Page 106 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

“Ow! What are…you doing?” I push at his shoulders, struggling to wriggle free, but he’s so cold and immovable that I might as well be fighting against the statues that line the palace gardens.

The fear in my chest solidifies into full-fledged panic. Sterling has always been strong, but this? This seems unnatural.

He bites me again, his teeth sinking into my shoulder this time and causing me to jerk from the sharp pain. “Mmm.”

A cold, cruel laugh escapes him. Ice slithers down my spine as he grabs my arms and pins them at my sides.

“Stop!” Terror grips my heart and squeezes. “You’re…hurting…me.”

I claw at his wrists, digging my fingernails into his skin.

The harder I fight, the more apparent the truth becomes.

The man I love doesn’t revel in my pain and fear.

This man is a stranger.

Gods help me.

“Sterling, please.” The plea breaks from me, a last futile attempt to reach whatever part of him might still be there. With my last ounce of strength, I wrench my head back just far enough to meet his gaze.

What stares back at me resembles my prince, except those once expressive brown eyes are now black, hollow pits of malice.

An invisible boot stomps on my heart.

He’s been corrupted.

“No…” Dread solidifies the blood in my veins.

In the recesses of my mind, I sense the dragons stirring, their restlessness mirroring my own terror.

They can feel the fear snaking from me to them through our bond, a black tide threatening to sweep them away.

A new type of fear seizes me. If I don’t shut it down, one or more of them will come to my rescue, and if they discover what Sterling’s doing, they might kill him.

Out of sheer desperation, I call upon my dampening shield. I’m unable to completely block our connection, but I manage to slow the flood of emotions to a trickle. Hopefully, whatever distress they still sense will come across as a normal argument or similar trivial matter and nothing urgent.

I wrestle against his iron grip. “Why?”

Sighing like he’s bored, Sterling loosens his grip ever so slightly. “Because you didn’t drink the soup.”

Realization sinks in. “You…did that?”

“Yes. I’m a reasonable man.” His eyes sweep over me. Searching for what, I don’t know. “All you had to do was drink the soup, and the sedative would have made you take a little nap. By the time you woke up, I could have ensured you were invincible. Stronger and more powerful than you could ever imagine.”

I close my eyes and bite back a sob. How long has he been a slave to the drachen’s whims? Why didn’t I see the signs before? Has he been hiding the corruption, or fighting it only to finally give in?

Is the man I love still in there somewhere? Or is he gone forever?

“What are you going…to do to me?”

“Always so many questions.” His smile is a sharp blade that possesses all the warmth of a glacier. “Your meddling hastened my plans. Because of your little jaunt for phoenix tears, I had to adjust, to move pieces prematurely. Now more people will end up dying because you couldn’t just sit back and do what you were supposed to.”

I struggle to keep my expression neutral, but my heart races. Who is he planning to kill? Is Leesa still safely chained away? “What have you done?”

“Many things, but I’m afraid I can’t take all the credit.” He presses a kiss to my brow, his lips cold against my skin. “I do as I’m bidden.”

I do as I’m bidden.

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