Page 24 of Cages and Crowns
My eyes open again and I’m back in my room, Tobias’s face close to mine. He’s straining as I struggle against him. As I try to get away from Apollo and his needle. His face is red, sweat beading on his forehead, his icy blues almost black.
I squeeze my eyes shut again and I can see the room. An older man with white hair is sitting in a large chair, a glass of whiskey in his hands. My eyes glancedown, and I can see a set of olive tinted hands gripping the back of the chair, veins pulsing under the skin.
I open my mouth and scream.
The purple eyes flinch, his mouth opening in shock revealing perfectly straight teeth and pointed canines, before everything goes dark.
ChapterTwelve
The Bound
“I don’t think I have ever said this before, but I am proud of you son.” Enzo scoffs next to me, his hands loosely holding the back of the chair.
“I did what I had to, and now we know what he’s planning.” I respond, tearing my eyes away from Enzo’s irritated face. He’ll get over it. I never thought of Enzo as weak, but I don’t think he has the stomach to do what needs to be done. Whathadto be done.
“I just wish I had the chance to interrogate him myself.” My father says with a sigh, and I know a lecture is coming.
“What other questions would you have asked, Father? I found out as much as I could. I found out where she is. I found outhow many men are stationed at the border. I found out what the purpose of the bomb was and what truly happened to Chatis. What else would you have asked?” I fail at hiding the frustration in my voice. I clench my hands into fists under the table.
“For starters, we could have askedexactlywhere the princess is so we wouldn’t have to guess which room is the royal chambers.”
“Queen. And it doesn’t matter anymore.” I correct him and run my hands through my hair. “Tano is dead. I promise to leave the next prisoner for you.”
“Yes, becausethatis all that truly matters. That I have a prisoner to torture.” He snorts and collects the papers in front of him into a neat pile. “Nithe, there is more to being a king than torturing prisoners and gathering information. You need to learn when to be ruthless and when to think of the bigger picture.”
“Father, I do notwishto be king. I have no desire to rule a country, or an entire continent.” His eyes widen and he slams his hands on the table, his fury unrestrained.
“Do you think you have a choice? That I care whether or not you want the position? This is your birthright. This is your duty, and as my son you will become the king and you will do the role justice. You don’t get wants and desires. You don’t get happy endings and dreams. You get a wife, you get a crown, and you make heirs. Do I care if you love her? No, of course not. Find yourself a whore or a mistress and stick your cock in them if your wife is unwilling. Butafteryou make heirs.Afteryou force her into a coronation and take the power from her.”
“Father—”
“I swear to the Gods, Nithe. I will not allow you to ruin this. Your recklessness, yourselfishness, will not cost me the continent. It will not cost me Viridiana. If it does, if you do anything to sway that girl to abdication, I will end you. I will kill you in your sleep before you have the chance to fight back. I will marry that girl myself and make sure she never breathes another free breath. You think her life is hard now? I will make her wish Tobias was still her husband.” Hiseyes are narrowed, his hands clenched in fists as he leans on the table, getting as close to me as possible. I can feel the adrenaline, the disgust, coursing through my veins.
My father has always been a monster. He has always valued power more than love and family. It was something I was quick to realize and quick to get over as a child, but now I don’t know if I can. He is cursing Elaenor, cursing me, to a horrible life. A life where neither of us can even breathe without his approval. That isn’t a life she should be forced into. That isn’t a life at all.
But what am I to do? Fight him? Argue? None of that would come out in favor of me and my wishes. He would win. He always does.
There is only one option. I have to—
Enzo gasps and I whip my head around to face him. His eyes go bloodshot, and his hands grip his scalp as he drops to his knees.
“Enzo!” I yell as I scramble to the ground next to him. His eyes are squeezed shut; his mouth open as he screams as loud as he possibly can. He’s scratching at his hair, pulling strands out. I grip his wrists, forcing him to stop. “Enzo!” I yell again, restraining him as best as I can.
As fast as it comes on, it fades and he drops to the floor, his body relaxing.
“No.” He whispers. I slowly release my hold on him, my eyes catching on his hair as I watch it darken from root to tip, fully saturating the once white strands.
“Enzo?” I whisper.
“I could feel her. She was in my head. She was seeing through my eyes. I could feel it.” Tears line his emerald eyes, panic filling every crevice, every feature of his face as he holds my stare.
“What are you saying?” My voice is little more than a whisper.
“She was connected to me. And then all I felt was pain, as if someone was sewing something into my scalp. She was screaming. She was screaming so loud, and I couldn’t help her.” He raises his head, tears freely pouring down his cheeks. “Please, we have to go.” He grips my arms, shaking me. Pleading for meto understand.
“Father. She’s in danger.” I angle my body to face my father, where he is pouring over the map as if he didn’t just threaten me. As if Enzo screaming was just as consequential as a fly buzzing in his ear.
“She’s been in danger this entire time.” He mutters, uninterested. Enzo’s skin is rippling, black feathers sprouting when I turn back to him. He hasn’t gotten a hang of his shifting yet, and it can still come on under extreme emotional changes. And right now, right now is extreme enough to force the change.
