Page 9 of Monsters In Her Head

Chapter 6

Aryn led me away fromthe female quarters and back toward the king’s room. My feet struggled to follow her, not wanting to face the drake king yet. Aryn didn’t care.

“Do not be reluctant now, you’ve already gotten yourself planted right where you wanted,” Aryn signed a stern expression on her face. “The drakes will help, and then we can go home. So you have to continue to play the part of a willing whore.”

I flinched, signing back. “It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?” Aryn shifted to the side of the corridor as a set of drakes walked past us. Their golden eyes slid over to us, watching our hand movements before continuing on their way.

Aryn grabbed my arm to get my attention, gesturing with more fervor. “You bed the king, keep him happy, and we get our kingdom back. Callahan and his wretched brother will go to the underworld where they belong.”

“And what about after?” I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and chewed on it. “The drakes...” I paused, not sure how to continue. “They’re going to want to remain allies.”

Aryn’s brows furrowed, her shoulders shifting. “So? We could use them against any oncoming attacks.”

She didn’t get it.

Aryn thought it was as simple as having sex with the king until Cal was gone. It wasn’t simple. It was far from it.

The possessiveness of Ryu’s hold on me, the marking on my inner thigh, and now his brother’s interest in me. It made my stomach twist into knots. It knew they weren’t going to just let me go back to my life in the palace. Nor would I want them to be forced to hide out here in the mountains anymore after they helped us. Kinoko would owe them a debt too great to repay with simply my body.

“But at what costs?” I sighed and walked away from her.

With no particular destination in mind, I stalked down the hallway. Thankfully, Aryn didn’t follow. I needed a moment alone. A moment to think about the situation I’d gotten myself into.

When I first had this idea, I thought it was the answer to all my problems. Now... I might have made things worse.

Saving the kingdom was one thing. Finding my way out of the entanglement with the king and his brother... another.

My mind wandered back to what Ira said to me.

You’re broken just like I am. They don’t understand. They could never understand.

Broken? Ha. I’d show him broken. Ira might think the loss of his eye meant he was broken. I sure as hell didn’t. And I definitely don’t want him to treat me like a broken toy.

Before I knew it, my feet led me to the edge of the market. Drakes wandered around from booth to booth without a care in the world. The ground and very air vibrated with the amount of hustle and bustle coming from the area.

I didn’t know how many of them knew about the imminent danger sitting on their doorstep. Since Beautine knew about it, I could only assume everyone did. Unless Ryu only told a select few. Either way, I envied their bliss.

I stepped further into the marketplace and several drakes nearby at a booth selling the most beautiful fabric I’d ever seen stopped what they were doing to stare at me.

---