Page 97 of In the Ravenous Dark
“You need to eat,” he says.
Still, I refuse to perform like some monkey. I sneer at the queen. “If he’s so tempting, why don’tyoueat him?”
She stares back at me through the portal. And then she signals to the two blighted mages. They close on the man like dogs on a bone.
Maybe the queen understands me all too well. Because shortly after the blighted mages have lunged forward, the queen signals again. The gray man and woman—looking slightly more pink cheeked now, their black lips smeared with red—pull back from the prisoner.
Leaving him bleeding from his neck and elbow, and kneeling before me.
It doesn’t help that Ivrilos nudges me gently. The novelty of his casual contact sends a thrill through me, only inflaming my hunger further.
“Go on,” he says.
And thenIcan’t help it.
I dive for the man, feeling a strange pressure against my gums. My eyeteeth are suddenly longer. Sharper. I’m barely aware of biting the other side of his neck.
Because all my attention is focused on what comes after: the flood of blood into my mouth.
It’s exquisite. It’s the finest wine, the most mouthwatering food, all stirred into one. It’s everything my body wants.Almost. Ivrilos and his touches have given me a clue as to the rest.
I am a creature of hunger.
I barely notice when I drop the man. But I can feel his blood thrumming through me as if it’s mine. As if my heart is still powerfully beating. I feel like I can do anything.
Everyone is staring at me in horror. Except the blighted mages. They look jealous of my meal. And Ivrilos.
He’s respectful. Appreciative. In a little bit of awe. And more than a little in love.
So different from the look the queen is giving me.
“See,” she says sadly. “You can’t control yourself.”
I spin on her, everything razor sharp around me. I can hear a dozen different people breathing, a dozen hearts beating. All but my own, Ivrilos’s, and the man’s on the ground. “You wanted to humiliate me, prove I’m some kind of an animal so you might easily condemn me, but you’ve only made me stronger.Youcan’t control me, either.”
“That’s what worries me most of all. An uncontrollable animal can turn against those who feed it.”
I glare at her. “Ireallyhope one of those tigers tears out your throat one day.”
“Is that a threat?” she asks. The blighted mages and guards on this side of the portal tense, their hands ready for sigils or swords.
I shake my head. “I could be on your side. You could have me fighting with you. Or you can try to kill me, but your royal schemes? I willroyallyfuck them all up before I go.” I lift my gaze to the glass canopy, wondering what it would take to bring it down. Not much. “And yes, before you ask,thatis a threat.”
More hands move for their weapons.
Japha’s eyes flick around, their expression hard. “I’m with her. I didn’t deal with a pile of bigoted shit in the palace just to put up with more of it here.”
Goddess, I adore Japha. I try to hide how grateful I am. I stand tall and confident. My next words are loud and hard, so everyone can hear: “You worry that you can’t control me? Why don’t you worry about the fact that someone like me isincontrol of this entire polis?”
Silence answers me, aside from the odd creak of armor or shift of a boot.
The queen’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean the king is a revenant,” I proclaim, “exactly like me, except he’s been ruling Thanopolis for four hundred years. He’s Ivrilos’s brother, bound to their father, Athanatos, who is lord of the underworld. He kills—drinks—and assumes the identity of every crown prince who tries to succeed him. Tyros is gone.”
In the murmuring chorus of heartbeats, quite a few quicken. Japha’s and Delphia’s eyes widen as the realization sets in. It doesn’t take long for them to believe. Japha releases a shaky breath, while Delphia’s face crumples. She doesn’t have either of her parents left anymore.
“His name is Kadreus,” Ivrilos volunteers, taking my hand again so all can hear him.
