Page 38 of The Stolen Throne

His eyes turn pitch black as he growls. “It belonged to my father.”

That makes a lot of sense. Opening the book to the page I bookmarked, I hold it out to Dax. “I was wondering what this passage meant.”

He leans in, looking at the page, and gives me a sad smile. “It’s a spell, Little Raven.”

“But what does it mean?”

His eyes shift back to bright blue, but they seem to have lost a bit of their shine, and he sighs. “It is how the others share my curse. How they share the darkness with me, so that I do not bear it alone.”

My brows pinch as I close the book. I cover his hand with my own, giving it a squeeze. “What does the spell do?”

He looks away as he answers, “It binds your soul with another. Forever bound.”

My eyes widen. “I thought magic was gone; it was outlawed years ago.”

He looks down at my hand still holding his. “It was outlawed after my father became consumed with the dark magic that book gifted him.” Then he adds in a whisper as if not meant for my ears, “as well as the mirror he found.”

“Mirror? Is that why you have all the mirrors covered in the castle?”

He gives me a false smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “A story for another day, Little Raven. Anyway, as I was saying, just because magic was outlawed does not mean that magic is gone. Dark magic does not just disappear because it is outlawed.”

21

Ican't see shit, and I’m getting irritated. The guys are working on a plan to infiltrate Arcelia. They want to see how close they can get and possibly assassinate the king. If they succeed, Dax will become king. Even though I am the rightful heir to the Arcelia throne, the thought of him being in charge doesn’t bother me as much as it did before.

“I can't see anything! You guys are planning an invasion, and I can't see a single thing. Why is this damn table so tall!?”

Dax snorts as he turns to Branimir. “Can you get something for her?”

Branimir looks between Dax and me. “What do you propose I do? I can look around the castle for a stool, or would you rather me mount her on something?”

Raising a brow, I smirk at Branimir and ask, “Like a pike or a sex swing? I would take either, at this point, to see the table.” I watch as his eyes snap up to meet mine.

His cheeks are as bright as his red hair, and his freckles pop against his now-crimson cheeks. His mouth gapes open for a moment before he stutters, “That's… that's not… I didn't mean it like that!”

Tears stream down my face as I laugh. The poor man easily gets flustered, and his blush only fuels my laughter. Now that I know he loves dark and dirty sex makes it even better. The other men around us laugh as Branimir walks off.

I hear him grumble as leaves the room, “I’ll mount you on the damn wall if you keep laughing at me like that.”

After a few more moments of laughter, I finally settle. Standing up on the tips of my toes, I try to see over the table. I hear a few snickers from the guys as Branimir stomps back into the room and walks up next to me.

I turn to watch him hammer something into the wall right behind the war table. With a huff, he turns back around, now facing me. “There, I found something to help you see,” he grumbles.

My head tilts as I try to figure out what it is he just mounted. “What is it?”

Rev snickers as he answers, “It's a weapons’ rack.”

I arch a brow in his direction. “A weapons’ rack?”

“Yes, Princess. A weapons’ rack,” Kas says.

“Can I punch him?” I ask the room.

Kas grins wildly as Dax shakes his head, looking amused. “No, you cannot punch Kas.”

My eyes narrow on Kas’s smiling face. “Are you sure I can’t punch him in the face?”

Dax laughs as he looks between the two of us. “Yes, I’m sure, Little Raven.”

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