“Constable Harpina,” I greeted her as blandly as possible. She tutted, shaking her head as she twined her arm around mine. Her armbands were on, and the strange material rubbed against my skin as she did. Harpina immediately began walking, forcing me to move with her.
My eyes couldn’t help wandering, no matter how hard I tried to keep them forward. Her armor fit her like a second skin. The leather pants shaped perfectly around her arse and thighs, while the corset pushed up her generous cleavage, and her narrow waist was more pronounced from how tightly her corset was laced.
“Are you ready for today, sunshine?” she asked, that flirtatious note still in her voice, but giving way to something more genuine. Her amber eyes were warm as she glanced quickly at my face, before shifting her focus anywhere else.
“About as ready as you are, kitty-cat,” I told her, a surprised laugh bursting from her mouth. A small smile played around my lips, but I forced them to straighten, reminding myself why another taste was dangerous.
Whyshewas dangerous.
Chapter Fifty-four
Cyrus
My hands were beginningto cramp, but it was integral that my task was done soon. My dreams grew bloodier by the night, and I knew they were a warning.
A battle loomedon the horizon.
And I hadto be ready. As the only one capable of wielding such advanced magic as blood magic, I was also responsible for preparing it all myself. No one else could be trusted with such secrets.
I stirredthe pot once more, flexing my fingers around the long handle of the spoon.
“Cruach,iarraim ort.
Íobairim an bheatha seo duit,
a gcuid fola a ghlacadh chun beatha.
Glan é agus déan arís é,
agus lig dó a bheith ar an draíocht ina bunúsach.”
I stilledmy stirring as the blood before me began to churn and shimmer, the telltale magic forming before my eyes. It amazed me every time, seeing such simple material as human blood become a force of magic that no one else could touch.
For whatever was coming next,I would be prepared better than my enemies could ever imagine. Starting with havinglotsof blood magic to access. The dreams made it clear that blood magic would be my lifeline, and I had no cause to doubt them. Not when the dreams had all aligned perfectly with what I knew to be true.
My crown was awaiting me.Dusk Kingdom’s crown may be mine, but it was paltry compared to what was meant to grace my head. Being king of the realm was hardly enough either, not when there was something truly grand waiting.
After all,someone had to rule once the gods were out of the way. My dreams showed me many things. Ones I had thought impossible. But if it all worked out as planned, and I would ensure it did, then the gods would soon be locked away. They’d be powerless, and it would take millennia for them to gather enough strength to try to fight. By then, I would be firmly established and able to crush them as they deserved.
The fates were with me,and thus, I knew my charge was a righteous one. The gods had overstepped in taking away our magic, and they would pay dearly for all they had wrought. Though, if I was honest, there were other reasons my anger at them continued to burn so hotly.
It wasn’tenough to take away my magic and leave me powerless; they then had to turn around and givemyhuman unimaginable power and a throne besides! It was embarrassing, honestly.
Asteria was mine.
She hadno business sitting on any throne, playing at being queen.
But even worse than that—they’dmade AsteriaCalix’s mate.
If she should have beenanyone’s mate, it should have been mine! Our souls understood each other; I knew that beyond any doubt. But Calix was able to tempt her away from me, all because the gods had forged a bond between them.
Given more time,I could have broken Asteria of that willful spirit, and built her back up into a proper Fae lady. One who may have been fit to sit at my side as queen. Instead, I was left with the nagging, duplicitous Zerlina.
I nearly rolledmy eyes at the thought. Her hovering was becoming cloying. Her desperation to prove she wasn’t betraying me only made me more certain she was. She was terrible at this game. Maybe the court in Dawn Kingdom was full of half-wits, leading her to believe herself better at it than she was.
That would actually explainTariq quite well.
The man kept pushingfor the marriage to happen quickly. He wanted his daughter assured as queen of Dawn no matter what happened. I wasn’t stupid, however. If I gave in and married her before whatever battle was on the horizon arrived, then when it did, he could easily turn on me.
