AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The question was so absurd I laughed, a laugh that quickly dissipated when those eerie green eyes turned back to me. “I beg your pardon, Sire. I had just thought your entire purpose in keeping me here was to torture me. I had no idea I should be happy here.”
Theron chuckled. “Torture.” He considered the word for a moment, swinging the glass in his hand lightly back and forth between his fingers. “I do not mean to torture you, Elara. I mean to motivate you.”
“Motivate me to what end?”
“Why, to become my wife of course.” The easy smile that spread across his face at the words made my mouth run dry. My face must have betrayed my shock, because his eyes roved over it, his eyebrow lifting. “There are conditions to this bargain, Elara. If you marry me, and live as my wife, all thistorturewill see an end.”
“I had thought the conditions of this bargain were that I should win back my freedom.”
“Bargains can change.” Theron’s voice dropped low. “I think only of your happiness.”
I cleared my throat. “So I shall live my life as a captive no matter what.”
“If you wish to see it so, then yes.” Theron sighed, shaking his head, suddenly seeming exasperated. He stepped closer to me, and gazed down at me. He raised a hand to my shoulder, resting it there gently. “I am not a monster, Elara. I would be a good husband to you.”
“But I would never be free.”
Theron’s eyes narrowed. “What is freedom, dear one? Returning home to a land in ruin? Being sold off by your pathetic father to some foreign prince, to share his bed until you’ve produced an heir, and then never be looked at again?” He raised a finger to my cheek, stroking it gently, and my blood ran cold. “I would be a caring, decent husband. Nothing like my father was.” He spread his wings and curled them around us, cocooning us in. “No, I would treat you like the Queen you are. I would share your bed every night, and never make you regret a single moment you lay naked in my arms.”
My throat constricted, almost painfully, as I looked up into his green eyes. Sweat began to form on the back of my neck again. The very idea of being naked in Theron’s arms made my stomach churn.
Theron lowered his mouth to mine a little more. “You would look so beautiful,” he said, reaching out and brushing his fingers over my stomach, “round and swollen with my child.”
I ceased to breathe for a moment. “Your child?” It was all I could manage to get out as sheer terror kept me frozen in the rustling prison of his wings.
“Why of course, dear one.” He grazed my cheek with his lips. “The Heir to my throne.”
I was going to be sick. I inhaled sharply. “When will you announce the next trial?”
A flash of irritation burst across his face, but then he grinned, his eyes hooded, like a striking viper. He raised an eyebrow, and gripped the side of my face with a firm hand, tilting my head back. “You are so determined, aren’t you?” His thumb caressed my cheek. “So brave. So fierce. And so, so stupid.” His thumb moved further, tracing over my lower lip, his eyes coming to rest there too. “It could all be so easy, Elara.”
“You and I have a very different definition of easy.”
Theron chuckled. “We do indeed.” He lowered his mouth to my ear. “You are a sight to behold down in that arena, fighting on so bravely.” He pulled back a little so he could look into my eyes. “I will have to be more creative, I think.”
I mustered the last bit of bravery I had and steeled my gaze. “I am not afraid of you.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “It’s such a shame you’re so stubborn.” He grinned widely, baring his white teeth. “All that fire, that ferocity. I imagine you would provide me with a great deal of pleasure in my bed.” With a loud whoosh, his wings were drawn in at his back. “Do come inside when you’re ready, dear one. I have an announcement to make.”
My hands were trembling as I watched him sidle back into the banquet hall. The breath I’d tried so hard to steady was now torn from my lungs, and the weight of the situation in which I found myself fell back upon my shoulders. I’d lied when I’d said I wasn’t afraid of him - of course I was, especially now the goal was unknown. What else was there to fight for?
Keir’s face swam before me, grinning, pushing his mottled blond hair from his forehead. “You’re royally fucked,” he’d say jovially, his violet eyes sparkling. He’d said it before the battle in Grixos too.
He’d say it to me now, if he were still here, still alive. And he’d be absolutely right.
Shit.
I walked back into the hall slowly, hoping the sweat on the back of my neck wasn’t rolling down into the dress and staining the silk, betraying exactly how scared I was. I took my place beside my father, who stared at me. I looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze entirely. I saw Rook crossing the room, his gaze flickering towards me for only a moment before he took his place at a table nearby. My father tensed noticeably next to me.
Theron rose to his feet, his golden wings spread behind him. He raised his hands for silence, and all eyes in the room turned to him.
“Good people of Veles,” he said, “I welcome our royal guest, King Vayr of Peyrus.”
Polite applause sounded around the room, accompanied by displeased looks and murmuring. We were solidly on enemy ground. I dared a sideways glance at my father, and saw he had gone pale.
“The princess of Peyrus, her royal highness Princess Elara, has secured her father’s freedom, and I commend her brave and valiant efforts.” He looked down at me. “I do understand the trial was quite difficult, such a limited time, even for one as fast as you.” He shook his head sadly. “That poor child.”
My stomach lurched, and my fingers clawed into the silk skirt over my thighs. My eyes moved over to Rook, whose gaze was fixed on me. He gave me a brief nod as he sensed my distress. I took a deep breath, keeping my eyes on him as Theron continued to talk.
