Page 1 of The King is Dead
1. The King is Dead
~ YILAN ~
I stood in the small anteroom of the lavish tower cell we’d given Melek, barely able to breathe.
Before me, the bars rose, dark steel rods only inches apart, buried by magic in the stone floor and ceiling. The room was bright, light pouring in from the wide windows at each of the six walls that made up three quarters of the tower’s round sides—light that silhouetted my mate and only emphasized his angry posture. His broad, muscled shoulders rose and fell with his breath, his eyes narrowed and piercing, locked on mine.
Melek was the embodiment of a warrior. Of death.And he wasfurious.I didn’t miss that he hadn’t manifested his wings, though. Thank God. Even without them, he dwarfed the tower room behind him, though it was one of the largest we had.
The massive four-poster bed had been taken out and dusted off from a former King’s storage because it was the only one long enough to allow him to lay down without his feet hanging off the end. The carvings on it had been fashionable over a century ago. But all that dark wood, normally so heavy and depressing, barely registered behind the black fury in his gaze.
My heart raced in my chest.
Everything else we’d placed in this room was the largest we had on hand. The drawers were almost tall enough to suit him. But the side tables and washstand seemed frail next to his might, like they might topple in fear when he passed. The shelving reached theceiling, so appeared in proportion, yet I knew most of our books would seem like a child’s in his hands.
All of it felt… inadequate to him as he stood, looming over me on the other side of those bars that I cursed for keeping us apart. We’d already spent far too much time apart.
For months he’d held me imprisoned among his people. But after he’d sensed our matebond everything shifted. His cruelty became devotion and covert protection. When he claimed me like a possession before his men, but as a precious lover in private, my mission to kill him had become a mission to convince him to take the crown and lead his people to peace.
And we would have gotten there if it weren’t for his stupid, alpha malepride.
He’d left me no choice but to remove him by force! I would remind him of that. But first we had to convince my people that he wasn’t a threat. After my lengthy, unplanned absence, followed by my unannounced reappearance… well, the Shadekin were understandably nervous. Especially since I hadn’t warned them I would arrive burdened with two massive, unconscious Nephilim.
I had convinced my General, Turo, that there was a risk of being betrayed and ambushed if anyone knew we were returning. Which was true. But it had also given me the few days travel between Melek’s camp and the Palace tothink.
I’d had no choice but to imprison both Melek and his son, Gall.
At this moment, Gall remained asleep in an unused barracks, watched over by Wielders who would keep him in that state. I planned to wake him tomorrow after I’d had it out with Melek and knew whether my mate would reject our bond or not.
My hope was that Melek would accept the bondandthe crown, and by the time we woke Gall, there would no longer be need for Melek to be restrained.
God, even thinking those words made my chest tight.
I took a deep breath and made myself hold Melek’s gaze despite the rage and accusation in his eyes which slid between my ribs and into my heart.
It was true this room was every bit a prison. I hoped he recognized it was alsomuchnicer and more comfortable than the cage I’d been given by him when our roles were reversed. I took no pleasure in curbing his freedom. Unlike the delight he’d taken in capturingmemonths ago.
On the other side of the bars, amid the lavish tower room with magiked windows so he couldn’t conjure those wings and fly out, stoodmymale. Imposingly tall, broad, and fierce, even weakened as he was now after being drugged for days. He wore nothing but a sleepshirt. It was the only piece of clothing we had on hand big enough for him and it still didn’t even reach his knees. I had kept his weapon straps and spears, and we were laundering the clothes he’d been wearing. More would be made of appropriate size. But it would take a few days. Until then…
I drank him in. Ached to get closer. I pressed myself against the bars, pleading with eyes and tone as I explained what had happened, and confronted him with the full truth of my standing.
Do you have the ear of the King?he’d once asked me, not knowing thathewas my King.
God, this was ugly.
He stood there in his fancy prison, face cold, hands clenched, staring at me like I was a piece of shit on his shoe.
But I was not inconvenient manure. I was a Queen, dammit!
I had no choice but to gather my dignity and face him down with the truth.
“…I am Queen. That makes my mate, mypair, our King.” I raised my chin and pinned him with my eyes. “Do you hear me, Melek?Yousaid God chooses rulers. Well, He chose you as my mate. And in my culture, the King always outranks the Queen. It is the Queen’s most important responsibility to choosethe right man for the crown.And I did.” I swallowed hard. “So, if you’re really my mate, that makes you King of the Shadekin. Chosen by God. If you believeIcan’t lead them into truth, well… can you? Because you’re about to get your chance. That is… if you are willing to claim me as mate and will allow me to do the same.”
His jaw dropped and he gaped, but I held my ground.
“I didn’t wait to tell my people because I was faking the bond,” I muttered. “I waited because it’s real. And because the moment I acknowledge you, you become our King. And hear me, Melek, mate or not… I will not hand my Kingdom to acoward.”
His eyes widened, then he blinked as his head snapped back.
