chapter eight
Angered wasn’t the right word.
Despised, repulsed, absolute unfiltered enragement? That was close, but came nowhere near the level of disgust she felt toward Ceyden in that moment. He planned this. There was not a doubt in her mind that the vial being passed around by the guard belonged to Ceyden, and that this was all tied to her leaving him in the dust only a few days back.
I knew he was a brat, but I never realized he could be a monster as well...
“You...” Thea’s voice rumbled with anger, vibrating her throat and curling her toes as she fought the urge to punch him in his perfect teeth.
“Hello, Thea,” Ceyden said with a fake sympathy that only rattled her further. “I’m so sorry you had to see this. I was planning to come tell you the heartbreaking news in person. Perhaps we should step aside and let the guard deal with this mess while we talk in private?”
Thea bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood, barely managing a nod as she glanced back one final time at her father, who was now being bound in chains. This was so wrong, but he had better believe they were going to talk about it.
“Yes,” she hissed between her grinding teeth.
Ceyden guided her around the back of the courthouse, removing them from prying eyes and giving them a dangerous amount of privacy. Thea’s father may not have been an attempted murderer, but Thea was certainly considering becoming one now that she was alone with Ceyden.
“Here we are,” Ceyden said as he confirmed they were fully away from prying eyes and ears. “Now that we’re alone, why don’t—”
Smack.
The sting across Thea’s palm was more satisfying than any other moment of her life as Ceyden reeled back, his shiny eyes dazed and blinking, a red imprint of her hand brightening his cheek.
“What have you done!?” Thea asked, storming forward and causing Ceyden to stumble back a step before she could land another hit. “You framed my father because I refused to marry you! Didn’t you!?”
“Now, T-Thea,” Ceyden stammered, his hand still pressed to his swelling cheek. “I know this entire affair may have come as a shock to you, but there’s no need to—”
“A shock!?” Thea smacked her fists to her sides. “How about a betrayal? Ceyden, what you have done could get my father sent into the labyrinth. I know you and I have had our differences, but that man out there is innocent, and kind, and has five daughters to look after. Did you even once stop to consider how this could impact them, too?”
Ceyden opened his mouth to reply, but Thea wasn’t done yet. She was no longer his servant, and she refused to be a puppet as well. This had gone too far, and her family was not going to pay the price for it.
“And all for what!? To get back at me for refusing your advances?” Thea kicked at the dirt. “Why Ceyden? Why would you do this to me if you ever cared about me at all?”
“I’m here because I care!” Ceyden’s voice boomed out of him, pressed in for too long before finally being set free. “Thea, I don’t know what you’re insinuating , but all I did was report a crime that I witnessed.”
You filthy liar...
“I bet your father was worried he wouldn’t be able to pay for his taxes, so he thought this was the only way to protect you and your sisters,” Ceyden continued.
“You dare claim my father would have attempted to poison yours?” Thea seethed, her blood boiling hotter than the depths of Tarteron.
“I can only claim what I saw happened,” Ceyden said, his voice growing dark as he inspected his cheek in a reflective puddle before meeting Thea’s eyes again. “However... I suppose I could have always seen something else...”
I knew this was coming.
“What you saw was falsified,” Thea said.
“Perhaps...” Ceyden agreed. “Perhaps I mistook another man for your father? It’s hard to say for sure. I suppose I could think clearer if I wasn’t so troubled with your recent rejection of my advances.”
“You pig,” Thea spat.
“Easy now. That’s not very ladylike, now is it?”
“Fine, you swine .” Thea itched to hit him with more than a slap. He needed a few teeth knocked loose to really understand how she would always despise him for this.
“Theabelle, I understand you’re upset—”
“Upset!? No, Ceyden, I’m not upset.” Thea stomped in front of him, forcing his eyes to look into the fire raging in her unmagical soul. “I was upset when you threatened my job. I was upset when you didn’t take no for an answer. Now, I’m unreasonable. If you take my father from me, there is nothing stopping me from clawing your eyes out.”
Ceyden met Thea’s gaze, his eyes flickering with his magic, as if he was trying to overpower her with the reminder that he was divine. It wouldn’t work on her, but it did plenty to fuel Ceyden’s confidence.
“You still have your sisters,” Ceyden said in a frosty tone that simmered a touch of Thea’s flames.
“They’re resourceful, they don’t need me,” Thea said, trying to force herself to believe it was true. Her sisters were intelligent. They could get by without her, but the bigger question was, could Thea forgive herself if she did something that would force them to support themselves?
Like murder a young divine one...
“Is that so?” Ceyden asked, stepping back as he glanced around the corner of the courthouse, smirking at the scene he had so deviously crafted. “Just like your father handled himself today? Thea, you never know what kind of misfortunate can fall upon a family. I’d hate to see something happen to anyone else...”
“Is that a threat!?” Thea couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What Ceyden was implying was even more horrid than the pits of Tarteron. He could make the king of the dead look like a saint.
“A threat? Of course not, Theabelle. This is an offer ,” Ceyden said in a calm voice that sounded like a charmer who was trying to tame a viper. “I know I’ve already extended this opportunity to you, but I don’t think you were in the position to fully appreciate it last time. Marry me, Theabelle. Marry me, and I will protect those sweet little sisters of yours and pull them from the streets before any other mishaps can befall your family. As for your father... Perhaps I saw him try to poison my father’s drink, or perhaps I was mistaken.”
This couldn’t be real. Divine ones had always had nasty ways of getting what they wanted, but Thea had always assumed there was still some humanity within them. The term divine one felt like such a pretty mask when wicked one fit so much better.
“You can’t make me marry you, Ceyden,” Thea said firmly, her legs shaking with pent-up rage.
“You’re right, I can’t,” Ceyden agreed, his eyes darkening as he tilted his chin to glare at the quaking mortal. “But I can’t save your father, either. Only you can.”
The rattle of wagon wheels alerted Thea, and she pushed past Ceyden to look back around at the front of the courthouse. She could barely get a glimpse of the wooden cage, mounted on wobbly wheels as a horse mounted by a knight pulled it through the crowd. Thea’s stomach dropped, her entire world spinning as she locked onto her father’s shrouded form, chained at the bottom of the cage.
“No...” Thea cupped a hand over her quivering lips. She wouldn’t cry, not while Ceyden was watching.
“You know where to find me when you’ve made a real decision,” Ceyden brushed his lips past her ear, her skin crawling from the touch. “The labyrinth gates are scheduled to open in three days. I’d recommend finding me before then.”