Kol was silent for a long moment. An uncomfortable moment. The longer the silence dragged on, the more Anniliese began to twitch and squirm within her imprisoned flesh.
What if his words to Shawth were nothing more than that: words? What if he’d protected her from Shawth only because he wanted her unspoiled for himself?
Anniliese whimpered.
Kol softly cleared his throat. The sound was almost human.
“Come.” He strode toward the comfortable sofas in the sitting room. He folded himself into the suede, gesturing to a wide chair across from him. “Sit.”
Anniliese’s legs moved, though she gave them no command to do so. She watched, little more than a passenger, as her body settled into the chair, primly resting her hands on the coarse wool of her white robes.
Kol watched her, something hidden and masked in his fiery eyes.
“Anniliese,” he said slowly, drawing out the syllables of her name. “I want to have a true conversation with you. If I clear the effects of theuxosilfrom your system, will you agree to stay and speak with me?” He paused. “You may answer.”
The tethers around Anniliese’s mind loosened. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I will stay.”As if I have much of a choice. Can’t very well refuse the request of a god, no matter how dark.
Kol nodded, smiling slightly. “Good.” He lifted a finger, and she gasped.
Theuxosilfell away, her body flooding back to her. It was staggering and overwhelming and intoxicating all at once. Anniliese doubled over, and a sob wracked through her, armsand legs trembling and unsteady even as she sank deeper into the plush comfort of the chair.
She stayed there, folded over herself, the world tumbling and buzzing around her. Eventually—she had no idea if it had been minutes or seconds or hours—her surroundings stopped wavering, her body beginning to feel more familiar and like her own. Anniliese lifted her head, only to blink in surprise at Kol standing above her, watching her with that same curious mask. In his hand was a glass of water. He offered it to her, his movements slow, as if she were some damaged, frightened animal that might flee at the first sign of movement.
Anniliese sniffed, wiping her face. Wetness smeared across her cheeks, though she didn’t remember the tears falling. She slowly straightened her spine, meeting the god’s bright stare.
She was Anniliese of House Hareth, the only heir to an ancient bloodline. No matter what they took from her or how they tried to break her, she was no animal. She was a lady of Onita, and she could swallow her fears and behave like one.
She took the offered glass, quelling the tremors in her hand as she raised it to her lips and took a tentative sip.
Cold. Fresh. Untainted by the bitter taste ofuxosil. Relief settled in her as she set the glass down on the table beside her, straightening her spine.
“I am going to command Ksee to stop giving you theuxosil.”
Anniliese met Kol’s gaze, doing her best to mask her shock. “Why?”
“Because I don’t think you need it. I think you understand the nature of your situation here and are smart enough not to test it. Am I correct?”
Anniliese hesitated, trying to unravel his words, before slowly nodding. He was right. She knew all too well the realities of her new life. It would serve her no good to try to break from it.
Kol smiled and returned to his seat, crossing one ankle over his knee in a sprawling, relaxed pose.
“I must say,” he started, “you are certainly a surprise.”
Anniliese arched a delicate brow. “A surprise, My Lord?”
Kol nodded. “I knew Ksee kept priestesses in her service. I knew those priestesses were all magic wielders,” he said. “But it never occurred to me that there might be some of the noble class.” He smirked. “Though I suppose there’s a reason for that, isn’t there? And that makes you quite the enigma.”
Anniliese was silent. At this moment, lounging on a couch in a resplendent room, fire roaring in the hearth beside him, the god looked so normal. Mundane. Mortal, even. Those dark whispers of shadow she knew lurked within him were gone, and even the red of his eyes appeared more muted.
Kol tapped a finger on the back of the couch. “Tell me about your life before this, Anniliese. What was it like to be a Royal Lady of Onita?”
Anniliese swallowed, toying with the fabric of her robes. “It was…” She fell silent again, thinking.
Whatwasit like to be a Royal lady? What had been the purpose of her life, even when she’d thought she was destined for the throne?
“It was boring,” she finished. Kol cocked his head, interested.
She continued, “I was the only female Royal born around the time Ryenne announced to the nobles that she’d undergone the abdication. Because it had been many millennia since a non-Royal was Chosen as queen, it was all but assumed by the Royal families that I was to be Ryenne’s successor.” Anniliese turned her gaze to the fire, watching the flickering embers.
