She charged through the palace, running to each room in search of people, only to find that every single room was vacant. Panting, her mind a blur of frantic thoughts, she ran towards Aziel’s wing. When she saw the soft orange glow of light coming from the crack under the door at the end of the hall, her heart lept into her throat, a strangled whimper of a cry escaping her lips as she ran. No sooner than her fingers graced the knob, the door swung open.
Aziel stood over her, his eyes narrowed in confusion as she tumbled into his form. Her arms wrapped around his stomach, feet sliding to halt before she could trample him. She breathed his name, both of them taking a step away from one another when her balance was regained.
“You smell like him.” He snarled. Her eyes, wide and desperate, dropped to his curled hands. His whole body was rigid, rippling with anger.
Nymiria opened her mouth to speak, but not a single word came out. She glanced around the room, searching for something that could possibly help her convey what she needed to say. “Please,” she said, the rate at which her heart raced making her feel far more breathless than she should have been. She lifted her hand to him, letting him see the ring Everand had shoved onto her finger weeks prior.
She hoped that his anger would remain, that Aziel would take one look at that ring and realize that something was horribly, horribly wrong. But without the knowledge that Everand had placed a God Stone, there was no way for Aziel to know that what he felt and assumed wasn’t his reality. Nymiria felt every ounce of hope in her body start to slip from her grasp. Because that possessive nature of his had vanished, replaced entirely with contempt. Whether for her or for Everand, she wasn’t sure. But just to see him look at her in such a way made her stomach churn. He was under Everand’s spell, she realized.
Of course, she thought—she should have expected much. Everand’s taint had infected everything. Now, the only plan she had was to be horrible and insufferable, hoping that there was still something inside of him that was untouched by Everand’s magic, and that he could see that things were not right.
Ifthatfailed…
The piercing.
“We’re getting married.” She said pathetically. “We’re gettingmarried, Aziel.”
“Congratulations, Nymiria. I hope this marriage gives you everything you could ever want from life and more.” She stood there grinding her teeth, enraged, before stomping after him.
“Will you listen to me?!” She exclaimed, practically running in order to maintain a fraction of his pace. He continued to pretend as if she weren’t following him, ignoring her words. “Of all the people in this world who have sacrificed anything for the safety of the ones they love, I at least believed that you would be a bit more understanding.”
Aziel opened the door to their shared rooms, still impassively continuing forward. “Understanding?” He scoffed. “Marrying yourself off to the highest bidder is not something my mind is attuned to understanding. I will unapologetically say that I could never understand why you would do such a thing—why you would continue to subject yourself to such treatment. But, perhaps, being paraded around and used within every aspect of your life is something you’ve grown to miss.” He turned to her then, smirking when he saw the wild anger in the silver gleam of her eyes. “Ah, yes, it seems I have struck a nerve there.”
Panic accompanied her rage. She was running out of time, out of options. With words being limited, she could only say so much. She needed to know what Everand made him believe. “What do you think I’m doing this for?” She snapped.
“It doesn’t matter.” He sighed. “I am not going to stop you. Not that I could, anyway. Because it seems as if you do whatever thehellyou please, regardless of what anyone else might think or feel.”
“You think I’m being selfish, is that it? You think that I am just doing this to have a husband? To have station?” It didn’t matter what Everand had threatened. She couldn’t continue harboring this betrayal all on her own. She wanted him to know. She wanted to scream it at the top of her lungs, but she couldn’t. She could feel the truth pressing against the binds of her deal. She could feel the twisting ache in her chest—like someone had dug their fingers into her ribs and was trying to pry her heart through the gaps. The scream that escaped her ripped at her vocal cords, alleviating the ache in her chest just enough so that she could speak. “You have no idea what I feel, nor the extent of what I am being faced with!” She cried.
“Enlighten me, Nymiria. Use your fucking voice and tell me exactly how you feel. Stop being a coward andspeak.”
“I was protecting you!” She snapped. As soon as the words left her mouth, Aziel took a step away from her, his eyes calculating as they looked over her. “I had to.”
“I don’tneedyour protection. I don’t need you to protect me from anything. This is not howthisworks!” He stepped forward against his will, his whole body gravitating towards her. Because, even then, he hated to see her so upset. His innate instinct was to protect her, to wash away all of her fear and replace it with something easier for her to bear. Even as his own heart felt as if it would collapse on itself, he could not stand to see that look on her face. Even as venomous words rose to the back of his throat, his heart was already breaking before he said them. “It’s like Dorid all over again, you know? Except, this time, your captorwillfuck you. He’ll keep you pregnant, keep forcing you to pop out brilliant and beautiful children for as long as hewants. He’ll make a show of you, Nymiria. And I will not sit around and watch you become nothing, but his hole.”
Words were failing her. Everything was failing. She didn’t want to marry Everand, but if Aziel was this intent on allowing himself to be blinded by his anger, she had no other option than to keep him away for good. To save both of them from the heartbreak that was to come. She would have to break his heart.
Something inside of her snapped. She grabbed his dagger before he could react, poising it to his chest, but there was not a single ounce of determination in her eyes. She was trying to frighten him.
Everything, always, was to keep him at a safe distance. For his protection. For reasons he never gave her, and everything she assumed he needed. He couldn’t take it.
“Do it, Nymiria.” He growled, stepping so close that the blade in her hand trembled as it pierced through his tunic. “Stab me. See what happens.” She narrowed her eyes at him, anger like a hot, coiled snake in her belly. “If you are intent on killing me, don’t be a coward and take the easy way out by marrying someone else—do it likethis. So you can actually see the wound you leave behind.”
“Ihaveto marry him.” She snarled.
“Liar.” His head was angling closer to hers, his hands still at his sides, but she could feel the slight twitch in his fingers, like he was fighting every part of himself to not touch her. She felt her lungs seize, her heart stuttering. “You think that I don’t know what you’re trying to do?” He asked. “You think that I don’t know that all of this is just some ridiculous way to try and push me away?” Nymiria’s hand lowered, the metallic clinking that filled the air signifying that she’d let go of the dagger. It now laid between them at their feet. “A ring won’t stop me. A title won’t stop me. The only thing that would make me leave you alone is hearing it from yoursmartfucking mouth.”
Chapter 27
Her eyes flickered up to meet his at that moment, lips parting as he lifted her hand and plucked that ridiculous ring right off her finger. She didn’t even resist. She couldn’t move. Not when he was looking at her like that—not when he was this close, with every hard line of his body pressing against hers, trapping her between him and the wall.
“The betrothal—”
“You are no morebetrothedthan I am a fucking barn animal, Moonflower.” His lips brushed over hers, their breaths mingling, their hearts pounding as he finally placed a hand on her hip. “You don’t look at me like you have to marry him, Nymiria. Your eyes always say something so different from the words that come for your lips.” Though he sounded sure of himself, she could see the desperation in his eyes—a silent plea to the universe.
Nymiria’s breathing hitched when his fingers slipped underneath the hem of her blouse, her eyes going pathetically wide when the flowers along her skin turned from simpledesigns to being fully animated. Flowers bloomed. Vines rose and curled out of her skin. “You are a stubborn brat. Trying to talk to you is the equivalent of talking to a wall.” She breathed.
The corner of Aziel’s lips kicked up slightly. “Exactly.” He muttered.
