Eileithyiaused it to detect infertility so she could help those struggling with her magic, but after the tyrant king stole it, he twisted it into something vile.
That crystal tested every woman in the kingdom, measuring their worth by fertility. He kept the most fertile females for himself, like they were cattle, and no one said a word because families were willing to sacrifice one child to protect the rest.
“Tiberius had so many rules, and the ones who followed them best earned a trip to his personal chambers. It became a sick competition between the slaves to win his attention. It’s like they forgot he was the reason they had to break themselves to survive.”
I press my face deeper into my mate as bile creeps up my throat again.
“And he never took a virgin. He did the most vile things, but somehow, virgins were repulsive to him. He’d have his warriors or his brother ‘break in’ the younger girls before sending them to him.”
The words scrape on the way out, and I choke on a sob.
The things I saw, the things I heard there feel unreal now, like a nightmare I somehow lived through, not a place that actually exists.
“The day I escaped was supposed to be our… our mating ceremony. He was going to burn his mark into my chest to show everyone I was another one of his possessions now.”
Dean wraps his arms around me when I curl into myself, pressing into his warmth.
“The night… he… he asked Timor to trainhis virgin bride for him.” My voice cracks, but as that night plays in my head, anger starts burning through the hurt.
I turn on my back, staring up at my mate as tears slip from the corners of my eyes. “He just stood there, Dean. I was fourteen. I was crying, scared out of my mind, begging him, but he just stood there and… and laughed when Timor told me what he was going to do to me.”
The sound of his laugh is still burned in my memory, still echoes when things get too quiet.
I don’t realize I’ve pushed myself up, but the words are spilling out now instead of suffocating me. “I knew Timorwouldn’t show me mercy. He would’ve broken me that night, and he would’ve fucking enjoyed it.”
“What happened?” Dean asks quietly. Rage rolls off him, but his voice stays calm, his hands gentle as he guides my head back to his lap. His hand on the back of my head keeps me from turning away, like he doesn’t want to miss a single word or reaction.
“Someone ran in. I don’t remember what he said, but something was wrong with the barrier. Dangerous sea creatures had broken through.”
It felt like I was electrocuted, and suddenly everything became clear. I knew deep in my bones that it was my only chance to do something before they killed my soul, before there was nothing left of me to save.
I was already searching for a way out when Tiberius said he had to leave, but before he did, he handed the crystal to his brother.
I couldn’t think past the panic and fear as Timor came toward me with the crystal. The moment it touched my skin, a bright purple light blinded us, and I knew. In that exact moment, I knew they would kill me if I stayed.
A bright purple light only meant one thing to Tiberius… damaged goods.
Dean’s thumb smooths the crease between my brows, and I grab his hand, holding it over my heart.
I clear my throat. “I wasn’t bound. Tiberius was arrogant enough to keep his entire arsenal on display because he didn’t think I, or any woman, could ever be a threat to him.”
Slicing that pride to pieces is still the sweetest moment of my life.
I reach behind me for my dagger, my favorite weapon. The one that saved my life and reminds me I survived.
The blade is made from a rare crystal only found deep in the ocean. It gleams proudly, shifting between deep blue and green. The coiled hilt is aged gold, studded with ruby-red stones.
“I grabbed this and waited until Timor got close enough… then sliced his face open.”
“That’s my girl.” Dean’s praise takes root in my chest, blossoming until it’s hard to breathe past the pride in his voice.
I can’t help the laugh that slips out. “There was so much blood, it filled his mouth, so he couldn’t even scream. He just dropped. I still don’t know how he survived. I swear I heard his heart stop.”
“He was a cockroach.”
“That he was. But I don’t remember what happened next or how I escaped. I just remember swimming for hours until I washed up on a small island in the human realm.”
“Something was wrong with the barrier, right? Maybe you remembered a weak spot that didn’t have much security and slipped through.”
