I know because I’menraged. It rises up from my guts like slow fire, searing everything in its path. Honing my senses with cutting clarity.
I open my eyes. He’s still there. Crown Prince Killian. Lee.
My beloved.
He said he loved me. He made me promise to come back to him. The thought of returning to him, to our lives together, to the future we were going to build—it’s been one of the things getting me through these confusing, brutal days.
He fuckinglied.
Our gazes meet again. I know he can read the betrayal in my eyes, but he doesn’t look away. The pain inhiseyes makes me want to retch, acid rising in the back of my throat.
Then the king turns to look at him. Lee—Prince Killian—turns his head to whisper something to his father.
The king’s voice echoes across the still arena. “What an excellent idea, Killian. Let us go down and closely inspect our new chosen.”
My fellow Rawbonds stiffen around me. Anxiety surges over them like a storm cloud. Even the wolves are on edge as the king descends from his balcony with an entourage of guards and servants.
This is bad. I struggle to make myself breathe evenly. I can’t lose control. I can’t let on that I know Prince Killian. If I do… I don’t know what will happen. But I can’t imagine it will be good.
It won’t end with me and Saela safe at home, that’s for sure.
The king is on the field now, emerging from a narrow staircase beside the big balcony. I close my eyes again, wrestling the rage back down.
Breathe, Meryn. Stay calm.
“Here we are,” comes the King’s deep voice, rich with amusement and condescension. “Hmm. Yes, very nice. So fresh and fit.”
Ugh. Bile rises in my throat.
He’s walking rows of Rawbonds, pausing now and then to circle someone closely, appraising us like fuckingcattle.
“Oh, look here, Killian,” he purrs, circling a young woman from the Kryptos pack. “This one is quite lovely, don’t you think?” He reaches out to knock her ass with one jewel-crusted hand. “So firm.”
The woman smiles and blushes as if she’s just been paid an enormous compliment. Maybe, for her, she has; maybe she’s vying to become the Rawbond he’ll choose as his companion.
I see Killian nod out of the corner of my eye, but I can’t bring myself to look. Was he planning to pick a companion too?
“A fine young warrior in the making,” the prince murmurs. Fucker.
They move on, row by row until finally, much to my dread, the king draws near.
“Ah, the Strategos,” he says in that horrible tone of predatory amusement. “Such elegance and cunning.”
He pauses by the girl in front of me, lifting the hem of her dress to peer at her bare legs. I keep my eyes down so he won’t see my rage and disgust.
Sick fuck. He better not touch me. I’ll fucking gut him, king or not.
At the same time, I’m brutally aware of Prince Killian standing beside him, his gaze heavy on me. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to look back. Not to search those familiar eyes for any sign of?—
No. You’re supposed to be furious, Meryn. Don’t look for anything from him.
The prince crosses toward me, trailing after his father, who’s moved on to inspecting the girl immediately to my left.
Something brushes my hand as Killian passes. My heart lurches.
I want to spit at him, to howl in his face, to shove him to the ground.
But it’s done. Killian walks away, leaving a small piece of paper pressed into my palm. Heart hammering, I tuck it quickly into the sleeve of my dress.
