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Something in his voice prickles my skin, raising gooseflesh, and an icy shiver traces my spine. The king bends to press a soft kiss to my lips. When he draws back, I keep my eyes shut until his thumb tenderly strokes my cheek. Gathering the courage, I meet his gaze. Those blue eyes are hardening by the second as if it’s the last look he’ll get.
“Even though it’s not an heir, our child will serve this kingdom well.”
It’s assuring to hear him say that, but I’m keenly aware of what it means—of what our child will be expected to do.
“In marriage, you mean.” My words are hardly a whisper. I’ve seen the king’s gauntlet once. I know it’s a tradition meant to unite the clans within our realm. As brutal as it may be, that’s what it takes to make monsters fall in line. Without the gauntlets, and without the clans swearing fealty, it would be chaos. The realm would go to war.
“There’s more, my king,” the oracle hisses, drawing out the last syllable of each word.
“What.” The king steps away, lifting his chin in a show of strength.
“This will be your last child for at least two thousand cycles of the hell flame. Until then, they’ll be dead before they draw breath.” The oracle crooks a finger toward my stomach.
“Very well. Your services are no longer required.”
The oracle nods and he’s escorted out by one of the royal mages guarding the door.
“Vezler, grab the healers.” The king spins to face the young druid still left in the room. He’s new, and barely made the age to join the royal guard last month. Why do we need the healers?
“Is someone hurt, my king?” The young man’s gaze pans around the room, concern creasing his brow.
“No, but we do have a baby to deliver.”
I nearly snap my neck, furrowing my brows as my mind whirls to understand what is happening. He can’t truly be considering… Dropping my gaze to the marble floors, I search for a possible explanation, something other than the one rearing to the front of my mind. The pit in my stomach settles deeper when I come up empty-handed.
“It’s early. I won’t be full term for another week,” I say, trying to keep my breath calm and collected even though every sense has heightened.
“We’ve delivered healthy babies sooner.” The king doesn’t so much as look at me as he moves toward the door.
“You don’t have to risk this. You heard the oracle, my king. There won’t be another viable child for two-thousand cycles of the hell flame. Why rush to the experiments now?”
He halts in the archways, pursing his lips before finally giving me his undivided attention. “I’m not, but I have no need for you. Should you wish to be a surrogate again, you can in twenty years. It would be pointless to do so now.”
My heart plummets as the fragile grip I have on my composure breaks. Tears flood my eyes as I lurch from the chair, only to be snatched up by the healers who file past him. Their steps are in unison, echoing off the vaulted ceiling. The king doesn’t stop them, nor does he show a single thread of remorse.
“Who will raise our daughter?”
“I have a staff for that. She’ll be raised like all the others have been.”
Shrugging off the hands that try to drag me toward the bed, I straighten my shoulders. “I thought you cared.”
“You needed to believe I did.”
The room is deathly silent except for the shuffle of footsteps as the healers and magic users gear up for what comes next. The two who tried to drag me away are all but frozen on either side of me.
“I didn’t need anything from you except for food. I was starving because you made me an orphan.”
“No. Your parents did the moment they stole from the castle. You’ve fulfilled your purpose, and now it’s time that you move on. That is what you signed up for. Whatever fantasy you’ve concocted is just that.”
“You kissed me.” I take a step forward, closing the distance between us. “You held me in your arms at night, allowed me to oversee your castle…I’ve been your queen in every way but in title. It’s not a fantasy or some twisted dream. If it was all a lie, then you pretended to care for months. Why?”
“It was an experiment.”
I halt, cementing my feet to the marble, innately aware that the healers have moved closer along with me. “A what?” My voice cracks and my stomach flips as I swallow down the urge to scream.
“I thought perhaps distress or a lack of affection was what I was missing. I thought it would get me a boy. Now, I know it has no impact.”
He won’t let me go. I’m not stupid enough to believe otherwise. The offer he made to the public has had women flocking to the castle, ready to sign up. If they knew what they were subjecting themselves to, his experiments would be over. Which means I know too much for him to just let me go.
