Gratitude flickered, bitter and thin, that my body did not belong to me at that moment. Fear coursed through my veins, leaving my limbs aching with the need to tremble.
“You want to know,” I hissed. “My blood—does it hold power? Every answer sits right here.”
“And if I am wrong,” he murmured, relaxing into my embrace, nose tracing over torn skin, “I forfeit the treaty that grants me the known world. I need him—and your body.”
“He would never know.” The words slid between us, my mouth brushing the shell of his ear. “I wouldn’t tell him.”
Tallon twisted my posture, unknowingly shielding our exchange, convinced in his arrogance that the king succumbed to carnal lust.
“Where does the queen of Radaan stand in this?” His lips grazed my skin while his gaze tracked the Velli across the table. “Sunspear is no fool. He would not wed a simple, foolish girl.”
“Simple, no. Selfish, yes. Protect me. Don’t let him break me. Let me see the sky again. Grant me favor.”
“Bribes and treats?” A low chuckle vibrated through his chest. “A spoiled princess, Nienna.”
My fingers slid into his hair, silk strands winding around my knuckles. “Kallias won’t cross the Craggs.” The lie scraped across my tongue, tasting bitter and ashy. “I will die here. Don’t make me suffer for it.”
He leaned back, lids lowering in a parody of desire. Calculation sharpened his stillness, each breath measured. “If I cannot summon the dragons, that leaves–”
The rest vanished beneath a roar, a deep ringing in my ears. Hope detonated within my soul, fierce and blinding, cutting through dread.
Dragons.
I flung my mind open, reaching as though Gyrak might pour his magic into my veins. Panic sharpened the call, sending it racing outward, wild and desperate.
“What say you, Queen of Radaan?”
“Take me to the stars tomorrow, and I will offer myself.”
His grin split wide, filed teeth flashing in a sick smile. “Now we play his game.” He rose in one swift motion, hands gripping beneath my thighs. Using my rear, he knocked plates aside. Crystal shattered as his wine toppled.
Laughter thundered throughout the room when he pressed me flat against the wood. His hips pinned mine, the fabric of his trousers grinding against tender flesh like stone dragged across skin. Tallon forced my legs around the king’s waist, hauling him closer.
Helpless tears rimmed my eyes, hot and blinding.
A game. It was all a game. I was just one piece doing my part.
Deimos’ mouth crushed against mine—and my head wrenched aside, cheek striking rough timber.
“I’ve seen your teeth, Deimos!” Tallon crowed. “Nice try!”
My vision swam, tears carving hot tracks down my face, a more exquisite torment than the fire lashing my back.
Kallias would come for me. Sea beneath, he would find a way. He’d never crossed the Craggs—but for me he would. He had to.
The king rolled his hips against me. Nausea surged, thick and sour.
A game, I told myself, clinging to frayed strands of reason. They slipped through my grasp, blurring play and peril until they became one.
My body jolted on the table, nerves snarled in a lattice of pain and pressure. Through the sheen of tears, I watched servants move in and out, trays balanced, gazes lowered. This spectacle meant nothing to them. This vile display of power proved to be an everyday occurrence to them.
Cornflower-blue eyes locked onto mine.
A wild smile tugged at my mouth. Kallias would come for me—because he already had. My eyelids fell shut, and for a heartbeat I could pretend the weight above me belonged to him. His hands roamed. Warm lips pressed against my skin.
Yes, the game was built on lies, but I could let myself believe this one.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
