AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter16
Ember
“How is my bride-to-be doing?” Taranus calls out as he moves down the stairs.
Rafferty takes his place in the corner, and I curl into a ball to begin whimpering. “Help me,” I whisper. “Please.”
“What happened here?” Taranus’s question is not laced with any kind of emotion, telling me that I was right—this isexactlywhat he’d been hoping for. Time to put those two years of drama in high school to work.
“He attacked me. He’s enraged. I don’t know why. Please. I’ll do anything, just get me out of here.”
“Roll over,” Taranus orders.
I do as he said and have to force myself to hide the joy I feel at the uncomfortable look on his face. I’m assuming the blood Rafferty caked all over my cheek did the trick.
“What did he do to you?” Taranus questions.
“He shoved me into the wall. I can feel the blood. Is there blood?” Reaching up, I touch my fingers to the scratch he’d forced me to give myself. I wince. “Shit, that hurts.” I manage to get on all fours and crawl toward the bars. “Please, I promise to do as you wish. Just don’t make me stay down here anymore.”
Taranus cocks his head to the side and studies Rafferty, who has played his silent part far too well. “I suppose it’s time for you to get some aid, wouldn’t you say, big brother?”
“Come in here and try.” His words are a dare—bait—but Taranus isn’t stupid. Not for all his faults.
Taranus chuckles. “I’m going to take your toy away.”
“No.”
The grin that spreads over his face is disturbing on so many levels. I’ve no doubt that if Taranus didn’t think he needed me to become the true king, he’d have left me down here. Dangling me in front of a madman like a fucking carrot.
“You have no say here.”
As if he were summoned like the evil being he is, Conary comes down the steps and stops beside his king. “What have we here?”
“Rafferty has enjoyed his new toy long enough. I can’t have her bruised for the wedding.” He kneels beside the bars. “I am rather enjoying this outfit you’ve found yourself in. Tell me, Ember, are you ready to behave?”
I sniffle again, continuing to let my tears fall as I nod frantically. “Yes. I’m sorry. Please, just let me go back to my room.”
“Very well.” He snaps his fingers, and Conary removes his sword before unlocking the bars. “Come out, then.”
I try to remind myself to keep up the ruse as I move forward toward the monsters waiting for me outside. As soon as I’m close enough, Conary grabs my hair and drags me forward then slams the bars closed behind me. When I glance back at Rafferty, he’s watching me carefully, eyes never straying from my face. Taranus pulls me toward the stairs, so I force myself to look away from the man behind me and focus on tricking the one in front of me.
At least, long enough that I can get the key, free Rafferty, and get the hell out of this place for good.
We move through the castle quickly, taking hallways I didn’t know existed until we’re standing in front of my room. Conary steps around to open my door, and Taranus walks inside with me. Within moments, we’re alone in my bedroom.
I shove my nerves down, and my stomach churns with his promise that I’d have no choice but to go to bed with him.
“Easy, human, I have no intention of bedding you today.” It’s not until he says that, that I realize I was staring at the bed.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“You needed a lesson on behaving. Was my brother not kind to you?” He moves farther into the space, walking to the window and staring out before turning back to me.
If I ran really, really fast, I bet I could push him hard enough to topple over the balcony. Problem is, if he’s like the others, the bastard can fly. “Does it look like he was?”
Taranus nods. “That is a fair point. I know you view me as a monster, Ember, but I am not the villain in this story.”
Not in yours, anyway.“You killed Flora and locked me in a cell.”
