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Razak’s glare caught mine. His hand locked around my neck. He held me up and smiled. “There’s your fire.”
The next blow tore consciousness away.
* * *
Razak lay beside me,his purple silk gown untied, revealing his nakedness beneath. His eyes were glassy from the pennywort he smoked from a slim black pipe pinched between his fingers. He hadn’t spoken since I’d regained consciousness, but his small smile suggested he was content, for now.
I shifted, naked beneath the sheet. The ghost of his fingers burned in places I had no memory of him touching.
This was nothing new. But the bars at the windows seemed different today. I couldn’t place why. It was still raining, wasn’t it? I tried to twist onto my side to get a better look. My right wrist snapped taut to the bedpost—a steel cuff held me on a short chain.
“Justice has come to question me,” Razak said, drawing my attention back to him. “Imagine that. They think they hold sway over my actions.” He placed the pipe between his lips and drew the pennywort deep inside, then blew the sweet smoke toward the ceiling. “They are all fools.”
“Do they wish to speak with me?” My voice sounded rougher than I’d expected. With my free hand—my left—I stroked my neck. Prickly heat burned under my touch. I’d been choked.
“Why would they want to speak to you?”
I swallowed, softening my voice. “They’ll know it was me who undermined Love’s court.”
“But it wasn’tyou,brother, it was me.” He smiled and moved from the bed. His purple silk gown billowed like a cloak. He was graceful, slim and quick, like our father.
He plucked his crown—just a prince’s crown, not the king’s— from the hatstand and planted it on his head, then smirked and propped his ass at the windowsill. Rain streamed down the panes, like it always did. He drew on his pipe and sighed. “It’s a shame the queen herself won’t come. I’d be delighted to liberate her from the weight of her crown.”
Justice would never be so reckless, not after seeing Love fall. The Court of Justice would be Razak’s most challenging foe, Queen Soliel especially. Despite his talk, she was no fool and could be as ruthless as him.
If I could speak with one of their representatives, just a few words, I could tell them about Razak’s crowns… I didn’t know much, but perhaps enough for them to piece together what eluded me: Why Razak was doing this. The council had talked of four crowns, of their significance. He did have a motive for all this, it wasn’t mere madness.
“Perhaps I should wrap you in a pretty little bow and gift you to him?”
My thoughts jarred. We were no longer talking about Justice. “Who?”
“Arin, of course. Who else? Certainly not the worthless warlord he’s joining with. Such a strange pairing, obviously political. The warlord has balls, marrying a prince. Albeit one without power. I can’t decide if Arin is as naïve as he appears, or if he’s trying to outmaneuver me. Naturally, he’ll fail.”
“Naturally.” I flopped my head back onto the pillow. WhatwasArin doing? Love was neighbors with War, but they’d never truly gotten along. Nobody got along with War.
“Are you concerned they care for each other?” Razak asked.
Was I? Even if I was, it didn’t matter. “No.”
“Hm, someone has captured the Prince of Love’s heart. He wore it so obviously on his sleeve that I’m almost embarrassed for him.”
“Arin is of no concern of mine.” I sounded so sure I almost believed it. I propped myself up on my elbows and met my half-brother’s smirk. “Shall I dance for Justice?”
He faced the window, drew in a lungful of pennywort, and exhaled through his nose. “I think not. You’ll stay here.”
Here… cuffed to his bed, to return to when he was done with Justice and wanted an asshole to fuck. I hid my sneer. If he wasn’t going to let me out, I’d have to find a way to escape the cuffs. Pick the lock, perhaps. To do that, I’d need wire. The bed was all soft silks and feathered down. The lamp beside the bed had a wire-rimmed shade. If I could somehow dismantle it, the wire might be flexible enough…
“But I might take you to the Court of War, parade you in front of Arin on his joining day,” Razak said.
“You’re going?” That seemed like a mistake. Arin had already tried to kill Razak. Surely, Arin wanted him to leave his lands, where he was protected. And Draven… While he wasn’t the brightest, he’d know how to swing an axe and take a head. Arin and Draven together might make a real threat.
“It’ll be worth the risk, to see his face.” Razak sauntered back to the bed. The amethyst gems in his lopsided crown glinted. He flicked the sheet back and his heavy-lidded gaze swept across my nakedness, raking my soul. “I doubt he’ll ever get over you. Men like that, they mate for life.One true love,and all that shit. You were hisLark. I bet he told himself it was just sex?”
Perhaps. I had. Although, Razak’s assessment was flawed. Arin didn’t care for me. “You’ve taken his court, his family, his life. Some might say that’s enough?”
He laughed. “Enough? No, not for him. Prince Arin’s heart is stronger than it seems.” He pointed the pipe at me. “And you’re going to help me carve it out of his chest.”
No, I wouldn’t. But I smiled like I would. I’d lie, fuck, and cheat for another chance to escape Razak’s court. But I wouldn’t ever hurt Arin again—I’d hurt him enough.
