I focused on the weight of my dagger against my leg to ground me and stop my hands from trembling with rage as I folded them in my lap.
“Thank you all for coming today on such short notice,” my father began, staying on his feet as he addressed the room with his booming voice. “The past twenty-seven years have been hard for both of our peoples, and it is time that we put our struggles behind us, in order to forge a path to peace and prosperity for the whole of Andrathya.”
Hard on our people?That’s what we were going to call the abduction and likely murder of our citizens at the hands of the undine drackya? An interesting choice of words that I wouldn’t have personally used, but here we were.
I kept my face blank as I digested his statement, not wanting to give anything away with our enemy at his side. Perhaps my father was setting a trap for them, luring them into a false sense of security with the promise of a treaty, to keep them unaware before we attacked them.
“King Takkar, please,” my father said, urging the undine drackya I assumed to be their prince to stand and take over the conversation.
King.
My spine stiffened at the distinction. He seemed far too young to be the king. What I read of their current political structure was apparently outdated, because he looked nothing like the king I’d read about, who I now realized must have been his father.
Still, I refused to look at him as his chair screeched against the floor before he stood. He’d done nothing to earn that respect from me.
My father elbowed me lightly as he sat down, jostling me slightly, forcing me to incline my head just enough to appear like I might be giving the dragon any of my attention.
“I look forward to ending the senseless struggles of both of our peoples through this marriage.”
His words sent my heart into overdrive, and I felt as if I was going to collapse at the sudden rush of blood to my head.
I couldn’t have heard him right, being distracted by the deep timber of his voice.
His calculated gaze shifted to settle on my face before he smiled and announced, “I know I can speak for Princess Siyana, and myself, when I say that we will work dilligently toward a new path forward.”
How dare he.
The tips of my fingers dug into my thighs, through the fabric of my dress. “The curse will be our number one priority, and we will not stop until we find a way to lift it and restore the life the generations before us speak of with fondness.”
My blood boiled beneath the surface, and I couldn’t stop myself from surging to my feet and staring him down as my hands flattened against the table.
I didn’t recognize the cold, venomous tone of my voice as I looked him in the eyes and seethed, “You most definitely cannot speak for me.”
“Siyana, sit down this instance!” my father roared as he attempted to pull me down by the sleeve of my dress.
The fabric ripped at the force in which I tugged my arm out of his grasp. My burning gaze swiveled to focus on the man who was shipping me off to our enemies, without even having the decency to discuss it with me beforehand.
Never before had I realized just how little my voice, wants, and needs mattered to my father. The bar had been low in my mind, but to be happily handed over to the beasts that have historically terrorized us, for the off chance that it may eventually bring peace?
My head shook of its own accord as a dark laugh bubbled out of me. “Is this an order from my king, or my father?”
His lips thinned, and for the briefest of moments, I thought I saw a flicker of shame or remorse in his gaze, but then it was gone. “Both.”
The room was completely silent as I turned to look at the beast my body had been promised to. I found him studying me with open curiosity as I asked, “And what if I refuse?”
A chuff came from him, sounding almost as if his beast was trying to laugh from within. His broad shoulders shrugged, his voice tinged with amusement as he answered, “You can’t. The marriage certificate was already signed by myself and your father, prior to your arrival.”
It was like a bag of stones had been tossed into my gut.
The fight bled out of me and my eyes fell to the table as I struggled to wrap my mind around his words. Marriage certificate. Signed.
My eyes drifted back up toward the monster my fate was now tied to, and the predatory grin that I found on his face had my blood icing over.
“Hello, wife.”
Chapter Four
SIYANA
