Page 6 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

“Talking to yourself already?” Erebos drawled. “I hear that’s the first sign of insanity.”

The heavy wooden door opened with a series of groans and creaks. They stared at each other across the threshold, Erebos’s aristocratic face betraying nothing of his thoughts.

“Well, do you have nothing to say to me, then?”

She kicked a broken bit of bone that had fallen free of its brethren. “The dungeon, really?”

“What more fitting place for a traitor?”

She swallowed, not meeting his gaze as she shrugged. What could she say to that? It was the truth.

“You disappointed me today. More than you ever have.”

“I know.”

“I’ve killed men for less.”

“I know. I’m the one you send to kill them.”

His lips didn’t even twitch at her joke, and that’s when true dread coiled in her belly. He wasn’t just disappointed. He was furious. Enraged. There would be no getting out of this with an apology and a slap on the wrists.

“Why?” The word was little more than a bitten-off growl. When she didn’t answer, he slapped the wall. “Answer me. You owe me that, if nothing else.”

She shook her head, unable to answer the question even hours later. Darkness knows she’s asked herself the same countless times already. Everything she’d been fighting for was right there within reach, but when she looked down into Ronan’s crystalline blue eyes, she just couldn’t do it. Stars forgive her, she simply couldn’t be the one responsible for the life seeping out of them.

As the silence stretched between them, Erebos’s anger wrapped around her like a blanket. Though not one meant for comfort or warmth, one that pressed in on every side, suffocating her beneath its weight.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was cruel but no less beautiful because of it, though perhaps only an assassin could find allure in the dark promise of pain. “Very well. Perhaps I can help you find some clarity.”

She risked a glance at him, surprised to find that he was directly in front of her. She hadn’t heard him come into the small cell. It was as if he’d simply appeared there between one breath and the next.

And this time, he didn’t bother masking his fury.

“On. Your. Knees.”

“W-what?”

“Do not make me repeat myself. It will not end well for you.”

Shadow sank down onto the unforgiving stones without further question, the desire to please him so deeply ingrained she couldn’t deny him no matter how much she wanted to. No matter what else had happened, Erebos was still the man who saved her. He was still her liege. She owed him everything, most especially her obedience.

A dark tendril of doubt crept through her mind.

Obedience at what cost? Your dignity? Your soul? Where do you draw the line, Shadow?

As if he could hear the traitorous thoughts, he gripped her by the cheeks, squeezing and tipping her head all the way back. “Do you have any idea what your actions have accomplished today?”

She’d heard the menacing tone before, but never directed at her. His use of it now sent tiny shivers of warning down her spine.

“We are stuck in this farce now because of you. Because of this pathetic act of rebellion. An act you were too weak to see through. What do you have to say for yourself?” He shook her, and she knew it was his way of telling her he expected an answer.

“I’m sorry.” The words were garbled, forced out between pursed lips. His grip was so tight, she knew she’d be wearing bruises after he was through with her.

“You’re not. Not yet... but you will be.”

A shiver trickled along her nape as she held his inhumanly green gaze.

“One way or another, Shadow mine, you are going to learn your lesson. After tonight, you will never forget your place again, or you will lose it. And I promise you, you will not find me to be nearly as forgiving. Is that understood?”

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