Page 20 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

“I save artistry for those who deserve the effort.” I made a subtle gesture for servants to remove the body. “Yilmaz was a damned pain in my ass.”

“An annoyance who insulted your light-bearer,” Azra observed, her stare shifting between Ada and me. “How…interesting that you’d respond so decisively over mere words.”

“I protect what belongs to me,” I stated coldly. “Any disrespect to my bound partner is disrespect to me.”

“Of course.” Rezen nodded, though his smile suggested he had seen more than I intended to reveal. “A matter of possession, nothing more.”

“Funny,” Sarp interjected, seemingly unconcerned by the decapitated corpse being dragged away, “I’ve heard dozens insult you directly without losing their heads. Must be nice to have someone so violently dedicated to your honor, Ada.”

Ada was watching me, her expression carefully blank, but her breathing was labored. For a moment, our bond flickered open, and I caught a glimpse of her confusion before she deliberately closed it again. Even when I tried to read her emotions through our connection, she kept her thoughts locked away.

"Don't mistake necessity for sentiment." I said and pitched my words to carry throughout the room. I turned to face her directly, filling my tone with contempt. "Ada's value lies in herbloodline and the power it brings through our binding. Nothing more." I ensured everyone could hear me. "Light and shadow were never meant to mix permanently. This arrangement serves a greater purpose—one that requires her cooperation, willing or not."

The flash of pain instead of defiance across her face was precisely what I intended—yet it cut through me deeper than my blade could reach. The bond between us snapped shut when she withdrew, her light retreating behind the mental walls.

Melo bared her teeth at me, a growl rumbling in her throat. Sarp's expression remained neutral, but I knew him well enough to recognize the disappointment in his gaze.

"Thank you for the clarification," Ada said, her voice steady despite the hurt I had glimpsed through our bond. "And the reminder of exactly who you are."

She turned and left the hall, her posture betraying no weakness despite witnessing the brutal execution. Melo followed, shooting me one last venomous glare.

The court erupted into whispers the moment she was gone. Lords and ladies exchanged glances, some fearful, others calculating. The representatives of the Karanlikoglu faction withdrew to a corner, their expressions thunderous. One of Yilmaz’s closest allies, Lord Derin, caught my stare for a moment before averting his gaze, his posture a mixture of fear and barely concealed rage.

“You’ve made enemies today,” Lady Narin murmured while she passed, though her tone suggested approval rather than warning. “The Karanlikoglu will not forget this. Yilmaz was their strongest voice on the council.”

“Let them remember,” I replied, my tone cold. “Let them all remember what happens when they challenge my authority.”

She smiled, darkness dancing around her fingertips. “Oh, I believe they will. The question now becomes: who will they send next?”

“Delightful marital moment,” Azra purred once Ada had gone. “I was worrying you’d gone soft, cousin. It’s good to see Erlik’s blood still runs through in your veins, diluted though it may be.”

I ignored the barb, signaling a servant to refill my goblet. “Was there ever doubt?”

“There was,” Rezen admitted without shame. “We all remember when you defied Erlik over the shadow forge rights. Control of those weapons would have made you unstoppable."

“I was a fool back then,” I stated flatly. “Blinded by sentiment instead of seeing the strategic value.”

“So we see.” Azra smiled, her blackened teeth gleaming in the torchlight. “Though we wondered if perhaps this binding was…sentimental”

“The binding serves a purpose,” I said, boredom heavy in my tone. “And when that purpose is fulfilled, it will be severed.”

My cousins exchanged pleased glances. This was what they verified—that I remained committed to shadow, to Erlik’s legacy. That my human weakness had been excised completely.

“Your message is received, Lord Hakan,” Lord Kaya said later, after my cousins had departed. He had remained behind, one of the few shadow lords whose counsel I valued. “Though some might question if beheading a council member over an insult was…proportionate.”

“It wasn’t about the insult,” I replied. “Yilmaz was moving against me. His connections to the Karanlikoglu faction had grown too strong.”

“And so you eliminated him rather than allowed him to gather more support.” Kaya nodded slowly. “Bold. But now those same Karanlikoglu will seek revenge.”

“Let them,” I said with dismissal. “They’ll find I’m not as easily toppled as they imagine.”

“And the light-bearer? Your wife?” Kaya’s stare was shrewd. “Your defense of her was…notable.”

“She is mine to insult, mine to control, mine to use,” I replied coldly. “No one else’s. The execution ensures that the message is understood.”

“Indeed,” Kaya said, though his expression suggested something else entirely. “Understood by all.”

After ensuring my demonic kin were properly entertained, I retreated to my private chambers, shadow magic responding to the rage that boiled beneath my composed exterior. The execution had been necessary—a warning to others who might think to disrespect what was mine. But my words afterward…

---