Page 100 of White Raven

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Brynn lean forward, but Renyx quickly grabbed her wrist, his head shaking subtly. She stopped, knowing she couldn’t intercede, but turned away as another splinter sliced over Onyx’s torso.

“You must be punished for your disrespect. I can’t have anyone thinking they can just take what is mine and get away with it!” the king stressed. “You make me do this to you.”

Crack.

Onyx’s teeth bared, a heavy grunt escaping his lips.

Crack.

He tried to hold strong against every lash, though his body drooped lower each time, saliva spitting from his lips, blood dripping from his wounds onto the black and white tile floor.

Crack.

My head spun with nausea, vomit pooling in my gut. His frame started to tremble and sway, his grunts of agony coming out louder.

Crack.

“Stop!” I screamed, moving for him before my mind registered my action. “Please, stop!”

Bjørn jumped for me, blocking me before I could get between Onyx and the whip.

The king reared at my voice, pulling back, blinking at me with shock. The room went silent, tension weaving fearfully through the air.

“You think you can interfere with how I discipline my soldiers?” King Helvig’s tone was neutral but vibrated with danger. He strolled for me, the whip trailing blood over the floor as it dragged behind him. He stopped, his boots hitting my toes, his eyes going between mine. “You dare interrupt your king?”

“You’re not my king.”

He stared for a long time, and I waited for the strike to come, the same type of punishment my father deemed necessary when I challenged or embarrassed him in public.

However, Gavric tipped his head back, a full laugh rebounding off the ceiling, startling me.

“Already acting like my wife?” The playful glint was back in his eyes, but now I could see there was a fine line between amusement and fury. “I love your spirit, and I hope I find that fight in other areas.” His thumb tugged at my bottom lip, parting my lips, his own mouth coming a breath away. “For you, my beautiful dove, I will ignore your insolence this time but if you interrupt me again, I will have to punish you for everyone to see.”

He stepped back, his mood shifting again, speaking to the room. “The return of my Hunters deserves a party!” He clapped his hands together. “Summon the seeress for tomorrow night’s festivities.” He spoke to no one in particular, but one of his female thralls dashed off instantly. “And take her to the queen’s rooms. Make sure she is scrubbed clean and flawless. I will not bed a dirty urchin.”

Thralls I hadn’t seen swarmed around me like bees, tugging me toward an exit. Stumbling, I twisted my head back as they escorted me away, my attention falling on Onyx.

His dark gaze pointed down, purposely not meeting mine, his chest heaving. Red trails trickled down his arm, reaching his hand. He flexed his fingers as the blood settled into the space between his thumb and finger, the one with the matching ink. His eyes closed, like he was in agony or finally finding relief.

Most likely the latter. The hersir of the Night Hunters had fulfilled his duty. Handed me off to the Night King.

I was no longer his problem.

“You will be staying here.” A woman frowned, opening a large wooden door, her gaze not hiding her aversion of me. She was short and fuller, grey hair hinting through her dark braided hair. She motioned me in, her abrupt personality reminding me of my handmaiden, Elvina, flooding my throat with homesickness.

Swallowing it back, I stepped in, my lips parting. The large room was painted deep red, adorned with paintings and tapestries. One wall had three curved stained-glass windows, the moonlight causing them to glow with life, spilling across the red rug. A large fireplace burned with heat on my right, while against the opposite wall a massive four-poster bed I’d have to take a running leap to get onto was draped in red curtains and engulfed in fur blankets. There were two large armoires on different walls, a trunk at the end of the bed, and a writing desk and chair under the window.

“This is my room?” I muttered, spinning in a slow circle, taking everything in. I’d expected a dungeon or thrall’s quarters.

“This is destined to be the queen’s rooms.” The woman’s nose wrinkled, clearly implying I was not good enough for the position. “But this is where he wants you.”

I turned to face her, seeing that the thralls who had escorted me here had been replaced by two guards in dark brown leather uniforms, their belts loaded with swords and blades.

“So, not freely here.” I folded my arms, nodding to them.

The woman frowned again.

“There is no reason for you to leave your chamber. You will have everything you need brought to you.” Her skirts swished along the carpets as she stomped to a door next to the hearth. “This is your private bath.” She swung it open. A chandelier floated above the tub and privy, light from the two-sided fireplace warming the space. “I will send in your handmaidens to fill the tub and get you clean.” Her gaze flickered down me in disgust. “Looks like I will need extra soap and scrub brushes.”