“Wh— What does that m?—”
She lashes out, fingernails dragging down my neck, teeth bared again. I dart out of the way, just far enough that she can’t reach me. “You’ll never win,” she taunts, a look of violence in her eyes. “Prince of nothing, bound to no one, slayer of your own kin,” she rasps, spitting at my feet in disgust.
“Go, Kael,” Rubi suggests. “You don’t need to see her like this. I’ll get her to sleep and then let’s figure out who the fuck we’re waking.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELYSSARA
“You lookevery bit the royal pet. I’m sure His Majesty enjoyed seeing his new toy dressed like that,” Vessira barbs, as she pulls me along the hallways that will haunt me again later when sleep finally pulls me under.
“Oh,I’mhis pet? I thought it wasyouwho was his leashed dog,” I click my tongue, shaking my head. “We don’t all crawl for crowns, Vessira. Some of us still have spines,” I bite back, though I know I’m only guaranteeing my own beating with every word that comes out of my stupid, undisciplined mouth. Then again, silence has never gripped me like defiance has.
Vessira yanks on my arm, sticking her booted foot out in front of me as she does so. My heeled shoes catch on her boot, and I go sprawling across the frigid, unforgiving floor. My ribs collide with the stone—cracking over my own grunt. Vessira’s boot presses heavily into my back, squashing and pivoting to drive me further into the stone beneath.
Fuck it hurts.But I refuse to give her the satisfaction of hearing my pain.
Looming over me, Vessira angles her mouth into a snarl, “I might be his leashed dog, but you’re his beast. And you knowwhat he does with all his beasts? He brands them so they never forget who owns them. You wanna be branded, Gutter Rat?”
Panic seizes my chest, and I can feel my magic fighting against its cage, burning me up from the inside out. I swallow thickly, and Vessira’s eyes notice my throat working. She scoffs as if she’s won. As if she’s seen a crack in my armor that she can capitalize on.
“I didn’t think so,” she snaps.
She removes her boot from my back, and I suck in a ragged breath, reaching for air in the same way I reach for the tether withhim—desperately, painfully,automatically. I clamber up, slowly climbing to my knees, and pushing to stand. She moves her mouth toward my ear, preparing to say something wretched, no doubt, but white-hot rage seizes me.
I throw my head towards her forcefully in a wild arc, manically lunging, teeth bared, and I connect with her nose.
If the crunch of splintering bone didn’t tell me I’d hit my mark, the river of blood gushing over her mouth and down her chin certainly does.
Her hand shoots to her nose.
She’s silent.
Still.
For too long.
Her shoulders rise and fall with increasing speed, and I know I’m not going to like what’s coming.
She slowly drags her eyes up from the floor until they lock on mine. Her deep brown eyes, that border on black, bore into me, unflinching. “Violence begets violence, Gutter Rat.”
Dread pools in my stomach, but I don’t regret it.
Not yet, anyway.
“Begets violence, begets violence, Vessira. No one leashes me. No one calls me beast and continues breathing. I will fight you every day until the Stars themselves call me home,” I spit.
She scoffs, dragging a calloused hand across her bloodied mouth.
“You won’t be waiting long for the call, Lightborne,” she taunts. “Correk, Lars—to the dungeons!” she growls, ordering the men at the top of the stairs that lead to my new home among the rats.
The men unlock the heavy wooden door, and descend swiftly. Apparently they, too, wish to avoid Vessira’s wrath.At least they have the good sense to do it silently.
She drags me down the stairs, and boots me down the last few, where I am, once again, sprawled across the grimy dungeon floor.
The world tilts, bones rattling, vision sparking white.
I feel my lip split open again, the metallic taste of blood coating my tongue.
