I ripped my arm from his hold and stepped out from behind him, putting myself on display.
Beaumont beamed, though it was not a welcoming smile. He lowered his sword from Sebastian’s throat and directed his posture towards me. His gaze immediately dropped to the pearlescent markings on my arms and he followed them up until he met my face.
“Those must be new. Lucan never mentioned that you had such power.”
My eyebrow quirked. “You know what these are?” I asked, saying my first ever words to the powerhouse of a man before me.
“Of course I do. The mark of a god—” He cut himself off to correct himself, “Actually, by the design, I can only assume it's the mark of agoddess. Only those truly blessed will ever receive such a gift. Blythe must really cherish you, granting you such a rare jewel along with that mark.”
I noticed the tense of the word ‘cherish’ when he spoke ofBlythe. He had no idea that the prophecy had already played out.
“What does it mean?” I asked—genuinely curious, but also trying to buy us some time.
“According to ancient history, those with a mark have even greater powers than those with just a jewel. In your case, though, I think it means more than that.” He inched closer to me, bending down into my neck. “I would love to find out more about you, if you’ll allow me,” he purred, trailing a finger along my earlobe.
It was a risky move, but I jammed my elbow into the space between his armor, hitting him hard in the ribcage.
He jumped back and winked at me. “Feisty—just as I predicted.”
Beaumont took an additional few steps back to address my friends. “We have already gained control of most of the castle grounds. Soon the fortress in its entirety will be nothing more than a pile of wreckage, so I present you all with an opportunity that I'm sure you will not want to pass up.”
I glanced over at Sebastian. He shook his head in a subtle reminder to deny anything that the king of Draemor offered.
Beaumont cleared his throat, then directed his words at me. “I know you have denied my offers in the past, but I'm feeling…generous. So let's raise the stakes, shall we?” He peered over at Sebastian, smiling coldly before turning his gaze back to me. “You come with me and become my wife, and in return I will allow you to bring yourfriendsalong. I will keep you all safe and fed. In the meantime, you and I will work together to discover the extent of your gift.”
“That's it? I thought you wanted tobreedme?” I quoted one of his soldiers.
I heard Sebastian's gulp from behind me, confirming that the claim was one of the many he heard in Craterra.
“You are quite stunning I shall say, soyes, intimacy would be part of the arrangement. I would love to test the limits of the gods’ gifts.”
I pretended to gag, eliciting a scowl from Cyprian.
“Should you deny again, I will execute your friends while you watch. Then, I will cut a slab of skin off of your face, thus removing your jewels before leaving you for my soldiers to do with whatever they please before they kill you. And I should remind you that many of them haven't been near a woman in quite some time.”
His words were so harsh. So cruel, that they made meactuallygag.
Cyprian noticed my weak stomach, and huffed a laugh. “I know what you're thinking,Cyprian, that's absolutely horrific. How could you do such a thing?” he mocked, imitating a female voice. His eyes narrowed as he stormed towards me, blade angled in my direction. “Here's the thing, I've asked politely for what I want, and it has gotten me nowhere. I am done asking. Those are your options, choose wisely.”
“And how could I be sure that you would be honorable with your offer?”
“I suppose you just have to take my word for it.”
“Well you seem to have a history of being a liar, so your word doesn't mean much,” I shot back.
Cyprian chuckled. “Feistyandsarcastic. I like it.” He leaned in closer to me, his breath warming my neck. “I don't have all day, and neither do you. Make up your mind.”
My gaze flickered between my friends. If I said yes to the king's plea, I knew it would not turn out how he claimed it would. The king of Draemor was such a sadistic fuck that he made Aldous Hawthorne look like a saint.
I caught Sebastian's gaze, giving him the slightest nod, which he repeated back to me in understanding.
Looking up at the king, I met his dark, soulless expression with my own empty gaze. Leaning closer to him, I pointed my lips at his ear. “Such a considerate offer,” I whispered breathilyinto him, matching the flirtatious tone he used with me. “Butfor the last fucking time, I’m not going with you.” As soon as the words rolled off my tongue, I flicked my wrist, stabbing my dagger into his thigh.
The toxin had been cleaned out on my last opponent, but Beaumont still jumped back in pain, cursing as blood spurted from the gash in his leg. He growled at me, his eyebrows sinking into his forehead. Then, all hell broke loose.
The Draemornian soldiers drew their weapons and lunged at us. I jumped backwards a few feet, putting enough distance between the king and I so that he couldn't reach me as he drew his own sword.
Sebastian met me where I stood, putting his back to me as the Draemornians swarmed in. Sawyer took up residence by my front, their bodies blocking the soldiers from reaching me.
