I tense.
Promise me you will do those two things,he says.
I grunt—in agreement or disagreement, I have no clue.
I am going to get you out of here, but I need you to follow my lead.
Every word is laced with the truth, but warning bells ring in my head. What game is he playing? What is the ulterior motive for this? Why, why, why?
Liar,I fire down whatever bond links us.
He shakes his head, then smiles as he tries to recover the slip-up.I know you know that I’m telling you the truth. Follow my lead, or you’re going to get us both killed.
He stops suddenly and cups my cheek, his cold hands sending shivers down my spine.Look at me,he growls.
I scowl up at him.
Well?he asks.
Fine,I say. Even if it’s another trick, another betrayal, I have nothing to lose. I slip away more and more every day.
He dips his head and pauses, his lips inches from mine. My pulse skyrockets, and I’d be surprised if his Fae hearing couldn’t pick up on the way my heart slams against my chest.
Please don’t bite me,he sends down the bond.
You would be so lucky,I manage to fire back.
He closes the distance between us, and my heart riots. His lips are soft, and I don’t know how, when everything else about him is sharp edges and fangs and the relentless ferocity of wrath and its cruelty. The kiss is achingly gentle, and some part of me stirs. Something I refuse to acknowledge. Something I will never allow myself to examine.
He pulls away, and my heart begins to calm. The champagne is not helping.
Wrap your arms around me and make this convincing. Please.
Internally, I sigh, but I do as he says. I resist the urge to run my finger along the slope of his neck as I remember the bloodthat coated it just hours ago.I liked you better as I watched your blood spill,I whisper down the bond.
One corner of his lips twists in a flash of an almost-smile.One more time,he says in warning, then dips his head again.
My body reacts before I can stop it, and this time I close the distance between us, pressing my lips against his. I jolt as his tongue probes at the space between my lips. But again, my body reacts, and I part my lips, grazing my tongue with his.
I tell myself that the feeling coursing through me is hatred, that my blood is on fire because I’m kissing a monster. Too soon, not soon enough, he wrenches himself away from me and pulls me from the throne room. We leave the celebration behind, my hand clasped in his.
I follow him, flames of self-loathing threatening to burn me from the inside out.
Chapter 42
ELLE
Marik leadsme down a dimly lit corridor, the sounds of drunken witches receding with every hurried step. Every few seconds, he glances back over his shoulder. I take it his witchy plaything wouldn’t approve of this.
“Where are we going?” I huff. I used to spend my days running and training, but I’ve spent the last two months lying in bed and crying. Or the dark magic has taken an even bigger toll than I thought. My lungs heave and my feet stumble underneath me as I try not to trip over the hemline of my dress.
“I told you. I’m getting you out.”
I try to toss a sound barrier around us, but my magic stutters. My stomach drops. It’s been weeks since I last summoned. I’m so weak.
Sound barrier,I say down the bond.
With the flick of his wrist, the sounds of our feet pounding against the hardwood floors soften.
