Page 122 of Their Blood Rite

‘What she wants is of no consequence at all. She belongs tome. You stole her fromme.I demand she is returned.’

His voice is raised and echoes around the hall. Damn. He’s furious. Every vein in his neck throbs, and if his jaw were any tighter, it would snap.

Shaw takes a few slow steps towards him.

‘And what will you do with her if I do return her?’ he asks. ‘Marry her? Have her lead your coven as your wife? Tell me, Cole. Why her? What makes her so damned special, especially when not just a moment ago, you had your arm around her best friend.’

I hadn’t noticed, but Thalia is here too. She looks from Cole to the floor, unsure where to set her glance.

Shaw’s goading Cole. And it’s dangerous. He could admit what I am out of sheer spite. Declare to all that the Blood Rite named me a blood witch.

Sure. I would be killed. Slowly and for sport.

But then he would be condemning his coven to a purge. If they can make one blood witch, they can make more.

No human will risk another war. The king especially.

‘I will do what I must to protect my coven and the humans we serve,’

‘You will kill her for her slight to you,’ Shaw replies. ‘She was promised to you as a wife. Do you intend to take her as such?’

The king awaits his answer.

‘The truth, Coven Leader. For I will check,’ the king adds.

‘No. Not after this beast has sullied her.’ Utter disgust etches over Cole’s face.

‘So the agreement was that she would be your wife. You are no longer interested in her in that capacity. The contract, such as it was, is void on your part. Not hers. I could order her to return as your wife. And you could marry her. But you refuse to do so. In my opinion, you want her back to punish her.’ The king starts to laugh. ‘And I firmly believe she will beg to be returned in a few months. Leave her with the witch killer. She will suffer, I am sure.’

‘Then return her to me in a few months,’ Cole tries. ‘You will satisfy the laws and show the other females that leaving means pain and suffering, only to be returned anyway.’

When Shaw goes to speak, the king silences him with a hand.

Shit. He’s actually considering it. I can see his mind ticking over.

It’s true. Some others may want to leave, and if I’m permitted, where does it end?

It feels like an eternity passes until he faces the entire court.

‘General, you have until the snow falls… to wed this witch.’

Shaw’s face falls so far my stomach hits the floor.

‘Wed the witch, Ronan. Before the court. And you can keep her.’ The king scoffs. ‘For the rest of her life.’

With a wave of his hand, the music starts again, and everyone returns to their food, drink and chatter.

Cole storms up to Shaw and speaks viciously in his ear. When I go to intervene, Shaw holds up his hand, stopping me. He smirks as Cole rages, laughing to himself as he struggles to keep it a whispering shout.

I turn to see Thalia at my back.

‘Come home, Ashe,’ she pleads. ‘You know you must.'

I lean in, smiling hatefully. ‘I hope you’re miserable as his slut.’

Her face hardens. ‘Better Cole’s slut than a vampire's whore. I can’t believe I ever loved you.’

‘If you loved me, you wouldn’t have gone behind my back with him. You would have helped me when they tied me to that tree.’

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