Chapter 4
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule four: Find new ways to beat the dead horse.
I have no time to process Sin’s words.
Less than a heartbeat later, Leon yanks my hand and starts dragging me back toward the castle.
“You will walk by my side and not look back,” he hisses, and my steps automatically quicken to keep up.
Arianna must be pulling back her power, since the darkness enveloping the wards is starting to dissipate. It takes only a moment for the gleaming white castle to emerge from the black void.
Grief and terror war with each other in my chest, both threatening to pull me under.
The thought that this may be the last time I ever see them makes it hard to breathe.
But Sin’s parting words fill me with abject terror.
If he waltzes inside the Council wards to get me, his powers won’t work.
He’ll be outnumbered one thousand to one.
If he comes for me, he’s going to be locked away or killed.
All I want to do is shut down, curl up, and sob until this all feels like a bad dream. But that won’t save him. The grief in my chest hardens as I replace it with molten rage. The anger grounds me, dragging me back to the present.
“Smile,” Leon snaps, and I realize we’ve stopped walking. We’re only a short distance from the castle doors, and I assume he wants to stay out of earshot of the guards stationed there.
He stares at me expectantly, but I don’t stop glaring at him.
“Now,” he hisses.
The leash tugs, and I comply, making sure to show him all my teeth.
His eyes narrow, and his hand tightens over my fingers, grinding the bones together.
The pain only lasts for a moment, though, before his anger melts away.
It’s replaced by a quizzical expression, and he’s gentle as he pulls me against him.
For anyone watching, it must look like we’re locked in a tender embrace after facing off against Sin and Arianna.
I stiffen. My personal bubble is very precious to me.
I should invest in a taser. It would probably be more effective than using humor as a coping mechanism.
Leon’s breath fans over my ear. “Do you want to be punished, pet? Is that why you’re testing me?
I made it clear what you can expect if you displease me.
But… perhaps you crave my discipline.” He straightens and tilts my chin so he can look into my wide, deeply horrified eyes.
“Is that what you need in order to feel better for all the ways you’ve betrayed me? ”
Of course, Leon would look at my blatant hatred and only see an invitation to assault me.
Normalize castrating rapists.
I look at him like he’s insane, because clearly, he is, and shake my head.
The corner of his mouth dips down, but he doesn’t say a word as he releases me and starts walking back to the castle.
Two burly men guard the doors, and the small part of me that was hoping to see Damien is left disappointed.
The feeling only worsens when I take in the deadly focus in their cold gazes.
There’s something about them that screams ‘experience.’ I get the feeling these are some of the guards who passed the maze test. Elites.
The guards greet Leon with a respectful nod before opening the doors for us.
Well, that’s new. Unfortunate, but new.
Cheers erupt from the main hall, the sudden burst of noise making me jump. The same crowd that was deathly silent only moments before is now yelling and applauding.
Leon seems unsurprised by their response, and he throws on his most charming smile, once again slipping into his mask of the charismatic prince charming.
His strides grow even more confident as he navigates through the crowd.
They part just enough to let us pass, with many eagerly offering their gratitude to Leon.
Some pat his shoulder, while others hold a hand to their heart.
He smiles through it all, tossing out some comments about how he was only doing his duty to his people.
Thankfully, no one tries to touch me this time, but I could have done without the snippets of whispers that I catch behind me.
“… so romantic.”
“… saved her.”
“…true love.”
My stomach lurches. I’m not sure if it’s because of the words or the stench of too many perfumes. Either way, I don’t like where this is going.
Leon leads us to a set of wide stairs on the far side of the room.
It’s the kind you see in those ballroom scenes, where people’s titles are announced to the hall, before they make their grand entrance.
He only stops when we reach the second-floor landing that looks over the hall.
Taking my hand, he spins us to look down at the crowd.
They stare up at us, still cheering, and his chest puffs as he eats it up. He lets them continue for a moment longer before addressing the crowd. The moment he opens his mouth, a hush settles over the room.
“Morgana’s Destroyer has left,” he starts, and pauses for dramatic effect. The crowd breaks out into another thunderous round of applause, and he holds up his free hand to quiet them.
A voice rings out from below. “How did you make him leave?”
“I simply explained to him that Vivian has chosen to be with me.” He punctuates his answer by kissing my fingers, effectively showing off my engagement ring.
Sharp inhales and excited murmurs fill the hall as he continues, “In fact, I am pleased to announce that Vivian has not only chosen the more worthy Destroyer to align herself with, but she has also agreed to be my wife. No longer will we pit our most powerful against each other. The union of a Destroyer and a Creator marks the beginning of a new era for all the realms – an era of peace, a time of unity!”
His speech is met with a deafening roar of approval. Most of the crowd looks up at us with adoration. Even those who had initially looked at Leon with suspicion or hostility now look confused, as if this announcement has them reconsidering their stance.
Desperation rises inside me as I scan every face, searching for any hint that someone can see through his lies. With each smiling face, I grow more dejected, until finally, I spot one person who isn’t celebrating.
She looks to be about my age, and even in a crowd full of diverse creatures, she stands out.
Her long, brown hair falls in a silky curtain around her shoulders, and the color turns to a faint violet at the tips.
But it’s her eyes that are her most striking feature.
One is an opaque white, while the other is a deep violet.
Those two-toned eyes are currently narrowed at me, and there’s an intensity to her gaze that has me nervously swallowing.
Maybe she has a crush on Leon?
Run the other direction, girlfriend, don’t walk.
Still, her stare doesn’t waver, and I get the impression that she knows Leon is full of shit. My brow furrows, and she gives the slightest shake of her head. It’s so subtle that I blink, wondering if my eyes are playing tricks on me. But when I open my eyes again, she’s gone.
“Thank you, thank you,” Leon continues, drawing my attention back to his charade. “But I’m afraid we must be going now. My bride must rest before we meet with Need to discuss our plans to bring peace to the realms.”
My spine stiffens at his implication that I’m weak, but Leon only tugs my hand, leading us down the corridor behind us.
Once the sounds of cheering start to fade, I expect him to release me, but he keeps hold of my hand for the entire trek back to my bedroom.
His carefully constructed facade never once wavers, and he only lets me go when the door is firmly shut behind us.
The moment he releases me, a sigh of relief escapes my lips, and I immediately dart to the opposite side of the room. I want as much space between us as possible, and I’m not going to soften that fact to spare his ego.
His attention is elsewhere, though. He looks almost bored as he opens my wardrobe to reveal at least fifty dresses. Every one of them is a different shade of pastel, and there are more ruffles in one place than should be legal.
“You’ll need to get changed. You must never be seen wearing the same dress more than once. We have a standard to uphold,” he notes, his tone casual.
I nod, even as the tension coiling through my muscles tightens. There’s no way he’s just going to let go of the fact that I broke his rules earlier. What game is he playing?
“I don’t have all afternoon,” Leon drawls.
“For what?”
He absently pulls a pale-yellow dress from the wardrobe, but his eyes stay locked on my body. “For you to make yourself presentable,” he clarifies, holding out the pale-yellow, lace monstrosity to me.
A rock settles in my stomach. “Of course,” I grit out. “I’m just waiting for you to give me some privacy.”
A slow, calculating smile cuts across his face as he leans against the wall, crossing his arms and looking comfortable. “Now, why would I want to do that? By the Fates, Vivian, try to be less of a hypocrite. I’ve already tasted every inch of you.”
My cheeks heat, both from rage and shame. I want to scream and pull my hair out, but instead, I take a deep breath and answer with as much calm as I can muster. “That was before, when the bond was drawing us together.”
He doesn’t move.
This is starting to feel like I’m beating a dead horse. I already know Leon doesn’t care that the bond stole my consent. So instead, I try another approach. “If you want any hope of co-existing, then you need to leave, now.”
A dark look flashes across his features before he schools himself back to looking bored. “You know, I could just force you. It’s no less than what you deserve for embarrassing me earlier.”
He says it mildly, but his threat hits home. I clench my hands in the folds of my dress, so he doesn’t see them trembling.
“Forcing me to undress in front of you is not okay.” My voice wavers, despite my efforts to stop it. The room feels like it’s shrinking, and my vision tunnels.
Leon smirks. “Ask me nicely, pet.”