“The king’s dragon does not scorch anyone unless the king commands it. He was strictly trained.”
“How strictly?”
“As strictly as me.”
Poor Madrood. Poor Vexxion. “What a fucker the king is.”
His laugh snorted out, making his chest rumble, making the last bit of my tension float out of me in misty waves. “I agree. He’s a complete fucker.”Which is why we’ll kill him.
I love how you always sound so sure about that.
I know you, Fury. You can do this.
Not yet, though,I said.I hear that in your voice even though you never state it. I’m still not prepared, am I?
You will be. I promise. You’re close.
The wedding takes place in two days. The Claiming right after. We don’t have much time left.Why couldn’t I feel as sure about this as he did?
This will work out as it should. Trust me.
There he was again, asking for my trust as if there was a master plan being executed behind me. If I turned, mist cloaked it enough I couldn’t see it, but it continued shifting whenever I wasn’t looking. All I needed to do was join the dance at the right time.
Vexxion was the choreographer.
No. He was thecontroller.
A shiver tracked through me.
He flicked his finger, and the water heated, though that wasn’t the issue.
I do trust you,I said.That was the one solid thing in all this, my confidence in him.
If he felt I could do this, I had to believe it myself.
Or it would all fall apart.
Relax,he crooned.Let me take care of you.
33
VEXXION
You know I adore you, right?I purred in her mind.
As I stood beside the king in the throne room, her pain had roared through me. It was my place as his controller to remain by his side at all times. He enjoyed watching others quake when I caught their eye.
This afternoon, I’d awakened three Nullens. Then fed him enough of me to satisfy his need for access to what he believed was their power. How long could I keep doing this?
If it protected my fury, forever.
The end was in sight. It would be over in just a few short days. After twenty-three years, I could finally gorge myself on a bitter yet satisfying meal of revenge.
Tempest’s sorrow had cut through me like a jagged blade. When I staggered, the king snarled.
“Something I ate for lunch,” I murmured. There wasn’tmuch he abhorred more than people getting sick around him—or dying, I supposed. His scowl had deepened.
“Take care of it. Attend to me at dinner.”
