37. Chapter 37
Chapter 37
W ith her mind made up, a cold, determined fury replaced the white-hot anger as she prepared to throw herself at the mercy of the Illithiana princes. It didn’t matter which one. She’d attempt to bargain with whoever she found first. If they disagreed, she’d unleash her darkness.
No matter how she spun it, this option, however awful, still gave her the best chance at survival. Both would likely kill her if she attacked, either by Saevel’s shifting or Kiran’s magic, but maybe they would be cowed enough to agree or curious enough to keep her alive for longer.
If she died by their hand, at least she had some semblance of control over her life and death.
The manservant, Jai, showed her to a bedroom. Instead of breezing coolly inside with a mask of indifference, as she’d planned, she was caught immensely off guard by the sight in front of her and stood awkwardly, blinking in surprise.
There was no sign of Saevel, but Kiran lounged naked on the bed.
Despite feeding earlier, searing heat spread from her belly to her chest as she watched on unapologetically. Imani truly understood then why people hated and even feared her kind so much—feeling a soul draw consume your body was a blissful torture.
At least males couldn’t use compulsion. No one knew why male elves hadn’t evolved to possess the particular skill, but Imani was eternally grateful.
A green-haired trow pixie, naked with her wings spread wide, crawled down his body, moving her mouth around his cock.
Imani’s breath picked up, and she clenched her hand around her wand. Insane thoughts swirled around her mind, wishing it was her on the bed instead.
In the tangle of arms and legs, another pixie crawled up his body, leisurely kissing up his throat with blue hair Imani would recognize anywhere. What was Esa doing here … again ?
Did Kiran and Esa have some agreement around feeding like she and Tanyl? It could mean emotions were involved, but it could also only mean business.
Still, she was at her wit’s end. With his draw controlling her, shocking rage quickly replaced her surprise. A sudden, base urge to tear out every blue strand of hair from Esa’s head rose in Imani. Her lip curled in feral disgust as her magic urged her on. Kill. Kill. Kill .
The fire dimmed, and the scones shrank to nothing. The light in the room flickered in and out for a few seconds. Unbound and wild, shadows clouded her vision. Tears burned her throat, and Imani hated them—hated this glaring weakness.
This. This was exactly what her grandmother had meant when she’d said Imani was a monster. This was what Meira had meant about Imani potentially losing control again. It had simmered for months now, rearing its head since her magic had returned, but exhaustion and Kiran’s draw had to be sending her into a tailspin.
Fighting the magic to stay inside, she clamped down on it with considerable effort and stood frozen, staring daggers at the bed, unable to leave. Unable to stop torturing herself.
The other female kissed Kiran’s mouth. Imani stifled a low snarl threatening in her chest.
Snapping his gaze to her at the sound, Kiran’s unnatural eyes glowed in the dim light. He tilted his head to the side while they stared at each other for another moment. His mouth tipped up into a tiny, infuriating smile.
After everything she’d been through tonight, being toyed with ripped away the last of her patience. Imani was finished with this nonsense. She turned on her heel to take her chances with Saevel. Any binding Kiran had cast on him had lifted when the assessments had ended, so she could touch him now. Have sex with him, even.
“Everyone out.”
The soft command from him stopped Imani halfway to the door.
It wasn’t meant for her.
With a slow turn, she slid her eyes shut as she took a few composing breaths.
He made her so crazy and enjoyed it. He was an infuriating person. Imani despised him in one breath and, in the next, couldn’t turn away from his cold, beautiful face. Yet she still couldn’t find it in herself to hate him entirely.
There was more to Kiran, and she hoped to use information about him to make a deal.
Crossing her arms, Imani stood tall and narrowed her eyes to slits as the pixies gathered their belongings.
Esa eyed her, too, and when she slid past Imani, murmured, “Be careful.”
Imani didn’t reply.
The door clicked closed, and then the two elves were alone.
Imani managed to mask her emotions, giving him only a mere delicate arch of a brow. She took in the shadow of facial hair from the past few days and sharp but subtle points of his ears. Kiran’s cheekbones were brutally jagged, like he hadn’t eaten or slept properly in weeks. Being a conniving bastard was hard work.
Standing before him in her robe and soft white nightgown, she hadn’t bothered with her appearance beyond bathing. Bruises covered her body, and the cut down her chest was still raw. Both garments covered her down to the floor, but her breasts were on display, and the thin material clung to the outline of her body. The only glamours she wore were the flesh magic illusions to cover her brands and a light illusion over her scarring and disfigured fingers. The rest was bare. Pale elven skin, bright eyes, signature, soul draw—all of it showing.
Let him look. Even battered, she needed every advantage tonight.
Kiran’s eyes roamed hungrily over her as he eased his pants back on, somehow making the movement graceful. The illusion magic he cast over himself was gone, too. Without it, Kiran was more like an elf than ever before. Shirtless and watching her, his undeniable beauty sent her adrenaline surging.
With no glamour, his elven draw—the sensation torturing her since the first moment she had laid eyes on him—tugged on her again. She rubbed the tension on her forehead, trying to stay calm despite the discomfort. Without the other women near him, it was easier to ignore.
Spinning in a tight circle, a wave of magic rippled from the center of the ceiling outward to the floor. “I hope these are stronger than the shields you cast outside,” she sneered, jerking her chin toward the door.
His grin was lazy. “I was so disappointed to learn you could break into all the princes’ rooms. I enjoyed thinking I was special.”
She let out a loud sigh but didn’t reply.
“I suppose you’re here to convince me not to end your existence?” he asked, throwing her words back at her with cruel mirth.
“He broke the rules, so I should win by default, in my opinion,” she said bluntly.
“ Your opinion ? That couldn’t be more irrelevant,” he said, trying not to laugh.
“So, you’ve already made your choice?”
“We’re still undecided. But I’ll repeat it … what a stunning performance. Although the display of atrophic magic was risky, and dangerous, it was smart to remove your glamour. The beautiful high-bred female is all anyone is talking about tonight.”
“I guess it means I’m more difficult to murder now.”
The glee in his expression only increased. “My brother and I couldn’t care less about how popular you are here.”
“Fine. I want to strike a deal. You hold my life in your hands, and even if you didn’t, I can’t stay in Essenheim.” Imani cleared her throat. “I was a fool to let so much of my dark magic out—people saw it.”
“So? People are idiots. Most master witches wouldn’t even recognize such magic. Besides, it didn’t look like you wielded anything. You have absolutely no control over it, so anyone who thinks you cast dark magic is foolish.”
“Unfortunately, the queen isn’t an idiot. And even if she didn’t recognize it, she knows an opportunity when she sees one. I might be arrested as early as tomorrow.”
A slow smile blossomed on his face. “Now, that’s interesting.”
“I need you to let me win. What do you want in exchange?”
“I’m not sure there’s much left for you to whore out.”
The words stung, but they were true.
Imani considered blackmailing him by threatening to reveal his magic. But Kiran had warned her against doing it a second time, and she anticipated he’d kill her instantly if she tried again. Instead of a threat, an incentive was probably the best course of action.
“Name your terms,” she murmured. The words were poison on her tongue.
“Imani, my darling, you are either the bravest female in this realm or the stupidest.” Leaning against a chair, he leisurely ran his hands over the fabric. “As it stands, I’m not sure if you have anything I particularly want at the moment, whereas Saevel?—”
“Yes, Saevel wants sex from me,” she cut him off. “I won’t lie; I would offer it to him in exchange for my life. But I found you first, so here we are. It’s your lucky day.”
“Because you’re such a slut?”
“Because there’s always something to be traded,” she said brusquely. “Now, what can I offer to save myself?”
“For what you’re asking, I want something precious in return. Far more valuable than your used cunt.”
She let the insult roll off her. “Then stop stalling and tell me what it is.”
A second later, he was mere inches from her. She almost flinched at his closeness.
“I love this,” he murmured, distracted as he played with her braid. His warm fingers trailed across her cheek and lifted her head, catching her chin in his grip when she turned away. “Desperation somehow makes you lovelier.” He leaned in, his mouth barely an inch away from hers, and winked like this was all some joke to him.
“You have five seconds to decide or?—”
“Or what ?” He laughed and released her chin with a shove.
Anger, frustration, and fear pulsed from her. The room darkened ever so slightly as she stopped herself from stumbling.
A terrible silence followed.
Tilting his head, Kiran studied her as he rested his hands on his hips. Imani steeled her gaze at him, demanding his answer, not wanting him to have any reprieve from her.
His responding grin was both magnificent and eye-reaching. It told Imani all she needed to know. He was about to ask her to do something terrible, and she could not say no.
“I’ll give you what you ask,” he said loudly, clapping his hands together. “I should warn you this will be a horrible bargain for you.”
Relief rushed through her.
“Tell me,” he crooned, dropping his voice. “Why does a beautiful Norn elf want to go to my despicable kingdom?”
Imani scoffed, hoping to hide the truth. “You said it yourself—I’m trying to save my damn life?—”
The prince put up a hand to silence her. “Wrong. Or, at least, not entirely correct. You wanted to be chosen the first day. In truth, I didn’t want to waste a pick on you, especially since, at the time, I had no idea Esa had put you in place with Tanyl. But my brother is impulsive, and you used your nasty soul draw on him. Ultimately, I didn’t care much at the time because choosing you enraged Tanyl.” His eyes narrowed in calculation. “But now? I want to know why.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Is it? Before we showed up, you had a comfortable life here and could have kept it. Indeed, Tanyl seems genuinely in love with you …” He trailed off, his gaze on the ground as some private torment consumed him. “And that’s a powerful position to be in. Something I know you crave.”
Those insane eyes fixed on her again, and there was no hint of him mocking or bantering this time.
“But instead, you put yourself through torture and pain, and now you’re here, begging me to save your life instead of Tanyl. So, tell me why,” he said, his entire presence commanding her attention as only a prince could.
The man was too brilliant for his own good.
“There are answers I need there,” she said eventually.
“What answers, my darling?” he pressed. His voice was soft but no less demanding.
Imani shut her eyes, trying to think of a lie as warm hands landed on her face. Kiran traced slow circles on her cheeks, his eyes imploring her with a look she hadn’t seen before.
She had an irrational desire to tell him the truth for a moment. Despite what she knew about his character, despite his actions and how he treated everyone, including her?—
Imani stopped, silently admonishing herself for the pathetic line of thinking. She could never trust anyone regarding the Drasil, especially Kiran.
She ripped up her sleeve. Although she’d removed the flesh magic illusion and hadn’t had time to cast another, a weaker one dissipated over Malis’s sigil at her command. “He and I will never be anything, but this sigil means there are things I need to learn about myself in Niflheim.”
“I told you the sigil isn’t from my kingdom.”
“I’m not going to get any answers waiting around here,” she shot back.
Even as the words came out, they surprised her. Lies mixed with a bit of truth.
“No, probably not,” he agreed.
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
“There’s a place in a remote territory of my kingdom few can access. If I save you”—Kiran trailed off, a cruel, assessing expression back on his face—“then, when I ask, you must come with me to this place without hesitation.”
“And when we’re done, it disappears like other bindings?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Why me?” Imani gaped at him, unable to fully comprehend the insane idea he proposed.
“To gain access, I simply need someone bound to me to tag along.”
“You want a binding between us then? What is this place?”
“No more questions, little elf,” he snapped. “I don’t need to share these details to keep my promise.”
True. Kiran had revealed probably as much truth about his intentions as she had, and besides, she had much more to lose and far fewer options. She chewed her lip while silently debating her response.
Kiran crossed his arms, leaning against the door. “You said anything, Imani,” he sneered. “Agree so we can cast the binding and sleep before dawn. We’ll make it a flesh magic one, of course.”
Casting another flesh binding made her heart stutter. So many powerful bindings—the one working for Niflheim, one with Tanyl, and now a third with Kiran—would put her in an even more dangerous position and strip her of more freedom. And to strike one with Kiran? The man was a liar, a brilliant sorcerer, a madman, and a murderer.
But freedom didn’t matter if she was dead. So, what choice did she have? For her life and everything else, she would do it. She’d beg, whore herself out, murder some more, perform evil magic—she’d do all of it. Imani had work to do and didn’t want to die today or tomorrow.
“Y-yes,” she stammered. “I agree.”
His fangs appeared as he bared them at her. The grin was friendly one moment and predatory the next.
“I’ll need to talk to my brother if we agree to let you win,” he said lightly.
The knot inside her stomach tightened. All her instincts told her to run from this bargain, this man, and this place. Yet, she couldn’t.
Weeks ago, she’d anticipated Kiran would back her into a corner. Imani now stood in said corner. But she had put herself here.
As he left the room, a small, tiny insignificant voice of doubt chimed quietly in her mind, and she seriously considered if she’d be better off dead.