Page 53 of The Stolen Throne

He interrupts, “Would you ask the birds to stop singing?”

Looking over my shoulder, I say, “No. But Kas…”

He just arches a brow and talks over me. “Then why would you expect us to ask you to smother your radiance?”

Growling, I say, “You are not asking me to do anything. I am simply saying that I must change with the times to belong in this world.”

Dax grips my jaw and forcefully turns my gaze to meet his. His icy expression returns as he frowns. “Who said you did not belong in this world?”

My breath catches as I force the words out, “This world.”

His grip on my jaw tightens as he turns it to face the men I’ve grown to love. He growls and says, “You belong to them.” He jerks my face back to him. “You belong to ME. That is all that matters. The world can burn to ash, for all I care. I will set this kingdom ablaze and make a new world if I must. Do I make myself clear?”

I nod as best I can with him still gripping my chin. A devilish grin appears on his face as he lowers himself enough so that he’s at eye level with me. His grip loosens, and he caresses my bottom lip with his thumb. “Do I make myself clear, Little Raven?”

A shiver runs down my spine as I whisper, “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” he asks, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip, his gaze never wavering from mine.

My breath hitches, and I reply, “Yes, My Prince.”

He groans as he shifts his grip back to my chin. He presses his lips to mine before nipping at my lip. Pulling away, he looks down at me with molten eyes. “Now, answer the previous question. Are you with me?”

“Yes,” I reply without hesitation.

28

All around me, the battle rages on. I’m covered in blood, but I’ve managed to stick by one of the guys at all times. And even though the enemy has tried to separate me from the others, I’ve managed to slip through their grasp.

I promised Dax that I would always stay next to one of them, and I won’t break that promise. But I have managed to move slowly enough that whichever guy sticks with me hasn’t noticed me moving closer to the king.

He was the first person I searched for when the battle started, and I’ve been trying to make my way in that direction ever since. I’m not sure how I managed to sneak as close to the king as I have, to be honest, but I have. I’m surprised neither his men nor mine have noticed me inching closer.

I’m shocked when I look over to find myself only a few feet from the king. This is my chance. Kas has fought to stay by my side the longest, and I quickly look to see where he is in my proximity. He’s just at the outer limit of what would be considered too far, surrounded by men, and won’t be able to keep me in his sight.

This is something I need to do, though. I am so close. I need to prove that I can be just as ruthless as my men and kill if necessary. I slowly make my way over to him using the stealth moves Kas taught me. The king doesn’t have those odd tentacles around him, which is strange, but regardless, I can’t lose this chance. I’m almost close enough to slide my knife across his throat when I feel a pinching pain in my back. I can only assume it’s a knife. Fuck.

The king turns, offering me a malicious smile. The mirrored tentacles finally gather around him as he laughs. Over my shoulder, I catch a mirrored person form from the mirrored goo. It’s not holding a knife, though, its hand is the knife. My attention is dragged back to the king when he says, “If you bow to me now, I will spare your life. My son has already chosen his side, but there is still time for you yet.”

I shake my head and feel the knife dig further into my back, causing me to gasp out, “Never.” I will never willingly go back to this man. I would rather spear myself on the knife at my back than ever think to agree to that.

He arches a brow as he steps closer. “Kings and Gods have bowed before me. What makes you think you can refuse for long? Come now, Little Snowflake. Bow.”

I wait until he steps even closer before I say, “Kill me if you must, but I will never bow to a cowardly king who is proud to wear a crown studded with jewels symbolizing every life he has cut short. I will never bow to a king who wears the colors of the kingdoms he devoured.”

The smell of iron and death surrounds me, but I refuse to let it make me lose my resolve and waver in what I must do. As quickly as Kas taught me, I spring forward and stab my knife directly into the king's throat. I grin when his eyes widen in surprise, and I use all my strength to lacerate as much tissue as I can, proving to him that underestimating me was a fatal mistake.

I hear a feminine sounding scream behind me, but I ignore it in favor of staring into the dying king's eyes. I gasp when I feel the sharp pain of a blade in my abdomen. Looking down, I see the king had his own blade ready, and it is now buried in my stomach. My eyes meet his as he begins to spit up blood.

His words are garbled as he says, “Taking… you… with… me.”

I push him away, letting him fall, as I try to stay standing. He lands in a puddle of mirrored goo, and I watch as his body is slowly consumed by the liquid. Odd is the only thought that streaks through my mind when a feminine voice whispers in my head. I can’t make out anything she’s saying, so I try to block it out. I don’t want to hear her; I need to get to my men.

I don’t have the strength to look behind me for Kas. My eyes scan the distance, and without fail, they find Dax. His are wide as they take me in, his icy-blue eyes seeming to glow in realization.

Exhaustion takes over, and I drop to the ground. Each breath requires more effort as I stare up into the bright blue sky. The edges of my vision start to fade into black, and the feminine voice whispers in my mind again, but all I can make out is, “Free me.”

Before unconsciousness pulls me under, I watch darkness explode through the battlefield like a bomb. Consuming the land and the sky. I smile when I hear my name roared in the distance. It sounds guttural and demonic; I can’t help but feel comforted by the sound. A villain's love is dark, obsessive, and selfish. It is all consuming and will dig its claws into you so deeply you will never be able to escape. The king made a grave error in taking the only thing keeping him sane. That kept him from destroying the kingdoms completely. Me.

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