his hold. “You were meant for more than life as a toiling slave, Asteria. I knew it the moment I saw you.”
His breath tickled my skin, and the hairs on my arms rose as his silken tone washed over me, as inappropriately intimate as his touch. “Do you want to know what I thought when I first laid eyes on you? I thought—this girl is a fallen star. Fallen to Adamah in a riot of destructive rage that burned out and left it stuck in a life that chained it down. Its shine smothered until only the smallest flicker remained. But I can feel it. That flicker? Itwantsto burn.” The lightning in his eyes flashed once. “And I can’t wait to see that happen.”
His hands slid down my body, feeling my every curve and raising goosebumps with his fingertips. “A star needs to rise, Asteria, my dear. And it’s only a matter of time until you do. Then—” He smirked wickedly. “Then, I’m going to ruin you.”
The smoky promise in his voice, the alluring words, were enough to make me sway toward him with want. I caught myself quickly—but not fast enough.
He saw the movement and the tremble of want that coursed through me.
Victory shone in his eyes.
I seethed at the lost ground in this battle we seemed to be waging against each other.
He may have won the battle, but he hadn’t won the war. That would bemyvictory.
I would help him with the political side of things and learn how to play this game the royals knew and loved so much. I’d learn it, thrive in it, master it. And then, I would get what I wanted.
I would get what Ineeded.
Freedom.
Chapter 7
Timepassed strangely here, and before I knew it, weeks had flown by. With Cyrus off dealing with the defenses along the border for his father, I was left adrift by the nothingness that comprised my current duties. As Cyrus’s “assistant”, I was essentially arm candy as far as the court was concerned. Cyrus wanted to use this to his advantage and position me to better assist him with his plans to ensure he keeps his crown, along with his life.
With that goal in mind, when Cyrus deems me ready, I’ll be overseeing his other slaves, essentially handling his spies, and collecting information for him. Until then, however, the empty spaces left in my schedule after spending time studying to take on my duties, left me feeling a bit listless.
Slaves weren’t supposed to have downtime, except at night. They worked all day, and that had been my expectation mywhole life. As much as I appreciated not being forced more into a field or into the kitchens, I found myself not knowing how to handle the time I now had at my disposal. What was I supposed to do, lounge around all day?
Ugh. I knew this was going to be challenging the second I was assigned here, but this was a whole new caliber that I never could have anticipated prior to Placement Day. I knew so little about these court politics and games. If I anymore hope of surviving Cyrus or this court, I was going to need help.
Letting out a groan at my predicament, I decided I had to get out of these rooms. I’d been in here too long and needed to stretch my legs and find something, anything else, to look at. I’d go explore a bit, I decided. Cyrus had said I was welcome to, as long as I avoided certain areas, like the other royal quarters, and stayed mostly to the hidden passages when traveling to different parts of the palace.
I stood up from the chair, stretching out the kinks from sitting for so long, and made my way to the door. Once in the hall, I headed straight toward the entrance of the dank passageways that slithered through the palace. I hadn’t seen Emmie in weeks, and figured a visit couldn’t hurt. Whina may have warned me away from being friends, but information was clearly the currency of the court, and I knew Emmie would have been hoarding any bit of gossip she found. Maybe she’d give me something useful for my own plans.
The ache in my chest would have to shut up. Friends were not a luxury I could afford any more now than I could before.
Walking quickly down to the slave’s corridors, holding up my skirts so I didn’t trip, I made my way through the halls and down into the bowels of the palace. As I turned the final corner into the slave quarters, the starkness of our living situations was made abundantly clear.
Entering the common area for the slaves was a veritable contrast to the rooms I shared with Cyrus. The space was loud and crowded, with people running all over the place. I tried to find Emmie through the commotion, as I walked slowly across the edge of the room.
“What areyoudoing here?” A voice I didn’t recognize demanded.
I snapped my head towards the voice, my dark hair swishing in front of my face with the motion. My eyes widened in surprise as I recognized the redheaded woman with amber eyes who shot daggers at me during the dinners we attended with the royal family.
Weylin’s human.
She eyed me with obvious resentment over my position. She clearly wished to serve the heir to the throne herself.
“I’m looking for someone,” I replied, taking note of her sneer, and dismissing it immediately. I kept my voice level and calm, and made an effort to not give into my rising anger over being targeted for something I had no control over.
“Oh really?” The redhead scoffed. “What someone would that be? I can’t imagine anyone would want to be friends with some nobody from the sticks?”
