Page 93 of Vows of Sacrifice

He knows. He knows everything. This certainty was like an icy poison in my veins.

“Oh?” I asked, scanning the room for a potential weapon.

Then I remembered I was carrying Dovah’s dagger. I had Cinder! I immediately drew it from its sheath, but Elendur struck me hard on the wrist. In pain, I released the weapon, and he kicked it away from me.

“I was wondering when you would try to stab me.”

He spun me around roughly so that I could face his golden gaze, strangely glowing in the dim light.

“Mind you, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tried to kill me,” he added with a charming smile.

What is he talking about? Is he losing his mind? I wasn’t sure how to deal with a man who was no longer in his right mind. He must have read my thoughts because, as he gripped my wrists tightly, he let out a hearty laugh and then said:

“No, Ashana, I’m not crazy. I just have an excellent memory. I’m your Betrayal, my tender love. I am the one who led you into sin.”

Here, his smile became a grimace.

“Or rather, I tried to. If it will ease a burden on your conscience, you should know that you did not betray Dovah. I just made sure that he and his brothers were convinced of it. It worked very well. So well, in fact, that I’d like to repeat the experience. What do you say?”

He leaned towards me, so close that his face was almost glued to mine. I held my breath as I realized what he’d just told me. All that suffering . . . All that the wives and dragons had endured because of the scheming of this scum, probably in the service of the Abyss.

“How is it possible?” I asked. “How is it possible to be my Betrayal and to be here, to be King of Osacan?”

“I reincarnated. Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll still be able to break your union with that idiot Patriarch who’s so quick to piss off,” he gloated, apparently delighted by this prospect.

If he ever lets go of my hands, I’d be happy to try my flaming bow on him! He must have read my desire to kill him in my eyes, but strangely enough, his own gaze became gentler.

“As impetuous as ever, I see,” he murmured, more to himself than to me.

Suddenly, someone behind me applied a damp cloth to my face, covering my nose and mouth. I had no choice but to breathe through the fabric. My eyes widened in panic. Elendur frowned in annoyance.

“Nadrisse! I told you to be gentle!”

Nadrisse? Was she there?

“We haven’t got all night! Dovah will end up breaking the walls with his sword!” snapped the king’s twin sister.

After three breaths, my head spun, and my consciousness quickly sank into darkness.

* * *

When I woke up, a strong nausea overcame me, and I vomited a little despite the presence of the gag. Probably because of the drugs.

It took me a while to open my eyes and take in my surroundings. The place reeked of mold, and the dampness of the place seeped through my dress to touch my skin. I was sitting down and finding it difficult to move. When I tried to move my legs and arms, I realized that in addition to the rag bruising my mouth, I was chained! Hands and feet bound in chains. But to what? Where?

Then, a candle appeared in my field of vision. It was Elendur holding it. My vision was still a little blurred, but I could make out a certain object in his hand. It was a stone. A blood-coloured stone. Dovah’s ruby . . . Oh, no. A dreadful feeling assailed me, and it was even stronger than during the episode with the guards. My heart ached at this memory. My chambermaids and the soldiers were surely dead now.

“Right, then. We’ll now move on to the second step, if you are willing, my love.”

Another bout of nausea, but this time the product Nadrisse had used to put me to sleep had nothing to do with it. Only the king of this country was responsible!

“Your husband is on the other side of the dungeons. I must admit, it’s the only place in this castle capable of containing a dragon,” he explained as he approached me.

He crouched down to my level, then locked his gaze on mine.

“I imagine what I’m about to do is going to be very unpleasant for you, but it’s certainly going to turn me on a bit,” he laughed. “I’d fuck you to make it more believable, but we’re running out of time. We were informed of your return at the last minute. We weren’t expecting you for several days, so it was difficult to prepare everything . . . Anyway.”

With that, he slipped a hand under my dress to touch my private parts directly. I struggled violently to push him away. Which made him laugh a lot.

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