“You think I haven’t tried, Princess?” I dared to snap back, letting the façade of a placid slave fall away as I glared back at her. “I don’t want to be here, but Cyrus won’t let me go.”
Zerlina laughed wryly, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you worry about that, I’ll make sure he gets rid of you. And if not, well…” She trailed off as her hand left my arm, leaving me gasping at the pain left behind where her nails scored my flesh.
I tried to lift my hand to apply pressure to the painful gouges, but before I could, Zerlina’s hand was around my throat. She gripped tightly, making it hard to breathe as she shoved me hard into the wall.
I tried to swallow, my hands coming up to pry her off, but she was much too strong. I couldn’t budge her fingers an inch. Fuck, I hated being helpless. The Fae knew what they were doing—keeping us weak and unable to resist them.
“I’ll just have to get rid of you myself if not.” Zerlina threatened, a cruel smile spreading across her face. “Though, that will be amuchmore permanent end for you.”
Zerlina removed her hand from my throat, and I fell to the floor, gasping for breath. She knelt beside me, gripping my chin, and forcing me to look up at her.
“It’s your choice,Asteria.” The princess spat my name like it was a particularly nasty disease as she sneered at me. “Find a way to remove yourself from my future husband, where he will no longer be able to treat you so above your station, or you will deal withme.”
I shuddered at her words while she brought her hands together, air forming a twisting column between them. The air burst from her hands forced my mouth open, slithering into my throat where it choked me on what was somehow too much and not enough air. I sputtered and clawed at my throat, Zerlina merely watching her work with a smile.
The sound of footfalls coming closer was never so welcomed as Zerlina lazily turned toward the door before she withdrew her twister of air from my throat and let me go. I fell forward, coughing and gasping as I struggled to breathe normally.
Crazy bitch.I had to find a way out, now more than ever. I wasn’t going to die here, surrounded by insane Fae, forced into acts I hated, and made to watch as humans were picked off one by one. No, Iwouldfind a way to freedom.
And Old Gods help anyone who gets in my way.
Chapter 18
“
A
steria,my dear.” Cyrus called. I sighed miserably as I walked out of my room into the solar. “There you are.” He smiled. “There’s to be a ball tonight. Priscilla is going to help you this afternoon with your dress, but in the meantime, I need you to go see what your little friend has found out from my father.”
“Of course, Cyrus.” I answered, and he looked me over, tilting his head to the side.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling neglected with the princess here?” Cyrus asked, as he took my hands in his and caressed my skin. I forced myself not to pull away for a moment, as if I truly enjoyed his attention. Then I yanked my hands back.
“Never.” I spat out, making sure to make my voice wobble a bit. “I already told you, I will not be having sex with you, Cyrus,and especially not now. You’ll soon have a wife to fulfill all your needs. I won’t be your mistress, it’s below me.”
It was, perhaps, a bit farther than I should have taken it, and Cyrus proved me correct when storm clouds formed in his eyes, his face growing hard.
“Below you?” Cyrus growled, his voice dangerously low. “You are a slave, Asteria,nothingis below you.” He grabbed my chin, reminding me of Princess Zerlina actions the day prior. His words were somehow even crueler than hers had been. Nothing was below me? He had to be joking.
“Just because I’m a slave, doesn’t mean I deserve to be forced to debase myself.” I spat back at him. While I was supposed to be maintaining the act of the jealous mistress enough to fool him, I was so over his pretentious attitude—and with Zerlina’s for that matter. I was sick of all these Fae who thought they could get away with doing whatever they wanted to us.
I gasped as pain exploded across my face, my body hitting the ground before I realized what had happened. I blinked up at Cyrus, whose hand was still out from where he had hit me with the back of his hand. He looked almost as shocked as I felt.
“Oh, my dear.” Cyrus murmured as he crouched down. “I’m sorry, you see how angry you make me when you say such foolish things?”
I tried to crawl backwards when he reached for me, but it was fruitless. Cyrus grabbed me, lifting me off the ground as he ran his fingers over the spot he’d just hit, causing me to flinch back as the pain flared. His eyes darkened once more, and I braced myself for whatever might come next.
“Go to your little friend.” Cyrus chuckled, stepping away. “Get me the information I need. Zerlina and Sybella have already thrown their lot in with me—Weylin will be sorely disappointed once he finds out, but I’ve told them to wait to say anything to him, it’ll be better to pick the right moment. Now run along,Asteria, and I hope you will be in a better mood when you return. You must not embarrass me at the ball tonight.” Cyrus smiled and with a final brush of his fingers across my cheek, walked away.
I all but ran out of the room, heading straight for the wing where the king had moved Emmie. He kept a suite of rooms where the women he favored could live close by. I worried about Emmie being so surrounded by Astraeus, but at least I didn’t have to go to the king’s rooms directly, or to the common areas where I last saw Tavarius. I shivered at the thought, I didn’t think I could ever look at them the same way.
I made my way quickly through the halls, keeping to the dark passageways as much as possible while I thought through my options. Which were admittedly limited. If I was going to find a way out of here, I needed more time—time I wasn’t sure I had. The convergence of the many schemes being played throughout Dusk were like a web that had entrapped me, and I was being spun ever closer to the spider waiting to devour me in the center.
I knocked on Emmie’s door, and she opened it after a moment with a large smile, immediately throwing her arms around me.
“Asteria!” Emmie screeched, making me laugh as I hugged her back.
“Emmie, I’m so happy to see you.” I told her honestly, before pulling back and looking her over. “You’re well?” She looked more than well, an expensive dress covered in jewels fell over her curves, and she looked healthier, weight filling out her cheeks and hips.
