Control. Awakening.
Access.
The king wasn’t just draining residual Nullen energy. He was having Nullens collared and brought here to be awakened to their trapped power and then drained before they could realize it existed.
“I thought I was inlovewith you,” I blubbered, feeling unbelievably naïve. Tears slicked down my face. I smacked at them, hating that I showed Vexxion even this tiny bit of emotion. “All this time . . . You. Were.Toyingwith me.”
“I was, Tempest. You’re just a game piece on the board,” he said in that deadly, sly voice that used to make my heart trip over itself to reach him.
The voice that would make me beg him for whatever he’d deign to give me.
The voice that made me love him.
“From the moment we met, I knew the role you’d play.” He said it so blandly. So . . . sneeringly.
I was trapped.
Drask flew into the room, cawing, but instead of coming to me, he landed on Vexxion’s shoulder. He flapped his wings and leaned into Vexxion’s neck. Pecked him playfully on the cheek like he’d only ever done with me.
He . . . I’d found my pet mortally wounded, healed him. He was my friend.
Vexxion cleared his throat. “Tempestisquite sweet. I’m sure you’ll enjoy her as much as I have.”
I’d slash his throat. I’d kill him. Then I’d do the same with the king.
But . . . I was completely locked down by this collar.
I could donothing.
“Allow me to ready her, Father,” Vexxion said blandly. “Then I’ll gladly let you have a taste of all she has to offer.”
If I wasn’t glaring at him with the pure, unadulterated hatred blazing across my soul . . .
. . . I would’ve missed it.
He blinked.
My mind roaredand something inside me snapped. While the worldslowedaround me, my power boiled up from the well. It overflowed, blasting out to engulf everything in its path—to engulf me.
It gushed across me, coating me, bathing me in its turbulent beauty.
I guzzled down as much of it as I could.
Then I used it to flit from the throne room.
3
VEXXION
Tempest flitted from the throne room.
Yes.
It was all I could do to keep my lips smooth, my facial expression reflecting only boredom, and my eyes away from those of the fiend sitting on the throne in front of me.
My fury was . . . amazing.
Pain crushed through my chest, a relentless, hollowing ache that would soon overrun my soul.
