Page 33 of The Serpent Prince

Ayla glared.

Saevel gripped the armrests even tighter, powerless to stop the exchange.

The prince had given the king what he wanted to hear, but it made her sick. Maybe because he was another elf, but she just hated seeing someone so powerful in this humiliating position …

She wanted to kill Magnus. In her thrall, she could do it. She could get anything she wanted with her soul draw. Indeed, if she could have gotten away with it without starting a war, she would have destroyed him and enjoyed it.

When she had the Drasil, she wouldn’t hold back. Desperation to find it shot through her limbs. The games people played with her would finally end once she held the wand in her hands.

Kiran’s jaw clenched and unclenched at the sound of their laughter.

Imani whipped her head to the side to glare at all of them. One by one, she pushed her magic into their signatures and snarled silently for them all to be quiet.

Confused, the witches’ eyes slid first to her then to Kiran, and some swore under their breaths, but they stopped, abruptly, when her magic demanded it.

It was satisfying, and Imani had a feeling Kiran’s furious reaction in private would be brutal for many of them.

She would like to be there to witness it.

Grabbing him by the arm, Magnus forced Kiran to his feet.

Kiran stumbled a little.

A low growl threatened in her chest at his treatment—Kiran didn’t deserve this.

Their eyes met. He gave her a small, subtle shake of his head, imploring her. He was pissed and wanted her to behave. She would, for his sake, and because Imani wasn’t confident enough in her magic—soul draw or shadows—to do anything that would make a difference.

She held her tongue.

She was irate at her ignorance and incompetence with her power. However, Magnus was clearly ignorant of exactly how potent her thrall could be, even after he had just experienced the hold it had over him.

When the prince straightened, he was as calm as she had ever seen him. Both father and son stood almost eye-to-eye, the exact same height. There wasn’t a reply at first, just a deep breath, then Kiran’s voice was quiet yet measured.

“We know Ayla can breed with other elves without a heartmate since she’s done it before, but we don’t know this female’s potential. I know it doesn’t make sense for her to be with me. But be careful with this one—the power of a High-Norn is nothing to trifle with.”

At the word breed, Magnus’s brow wrinkled, and he glanced at Imani with a hunger in his eyes she’d seen many times.

The smug look on Ayla’s face made Imani’s mouth thin. Imani had never heard of any elf having children with anyone but their heartmates, but she knew it was possible. Just extremely improbable. And Kiran was right; Imani likely wouldn’t be able to have children with anyone but her heartmate. Still, with the hungry look on Magnus’s face, her power was already coming at a cost.

“Your counsel is noted,” the king sneered. Magnus’s voice dropped lower. “Now look what you’ve done. Gone and humiliated yourself again.” He leveled Kiran with an arrogant, disdainful look.

Oh, Imani wanted her darkness to wipe that look off his face.

The Serpent Prince didn’t deign to reply to his father, and the king’s last words were whispered in a sharp, low voice Imani could barely hear, even as close as she was. “Get out of my sight.”

Kiran’s jaw clamped down, his teeth grinding. His fury was subtle compared to someone like Saevel, but Imani knew it could be just as lethal. Each time the king backed his son into a corner, it forced the already-twisted elf to quietly fight harder.

Tendrils of fear wound around her chest. One day, Kiran would break. It might not be soon, but it was inevitable.

She watched Kiran walk away, admiring the profile of his beautiful, masculine features, and she thought of the way his fire and his storms had obliterated dozens of people, or more, in just minutes. They hadn’t the time to cry out in pain before they were extinguished into nothing but ash. It felt like he’d been holding back even then.

The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced of one thing: With Dialora dead, if anyone was as powerful as Magnus now, it was Kiran. No matter what Tanyl was doing to make people believe he was king, it could not compare to the immense magic Kiran possessed.

Magnus turned back to the crowd, his arms wide as he stared down at the elves with pride. “These elves will work for our Council of Royal Magic. I will have them accompany my sons on the upcoming emissary of peace campaign to strengthen relations with the elves around our kingdom and start to show them the power of a combined Essenheim and Niflheim Kingdom.” He paused. “Meanwhile, my heir apparent will take on the task of hunting down the traitor—my son—Respen and bring him to justice. We’ll stop at nothing to prevent his madness from spreading.”

Surprised, Imani’s brows shot to her hairline. She glanced at Luvon, who had a similar look on his face. Traveling the Niflheim Kingdom was something she had never imagined she’d be able to do. It was the perfect opportunity to look for the Drasil, but it also meant she was under the throne’s power more than just Kiran’s.

With Saevel’s departure, it also meant she had no one to feed from and no information to safely pass along.