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Cold chills of fear slithered through her as he calmly said, “Bargain accepted.”
Chapter Three
The Darkage—kingdom of darkness and shadows.
He was a barbarian, unkind, and certainly not deferential to her as the Princess of Boreas. Each step, every uneven gait, every stumble took Saieke closer to the heart of the Darkage with a man who had killed two people with an apparent total lack of remorse. Cold bit at her, and her fractured ribs ached. Healing had already started, but she felt every bruise made by the assassins. Every time it occurred to Saieke to draw on her mantle of royal arrogance and demand a carriage, the memory of the Darkan’s chakra acted as an effective deterrent. She consoled herself by remembering that the dark ones were reviled by everyone.
Exhaustion and hunger pelted her, and not once did he query as to how she fared. The barbarian simply ordered her to follow. Saieke thought fleetingly about using the elixir around her neck, then dismissed the idea. She only needed food and rest. The healing elixir should only be used for fatal wounds.
She had not thought her bargain through, reacting with instinct. She knew the power of her kingdom’s healing elixir and had offered it like a lifeline. But how would she even get the elixir to him? She promised jars, and she had no way honoring her promise unless she returned to her kingdom. She flinched from the thought. Her plans could not be waylaid.
Had her Queen’s Blades escaped? She sent a swift prayer to the King of All that Kamu and Thyon lived. In their plans, they had prepared for the possibility of separation, but it was still hard to accept.
Icy wind whistled, the thinness of her caftan offered her no protection. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. After a few minutes of trudging faithfully behind the Darkan, her chakra glow petered, and Saieke was plunged into absolute blackness. Doubt jerked her to a stop. Where in kings’ teeth was he?
“I will go no more.” She made her voice firm. Saieke twitched as something brushed against her face.
“You rescind your bargain?”
His voice was so emotionless, Saieke shivered. “I do not, sir. You ordered me to follow. I do so without any knowledge if I travel to my death, imprisonment, or torture.”
“You think us without honor? Did you not claim life for sanctuary?” he growled.
She recoiled from the menace in the voice that whispered too close to her. “I meant no offense…I…” Fear tried to steal her thoughts. “Forgive me if I caused offense. I assure you it was unintentional. I am exhausted, hungry, and anxious about this situation. You have not shared any information as to where we travel,” she said with as much calm as she could muster.
She regretted speaking. The silence pressed in on her, suffocating. She strained to see where he was. Saieke saw nothing. Worse, she heard nothing. The insufferable barbarian.
“Say something, please,” she whispered hoarsely.
****
Drac’s beast rumbled as another burst of fear leaped from the princess. He surmised it was the darkness. It could have that effect on the senses. He did not react as her hand caught his trousers and held on with a tight grip.
It was imperative to alert Gidon of their bargain. When she uttered those words, something inside Drac had stilled. Their queen had died with hanging hopes that she would receive a swallow and it would heal her. And now, to be promised jars bordered on miraculous. It was a precious and valuable commodity the kingdom of Boreas possessed—the healing elixir. With it they had power, might, and a potent bargaining chip. It also made the kingdom susceptible to invasion in times of war.
He had to capitalize on the opportunity her panicked offer presented. He did briefly wonder why she was being pursued by Mevia, and how it was that she was so far from home. He was not even sure if she was the Princess of Boreas, as he had never been to a court outside of his kingdom’s. They needed it established and an oath drawn.
&nbs
p; The only thing Drac was sure of was the immediacy with which she fascinated him. She was beautiful, but her scent intrigued him the most—wild wind with a hint of honey. He drank in her beauty, the arch of her neck as she strained to see him, and Drac felt the instinctive lunge again inside, and he tightened his gut against the rush of feeling.
“Say something,” her gasp, husky with fear tugged at the beast buried in him.
He shifted, and the princess stumbled into him and her breath hitched. It travelled through his body, a whisper in the dark, caressing against his skin like silk. He supposed he was not treating her like a princess. Gidon would roar in rage if she were to arrive in shambles. This was an opportunity to have a kingdom in their debt, and he would exploit it mercilessly to suit their needs.
“It must be confirmed if you are the Princess of Boreas, and if you have authority to make such an honor bargain.”
Her eyes widened, almost eclipsing her face. Drac tracked the tongue that darted out to wet her lips. His cock jerked in reaction, and he had to ruthlessly contain a snarl.
“I am the princess.”
Her voice shook with anxiety. There was nothing he could do about that, so Drac wasted no time offering soothing words. She slipped her hands into the hidden folds of her caftan and withdrew her armband. She held it up with a hand that trembled, before slipping it on to her right arm. It was a gold armband filled with precious gems and rubies with her insignia as the Princess. It signified her status and power, the intricate design showing she was the heir to the throne.
Satisfaction settled in his gut. Possessing the elixir would give his people the opportunity to heal the crack in their psyche when their beasts took control. Gidon had always theorized how they could obtain one jar of the elixir. To now be promised several jars. A smile curved Drac’s lips at their fortune. It was long awaited. “I take you not to your death or torture, Princess, but to my king. If it is proven that you are the princess, you are safe.”
He knew she could not see him in the dark, yet her eyes roamed his face as if she could. Her eyes were really the purest of blue—azure blended with sapphire, and the most enthralling he had ever seen. They narrowed and a hint of anger flavored her chakra.
“And if your king determines I am not the princess?”
