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I lunge. I don’t even think. Screaming, I kick, punch and when I get the chance, I bite, completely feral. It takes me a while to notice that Doplov is laughing. None of my blows land. My teeth might be stained with dark blood, but my sole satisfaction is the taste of bitter salt on my tongue. He’s already healed.
“Can we get this over this?” Lucyan sounds entirely bored. “Get her under control so we can get back to business.”
They’re both looking at me like I’m nothing more than a misbehaving puppy.
“I think not, Lucyan. I’m going to enjoy our guest until your son comes.”
The woman sighs, exasperated. “Fine. Do what you want with this one, but once we’re wed, I expect you to take precautions. I don’t want a litter of bastards contesting our child’s right to the throne.”
My eyes cut to her.
“Why, yes, whore, you’re the first to hear the happy news. Alev and I are to unite Nyxar and Allea, and after us, our child will take over the world.”
I shake my head in disbelief. If she thinks this man will share anything with her once he gets what he wants, she’s more naive than I ever was.
Lucyan smiles smugly and cups her stomach. I notice a small bump. So, that’s her card—she’s pregnant and intends to use it to keep her head, and earn a kingdom. Well, two.
“And you’d let him rape women as a pastime?” I snap, disgusted. He made his intention clear, and she’s utterly indifferent. As a woman who lived through such an ordeal, I can hardly believe she’d allow it.
“Well, women, no. Whores are another matter altogether. Try not to enjoy yourself too much,” she says, to me rather than him, before heading out of doors.
Fuck this.
I run toward the open window and jump.
47
RHEA
Sharp pain reverberates through my entire body as I crash with a hollow thud. My head hits the pavement and I lose focus. I don’t know for how long. When my eyes flutter open, I can barely see, and my ears ring.
Boots. Boots approach.
“Take her!” The words are distant, as if I’m hearing them through water, or in a dream. “She’s a spy! Nyxar corrupted her. Take her!”
I have to move, I should run. Get to Shoal. I should—
Somebody scoops me up before I get the chance to even attempt to flee. Sobbing, I flail against them. They’re going to take me back to him. He’s going to—
“Rhea!”
I snap to focus. I know this voice.
“It’s me. Stop struggling. We have to go before they close the gate.”
All of a sudden, I’m sobbing harder yet, all fight leaving me. Alrion. I can’t believe he’s here. I can’t believe he’d come for me, after the way I treated him, after the fact that I came here to warn his enemy. Our enemy. I am never making a single decision ever again, if I live through today. I’m clearly terrible at it.
My friend lifts me up, throwing me across his horse—Doryn’s horse—and whistle. Folia immediately set out at a run. “Alrion!” I scream, trying to straighten up to look back.
My body’s too weak and broken to move much more than an inch.
He’s running toward Shoal at the keep. I watch him untie him and leap in the saddle before an arrow pierces his back.
No.
No, no, no, no.
We pass the gate, then the drawbridge just as they start to close it.
