“Orrrr… perhaps it’s my human nature you’re sensing,” I said, voice muffled as she tugged the garments over my head and tossed them aside—no doubt planning to burn them—before pointing at the tub.
I didn’t need to be asked twice. A wanton sigh slipped out of me as I slid into the water’s embrace, its warmth coiling around me like silk. Once settled, I twisted to look at her. “Or maybe?—”
My words turned to bubbles as Kai’s hand pressed on the top of my head, dunking me beneath the surface for a heartbeat.
Resurfacing, I grinned up at her. She shook her head, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
Contented to see her happy, I scooted back, leaning my neck against the rounded edge of the tub to give her full access to work her magic with those perfectly bony fingers of hers.
Squeaky clean and pleasantly drowsy, I ignored Kai’s insistence that I eat, too entranced by the bed’s quiet promise of rest to care about anything else.
Without another word, I fell into its softness as fast as I fell asleep.
“The choice is yours, Nyleeria,” Thaddeus crooned, the warmth of his breath rolling down my spine like hot oil.
Revulsion rose thick in my throat, bile coating my tongue as I jerked away from him.
“Don’t do it, Ny.”
Tarrin’s frantic voice yanked my attention toward him, and for a heartbeat I froze, staring in horror at his bloodied body kneeling before a hooded figure.
Undiluted panic flooded my veins.
“Tarrin!” I screamed, lunging forward, only to be halted by unrelenting arms locking tight around my waist. I bucked and twisted, desperate to break free.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Thaddeus taunted, and as if his words carried a command, the blade at Tarrin’s throat pressed deeper, drawing a bead of blood—a silent message:play nice, or else.
Ice flooded my veins as I realized Thaddeus’ whispered offer wasn’t a game of choice. No, I was a mouse, and this was his trap.
Mouth dry, I clenched my jaw and nodded in acknowledgment of his impossible terms. Tarrin’s eyes went wide with panic as the arms around my waist receded, and somehow I knew his fear wasn’t for his own life—but for mine.
“What do you want?” I ground out.
Thaddeus chuckled, the sound soft but cruel. I swallowed back the acridity building in the back of my throat as he slowly walked around me, drinking in the sight like I was nothing more than a prized mare.
I flinched away, unable to bear the scrutiny, and hated myself for it the instant a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Finally finishing a full rotation, he stopped beside me. I shifted slightly, meeting his gaze.
“What I’ve always wanted, my dearest Nyleeria.”
A part of me fractured, knowing those were possibly the truest words he’d ever spoken to me.
“The spark,” I whispered.
An approving smile lit up his features.
“Ny, no,” Tarrin pled, then, in an attempt to free himself, he thrust backward against the cloaked figure who held him. The blade clattered to the ground. Before anyone could react, the king snapped his fingers. Tarrin’s scream filled the room as his body contorted at unnatural angles.
“Tarrin. No! Stop. Please,” I begged. Putting myself between Tarrin and the king, I stared up at him through watery eyes. “Please.” The word cracked with desperation.
Thaddeus regarded me for a long moment, then waved his hand as if shooing a fly. I swung back around to find Tarrin clutching his side, breaths ragged—but alive.
The hooded figure bent to retrieve his dagger, then roughly pulled Tarrin back into position. As he stood to his full height, the hood fell back. I audibly gasped, hands flying to my mouth as I stared in disbelief.
Nevander stared back at me—cold, vacant—as he palmed Tarrin’s hair and yanked. Throat now fully exposed, he pressed the dagger against the pulsing vein laid bare, and I knew that if Tarrin so much as coughed, the movement would prove deadly. I doubted any immortality spell would save him from a wound like that.
“Oh, Nevander,” I breathed, my heart breaking for him too, knowing that his twisted bond with Thaddeus was hard at work.
