Page 119 of Their Blood Rite

Three thrones are at the very far end of the hall, all atop some golden steps. On the right throne, made of silver with two lion heads as armrests, a young man in his late teens slouches with a smug and self-important sneer. His crown lies crooked atop a mop of black hair, and his fingers tap on the armrest in a slow rhythm. To the left is a very poised and formidable-looking woman, sitting so upright I wonder if she can actually bend. The sparkles from her crown reach me even from here. The arms of her throne are birds taking flight. Ravens, I think.

And in the centre… The human king.

I gasp, and my feet stop mid step. He is… stunning. Utterly beautiful and formidable. So confident and in control, dressed in regal red and a simple crown atop his smooth black hair.

His eyes are on me, and even from this distance, I see them looking into whatever classes as a soul for me.

Shaw is stood with his back to me. He turns, and a slight smile appears as he sees me standing there, minus my cloak.

I walk to meet him, my eyes on him and only him. My heels echo around the stone room, and the soft mutterings of the courtiers in the crowd are no match for my heartbeat. Archie gives me a wink as I pass him. A wink and a hungry gaze.

I’m getting fonder of this dress.

Shaw holds out his hand. I take it. His lips kiss my knuckles, and still, our eyes remain locked. He guides me to his side, and we face the king.

‘My King,’ Shaw says softly, offering him a bow. ‘May I introduce Ashe Nectan? Formally of the Earth Coven in Whippet Woods, the Crescent Valley.’ He lifts his gaze to mine. ‘My love. This is King Harnin. To his right is the Prince Kern. And to his left, the most gracious Queen Lizabeth.’

It’s harder than I expected to pull my focus away from him. The intensity of his look is almost believable. I'm not sure anyone has ever looked at me like this before. Not even when he was buried deep inside me did Shaw look at me like this.

I face the royals and curtsy.

‘My King,’ I greet, in my well-rehearsed sweet voice that was drummed into me by my father. ‘My Queen. My Prince. I am truly honoured.’

The queen’s lip curls as she looks at me. I may as well be a steaming pile of shit on her polished floor. The way her eyes examine my dress has her actually twitching.

But the king remains utterly unreadable, looking at me with the occasional slow blink and his index finger taping on the arm of his throne.

When he doesn’t speak, I fill the silence.

‘Thank you for your invitation.’ I straighten myself, still gripping Shaw’s hand. He grips me back, telling me he’s right there. ‘It’s a pleasure to be-’

‘So you are the earth witch who abandoned her coven?’ the king cuts in, his words tired and bored. He even adds an eye roll as if talking to me is utterly tedious. ‘Why?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Leaving your coven is not permitted. You are aware of the rules, are you not?’

‘I-I am,’ I reply.

‘And yet, you fled on the night of your Blood Rite. Without consent from your coven leader.’

‘Well, I didn’t flee-’

‘Are you aware that I have given orders to execute any witch that refuses to join their coven on Blood Rite?’

‘Well, if you allow me to-’

‘You think you can disobey the law?’ he cuts in. ‘Mylaw?’

‘I didn’t-’

‘You are a witch. A link in a chain that I have wrapped around all of your necks, and I can tighten that chain until you all choke.’ He points at me. ‘You breathe through my graces. That is all. You disobeyed the law, and if you expect me to believe that you did so for love when we all know that neither you nor a man like him is even capable of such a thing, then you call me a fool. Am I a fool, witch?’

There’s a knife to all our throats in an instant, and all of the guards have withdrawn their weapons.

‘I do not think you a fool,’ I insist, terrified to move in case my throat is slit ear from ear.

‘Witches obey,’ the king barks. ‘You stay in your covens and do everything commanded of you. The moment you do not is the moment I slaughter every single one of you and-’

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