Page 75 of Merciless Is My Crown

I fumbled in the covers until I caught their hands. “I trust you both completely and I want to give that control to you, and this was perfect.”

Tavion made a sound—doubt, maybe—and I traced the circle on his chest, the X contained within. “It’s so much darker now.”

“It appears the magic is tightening its grip on us.” Raz skimmed his fingers along the lightning mark on my side. “Yours is bigger. More defined.” Every brush of his fingers seemed to reach deeper than skin.

“We all experienced the same thing. Whatever happened…this connection…caused the marks to darken.” I gazed at my fingers, outlined against the black etched so starkly on Tavion’s pale chest. “I suppose we could stop doing…this.”

Raziel flattened me back down to the bed with a purr. “Not a chance. I couldn’t keep my hands off you before. I sure as fuck can’t now.”

“Well.” I wiggled beneath him and the slide of our bodies against each other sent some of my worry spiraling away, especially as his lips trailed down my neck and across my shoulder. “That works for me.”

28

ANARIA

The crown bit into my scalp, sending an aching whip of magic through me as if the blackened metal itself was cursed. But symbols had power, as Dane pointed out, and today…today was all about power.

Every muscle in my body tensed as I lowered myself onto the red crystal throne, a thrum of dark magic soaking into my bones the second my arse hit the cold, uncomfortable seat.

“This is the last place I ever thought I’d end up,” I complained, trying to keep an aloof yet imperious expression pasted on my face as the coven filed in. “The last place I want to be.”

“Yet here we are.” Tavion dipped his head so his breath brushed my cheek before he stepped away, the epitome of my humble, loyal servant, though we both knew he didn’t have a humble bone in his body and he’d die before he served anyone. “Let’s get this over with; you’re too exposed up here.”

“You just want to go back to bed.”

“With you?” Tavion’s eyebrows rose. “Of fucking course I do.”

Raziel hummed in agreement. Wrapped in his writhing blue-black shadows, he was a silent sentinel behind me, proof that his power, while contained, could lash out at any time.

The entire coven—minus the witches imprisoned in their cells—was gathered before us, most watching me with curious expressions. Except for the handful who looked like they wanted to rip me from this throne. Tristan’s and Dane’s gazes snagged on each and every one, marking them for later.

Adele watched me from the throng with unnerving intensity, and for one long, strung-out second, I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

“I spoke true when I arrived. I did not come here for violence.” I kept my voice even. Calm. “Despite the mark on my arm, I had no desire to fight Vireena or take her throne. Despite what some might whisper, I do not wish to rule. Not over you. Not over anyone.”

A few low hisses whispered over the sound of shifting feet and rustling cloaks.

Dane had taken their knives, but I suspected most were still armed beneath their long cloaks and were ready to draw a blade to defend themselves, tension thrumming in the air.

“I killed the Fae King. I restored the magic to Caladrius, and yet I did not seek to claim his realm, though I had every right as his daughter.” I folded my hands in my lap, letting them talk between themselves until a nervous quiet fell. “I came here for allies, to find others who want the same thing we do.”

“And what’s that?” someone shouted from the back.

“A world where we can all be free.” I swept my hand across them, their pale faces stone still and staring at me with such distrust. “Where you don’t have to live in fear. Where you could go anywhere you wished. The Shadow King tried to purge you from existence, drove you here to this inhospitable place. Would you like to reclaim your lands? Would you like to go home?”

Now the silence turned expectant.

“I cannot promise you victory, but I promise you this. The ones in power want to keep us powerless. Controlled. Another version of slavery.” I allowed my most evil smile to curve my lips. “I’ve been a slave, and I know their cruelty firsthand. Help me take back what they stole from you. From me. From all of us.”

The silence was so dense the air trembled. “We’ve lost friends, family, our homes. I can’t give you those back, but I can promise you this. Once the Shadow King is gone, the lands he stole from you will be returned.” I leaned forward, my hands hanging between my spread knees, and looked them in the eyes, each and every one, even my mother.

“I need fighters who want the same thing. People tired of toiling under a dictator. People tired of serving masters interested only in their own power while giving nothing back. You are my people.” I held up a hand as the whispering started up again.

“Only half, but your blood runs in my veins, and because of that I will offer you a trade. I only want one thing from you. One thing that will mean more to me than an army, or riches, or this crown.” My gaze slid over to Tavion, his broad shoulders flung back, cold eyes skating over the crowd, searching for any sign of a threat against me.

Dane and Tristan left their posts to climb the dais and stand by my side, five of us facing four hundred witches. Adele’s eyes burned; she’d gotten the message.

You are not one of us any longer.

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