Page 57 of Empire's Curse

Muyang’s face morphed into something darker and Daiyu bither tongue. He slammed his fist above her head, closing her in with his body, but not touching her. She was cornered, unable to turn away—and even if she could, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to escape his ire. “He defied me by using his magic. I will not tolerateanyonedefying me in any way.”

Daiyu’s mouth dried up and she wanted to disappear into the wall, away from him and away from this fortress. She wanted to shout at him for being unreasonable, for being a tyrant, and for terrifying her. But she still had some sanity left, so she sealed her lips together and tried not to cry in frustration or fear.

For a moment, they both just stared at each other. The sharp planes of his face appeared unforgiving and harsh, but something in those black, starless eyes seemed to soften. Just for a split second, enough for her to cling onto hope.

“Your Majesty, you aren’t a kind ruler, I know that.” The words spilled from her so quietly that the flickering flames in the sconces almost drowned her away. “You’re powerful and you hate those who oppose you. I don’t want to upset or anger you, but I urge you to forgive him. For my sake, at least.”

Muyang’s eyebrows came together and a soft, musical, and chilling laugh escaped from him. He threw his head back and laughed harder, running a hand over his face. A shiver darted down Daiyu’s spine. Finally, his nasty laugh subsided enough for him to pin her with a brutal, withering stare. “Foryoursake?” He stepped closer and grasped a tendril of her hair. His knuckles grazed her jaw and she forgot to breathe. He inched closer until they were a hair’s breadth apart. She breathed in deeply, her breasts rising and brushing against his chest. They were too close, and yet there was no intimacy between them. No desire. Nothing but cruelty and fear and hatred.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Muyang tilted his head as he continued to scrutinize her like she was nothing. The darkness in his eyes seemed to encapsulate a wickedness she had never witnessed before, had never dreamed of seeing. “You have no sway over me, Yin Daiyu.”

She should have just remained silent. Should have balked at his intimidation and silently cried at the uselessness she felt at being in his presence. At the fact that, in front of him, she was unable to change her fate. That she was forced to listen to everything he said.

But something inside her cracked. It splintered at the edges of her heart—at her sanity—and she couldn’t hold back her own irritation, frustration, and anger. So muchanger.

He was the reason she was even here in the first place. Kidnapped, almost ransomed, with her family’s farm burned to crisps. And he was the one who was cornering her here, making it so she was unable to leave him. He was the bane of her existence, and nowhewas saying that she didn’t matter?

“Then why keep me here?” Daiyu whispered fiercely, her hands clenching together into tight fists. She stared up at him unabashedly; if she was in court right now, with his trusted advisors surrounding him and the nobles who loved to gossip and sneer so much, she was sure she would be beheaded on the spot for even daring to stare at the emperor in such a hateful way. She didn’t even try to disguise her anger as she spat, “Then why choose me from all those other women? If I really don’t matter to you, if I hold no sway to you, then why keep me here? Whyburdenme in such a way?”

A muscle in his jaw ticked and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but she wasn’t sure if it was from surprise or anger or insult. “Do not speak to me in such a manner,woman.” His lips curled back, and she could smell the jasmine and incense on his clothes, mingling with the rusted, iron scent of blood that clung to him like a second skin. A reminder of what he was capable of. That his beauty was only a façade for the violence he carried out. “You are replaceable among the many, many women in my palace. In myempire.”

Daiyu placed her palms on his chest and shoved him, but he didn’t budge. It was like pushing against an impenetrable fortress wall. “Then replace me!” She couldn’t hold back her own rage.Her own hurt ego that felt worthless in front of him. If she was nothing, then why was she even going through this? All this pain and suffering? “Then replace me! Why won’t you discard me if I mean nothing to you?” She tried sliding out from under him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, slamming her into his hard body.

“Don’t you dare run from me.”

“Unhand me!” She tried yanking away from him, but he held her tighter. “You’re a ruthless monster! I hate you and I hate everything you stand for!”

“Don’tcall me that,” Muyang snarled the words like a snapping dragon and she could feel the warmth of his skin, of his flesh pressed against hers, and the intoxicating denseness of the dark magic that surrounded him.

“Toss me aside and let me go!” Daiyu shouted at him, her voice growing shriller as she tried to twist free from his grasp. She hated the feel of his strong body flush against hers, the feel of his strong, lean arms holding her in place, and the way her body reacted. The way warmth pooled in her stomach. The way she wanted to pretend that this was a lovers’ embrace, and not one of mutual distaste. “You hideous, grotesque demon! Free me and let me live my life!”

“I could have you killed for saying that to me.” He breathed into her neck and a shiver tickled her spine—and she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or thrill. His arm tightened around her waist, but not painfully, and he slowly placed his other hand atop her left breast. Heat coursed through her veins, staining her cheeks. “I could rip your heart out for eventhinkingthose words.”

Her chest rose and fell in an erratic rhythm. “You would love to do that, wouldn’t you?” Her own lips curled in hatred, and she couldn’t stop from sneering. “You only love violence, Your Majesty, and I’m sure you’d love to break me.”

“There are many things I would love to do with you, littlefiend.” He breathed against her hair, and another shudder ran down her body. “But breaking you is not one of them.”

He finally released her and she staggered forward, her legs weak and her knees wobbling against the other. She whirled around to face him, her balance nearly making her collapse. “Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you let me go?—”

“Because you’remine.” Muyang was in front of her again, but this time, he didn’t touch her. He only stared at her, his fiery rage seeming to have been stoked into a steady ember. Something dark and thrilling and possessive reflected back against his void-like eyes, and for a moment she wondered about how she could get lost in the blackness of his gaze—at the wickedness that showed the window to his soullessness. “What I decide to do with you is up to me. Whether that is to keep you forever locked within my walls or discard you onto the streets like a pauper. You are mine, and mine alone, Yin Daiyu.”

“I am not an item to be kept or tossed!” She raised her hand to slap him, but he must have known what she was up to because he grabbed her wrist before she could strike. She screamed something incoherent and raised her other hand, but he took hold of that too. “You can’t keep me here forever! I willneverbe yours!”

“You already are.”

“You—you—youmonster!”

He let her go again and this time he strode to the door, seemingly done with this conversation. A frustrated sob ripped from her throat and she wanted to punch something—or someone—and scream loudly for the world to hear. She hated him with all her being, and yet there was something about him that broke something within her. The thought that she was worthless and replaceable stung more than it should have.

“I hate you!” Daiyu shouted through her tears as he slammed the sliding door open. The bamboo panels of the door shook with the force, and when Muyang glared at her from over his shoulder, she was sure he would run forward and do his worst. But he simply left the room, leaving her with nothing but tears and shame and animosity.

21

Daiyu hatedDrakkon Muyang more than anyone else, she decided as she paced her bedroom—hisbedroom—for the hundredth time that day. She had been given a change of clothes soon after Muyang had left the room—no doubt his doing—and had eaten breakfast—also likely his doing. But all of that did nothing to stave the burning rage she felt toward the insufferable monarch.

He didn’t return to the room any time that day, and that gave her more time to think about her next options. There was no way—absolutelyno way—she was going to stay here any longer. She didn’t want to forever be under his thumb, and now that her family had already lost their livelihood, it was probably better to just sneak out of here and run as far away as possible with her family. They would have to start a new life somewhere—maybe even change their family name just in case—but it would save them in the long run.

She didn’t have an escape plan, but later in the evening, after she had stuffed herself with a heavy dinner, she slipped into one of the storage rooms on the same floor as Muyang’s room, and waited by a glass window for the perfect chance to escape. The room was surprisingly clean, had crates of black and scarletmilitary style cloaks and uniforms, and had a large banner of the Drakkon dynasty pinned to the wall like a trophy. The dragon symbol seemed to stare at her, knowing her intentions of fleeing, and she couldn’t help the fear that gripped her tightly.

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