Page 7 of Ruthless Monsters

Following his lead, I force a smile as Shade’s cage is carried over and placed on a pedestal close by. The king holds out his hand, and a servant hurries forward, passing him a crystalline glass filled with bubbling liquid. When I’m given one as well, Iwrap my fingers tightly around the glass, hoping there’s at least something alcoholic inside.

Music starts up as a band that’s to one side of the dais begins to play a sweet tune, and when the melody ends shortly after, the king clears his throat. “My high lords and ladies of The Haven,” King Celzar’s melodic voice rings out, and he raises his drink into the air. “For many years we have had peace here in our new home, and for as long as I rule, this peace will continue.” There’s polite applause, and the king grins widely, waiting for the room to quiet down before continuing. “However, as you know, my late queen, Desmer, passed away years ago, and I feel as though the time is right for me to take another wife.” He pauses and his eyes crinkle, glowing with warmth as he stares at me, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I know he’s completely full of shit, even I might have thought his expression of endearment was convincing. As it is, it takes all my effort not to roll my eyes.Behave Blake. Let’s not start the party by getting Shade killed.

“Tonight, I urge you to celebrate a new royal union,” he continues. “One between me, and my new betrothed. Many of you will not have seen her as she is not a high born like you, but she brings me happiness, and I have no doubt she will make a fine queen.”

It doesn’t surprise me that the king wants to pretend I’m one of them. Considering he’s already hidden my wings, it makes sense that pretending I’m a nobody from their kingdom will result in less questions. But going from what Sassia said, it’s no secret that the king kills his brides. So why pretend this is going to be a happy union?

The room erupts with applause, and I stare again at the cuffs on the lords and ladies around me. I think about everything Sassia has said about her kind, and the idea that these high-born citizens are prisoners just like me is unsettling.Remember, this isn’t your fight, Blake. You just need to get this cuff off andrescue your mates.It sounds simple when I say it like that, but I can’t seem to forget about Sassia’s plea for me to free them.

Over the next few hours, I sit beside the king as a banquet of food is brought to us and the lords and ladies come forward in turn, offering gifts of gold, crystals, and other treasures to show their support of the new royal union.The new royal sacrifice.Clearly everyone is on board with the fucked up situation I’m in, and a sickening feeling churns in my gut as I stare at the growing pile of gifts.

“Congratulations, your highness,” a shrill voice has me looking up, and my attention goes to a tall, plump female with a hawkish nose and short blond hair. Bird designs adorn the waist of her vibrant red dress, tiny crystals decorating the eyes of the animals and outlining their wings. The lady studies me carefully before turning her gaze back to the king, and I don’t miss the fact that she’s the first guest to stand straight as she addresses him. “I am glad to hear this union will bring peace. I truly do hope our new queen will help to bring you the happinessyou deserve. Nothing could mean more to us.” Her lips curve into a smile, and I’m not sure if I’m misreading the undertone of sarcasm, or if I’m just projecting, but I could swear her words are less than genuine. Then again, it makes sense considering the guests are all prisoners just as I am. Sassia had said that many have tried to remove the cuffs before me, and I wonder just how many citizens would be glad of the king’s death.

King Celzar doesn’t seem to pick up on anything, and he thanks the lady in red for her kind words, as she offers him a silver pouch filled with diamonds. Most of the other high lords and ladies hardly glance my way when they bring their offerings to the king, and the ones that do only stare at me with pity, though they hide the expression behind their carefully maintained smiles.

As the night goes on, nothing eventful happens. Unlike in Seral, where the demon leaders from the different clans are constantly at each other’s throats, everyone here just gets along. It’s seriously creepy, and I have to wonder if it’s because of the cuffs. I mean, what happened to make everyone like this? And why the cuffs in the first place? Is it simply so the king can have control, or is there another reason?

I’m deep in thought when King Celzar leans close, his unpleasant floral scent shattering the calm bubble I’d created. His lips come close to my ear, and I have to stop myself from acting on instinct and smashing my fist into his face. Instead, I sit there letting him move in uncomfortably close.Behave, Blake,I remind myself.

“It is time, my beloved,” the king tells me, his voice smooth but a little slurred, likely from the multiple glasses of that bubbly liquid he’s consumed.

“Time? For what?” So far, I think I’ve been doing a pretty stellar job at handling myself during this party, but truthfully, all I’ve had to do was sit here and keep my mouth shut.

“As is tradition, it is time for us to partake in the dance of thefalina,” he says, his voice taking on a strange accent as he says the last word. “The dance that signifies a new commitment,” he explains.

A dance?I have to stop myself from groaning. It’s not like I hate dancing or anything, it’s just that I’m not very good at it. When Dad organized my lessons as a child, training and classes on war always took precedence over the less meaningful arts such as dancing. Though I learned the basics, something tells me my mediocre skills aren’t going to cut it tonight.

“You sure?” I ask him. “Because I can barely pull off the dances we have back at home. Trust me, you do not want me on the floor.”

The king looks less than enthused about my admission, and ignoring my warning, he lifts to his feet and holds out his hand.

Dancing it is, then.

I place my hand in his, and the moment we’re standing, he signals to the band. The music quietens, and the nobles move to the side, clearing a space on the ballroom floor. I let the king lead me forward, and when we’re in the center of the cleared space, the music starts up again as the band plays a lively, but passionate song. It’s like nothing I’ve heard before, the musicians playing low, soulful notes before their fingers move on their instruments and the melody reaches up high again, but I don’t have time to appreciate the music because the king pulls me in way too damn close for my liking. It feels so wrong to have his hands on me, but I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to do anything stupid as he starts moving us in time to the song.

To my surprise, while the king is clearly a terrible leader of his kind, he has a knack for dancing, and I find it takes little effort for me to follow his lead. Of course, his scent of roses still makes me want to step away from him, but for a moment, I don’t find myself hating it as I’m swept up in the song, feeling the notes vibrate through me as I move my body.Well, who knew dancing could be so…I pause, mid-thought. ‘Fun’ isn’t the right word. Relaxing, maybe?

We’ve been dancing for a while when some of the lords and ladies move on to the floor around us, each of them dancing in perfect synchronization as they join us. And when I say synchronized, I meanperfect,down to the placement of their arms and the wide and somewhat creepy smiles on their faces. It’s a practiced kind of beauty, and it makes me wonder how many times they’ve danced this before tonight.

I’m almost tempted to ask the king about it, when I feel his hand lower, sliding down from the curve of my back to my ass. That’s right, my freakingass.Repulsion rises in me, becausethis male is definitelynotmy mate, and I grind my teeth as I try to stop myself from reacting.Behave, Blake. Behave.But the warning isn’t helping, because this is not okay, and I’m about three seconds away from breaking his wrist. King Celzar smirks, a hint of lust in his eyes as his hand tightens on my ass, and before I lose my shit, I decide to give him the curtesy of a warning.

“Move your hand, King Celzar,” I say quietly through gritted teeth. “Or you’re about to lose it.”

I figure that shouldn’t get me into too much trouble, but a high lord and lady gliding past us must hear me, because the female loses her balance and trips, twisting her ankle and tumbling down, pulling her partner with her.

The music stops, the room growing quiet as King Celzar glowers at me, his eyes turning into cruel dark orbs. “Never when I have danced thefalina, has a dancer fallen,” he seethes, and going by the anger rolling off him, I’m starting to get the feeling that this is a bigger deal than I first thought.

His head twists to the side, addressing the closest guard. “Take her.”

At first, I think he’s referring to me, but then two guards march forward, grabbing the fallen dancer under her arms. They force her to her feet, ignoring her cries when they make her place her weight on her sore ankle. I expect her dance partner to protest, but he only watches in grim silence as they start leading her away, presumably to be punished.What the fuck?

“Stop,” I say. “She only fell because I distracted her.” I don’t hold any loyalty to the Perstalians around me, but it doesn’t sit right that this female should be punished because of me.

“Yes,” King Celzar replies, his eyes still dark. “Sheletyou distract her, when nothing should have broken her focus.”

“You can’t be seri?—”

“As for you,” he says, his grip tightening on me as he stops me from finishing. His head lowers, and he breathes in as he drops his head beside mine. “You do not tell me if I can or cannot touch you. I own you now, my beloved, and you’ll learn to love my hands on you, or at least, endure it.” To prove his point, he squeezes his hand that’s still on my ass, and I swear to Lady Fate there’s only so much control you can expect a demon to have. My knee is up and in his groin before I can think about what I’m doing, and King Celzar grunts, bending over as he stumbles back from me.

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