7. Raelyna
RAELYNA
Every inch of me wanted to run, to flee, to put as much distance as I could between Lucanus and me. But the bargain mark burned on my inner wrist, the pain of the ink reminding me of the deal struck, of why my feet refused every command to flee.
I picked nervously at the thin threads of my clothing as I stood in the waiting room.
Two RSG angels stood by the sliding doors leading into King Lucanus’s personal office.
I studied the columns on either side of the door, my gaze tracing over the intricate patterns etched into the black marble.
It was ironic, really. The longer you stared at the details carved into the columns, the more you began to see that every detail pointed toward our king.
Not our gods and goddesses—the all-powerful beings who held our lives in their hands.
No.
The columns depicted praise and the power of our king.
I nearly scoffed, the noise on the edge of my lips when the golden doors slid open with an electronic whirl. The keypad began to beep incessantly, and one of the guards hurried toward it, furiously scanning his finger until the sensor deactivated.
Well, shit.
King Lucanus strode through the doorway, his eyes locked in a steely gaze, before his eyes collided with mine.
I felt every inch of my body tensing as I froze in place, praying to the stars that he kept moving.
His course altered and his footsteps brought him closer to where I still stood, leaving me ramrod straight—unable to move.
Dark brown orbs tracked over every inch of me, lingering across the exposed expanse of skin before finally flicking back up to my eyes as he grinned.
“Follow me,” Luc’s voice bit out, a glint of the harsh tone lingering as he turned on his heel and strode back through the open doorway.
Taking a deep breath, I counted. One. Two. Three. Four. Release. Out one. Two. Three. Four.
I forced my limbs to move, following behind Luc as I passed by his personal guard, feeling their eyes linger on me as I followed him into the space. The doors slid shut behind us with finality. Locking us in.
I watched as my childhood friend settled down on the couch, his head leaning back as he gazed up at me, watching and assessing, before he flicked his fingers toward a sofa across from him.
My eyes darted around the familiarity of his office, taking note of the towering stacks of documents strewn across his glass desk.
The tablets lit up with classified notifications caught in my peripheral vision as my eyes roamed around the room.
I spotted three cameras surveilling his office space, the small red dots blinking as they recorded our interaction.
I walked on command to the cream-colored sofa before sinking into the material, relishing in the softness of the fabric as I turned my focus toward the male before me.
His jaw ticked, and my eyes tracked his fingers clenched tightly at his sides, even as he maintained the posture of someone relaxed, at ease.
“You’ve been avoiding Solis Court.” His voice rang out in a statement.
I tensed, knowing his words were valid. I opened my mouth, searching for anything to justify myself, to excuse the actions, but came up blank, my lips closing inside.
“Smart girl,” he nearly purred in a mocking tone as he watched me.
“We’ve been busy,” I stated finally. “Our schedule has been filling rapidly.”
“Has it now?” he asked. “Tell me, Raelyna. Do you think me stupid? Lacking intelligence in some manner?”
I paused, staring at the male before me. Did I think he was stupid? Undoubtedly. Lacking intelligence? Without a second thought. “No?” I questioned hesitantly, as I met his gaze.
“Truly?” he mocked in a sneer. “Then perhaps you just doubt my intel.”
My eyes flicked to him in confusion. “Y-Your intel?”
“If your schedule has been so busy, then why have my sources reported that you are actively going out of your way to seek new clients to pack your schedule every hour of the day?”
Shit.
“I’m unsure what you’re implying, Your Majesty.”
Water sprang forth from his fingertips, mini tornadoes of liquid whirling in a torrent around him as he leaned forward, rage in his eyes.
“Don’t lie to me, butterfly. I built this Quarter into what it is.
Do you truly think that I wouldn’t know every single thing that occurs in my own Quarter?
” His voice was a demeaning shout as he questioned me.
“That I wouldn’t have your every move monitored?
Especially seeing as you are bound to me through our bargain. ”
Every muscle in my body tensed, my teeth clenching together as I involuntarily braced myself, the muscles in my abdomen tightening on impulse.
Don’t contradict him.
Don’t argue.
Don’t say anything to disagree.
Don’t set him off.
I repeated the words in my mind, over and over again, as I reminded myself that this wouldn’t last forever.
That one day . . . one day, things would be better.
Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day. One day, I would be free from this bargain, and my sisters and mother would be free from living under his reign. One day . . . just not today.
My lips tightened into a thin line before I took a deep breath. I pushed every urge to fight back deep down inside me, grasping for any remaining threads of demure compliance and replied, “I’m sorry. I’ll be better. Whatever days you want us here performing, I’ll ensure the team is here.”
“Don’t placate me, Raelyna.” His lip curled in a snarl, and his wings expanded behind him in a show of power as he moved toward me in a burst of speed. My gaze flicked to the large expanse of black feathers, the dark onyx color that circled him, casting shadows over his face as he loomed over me.
“Apologies, Your Majesty.” I spoke the words as my eyes flicked back toward him. He stood there towering over me for a moment longer before he took a step back, sitting on the edge of the couch as he studied me, his affinity still swirling around him in angry swarms.
“It feels as though you’ve forgotten the terms of our bargain. Or, perhaps you’ve forgotten who holds the power here. Do you need a reminder?”
I didn’t know how it was possible, but every single muscle in my body tightened even more, my mind racing as I tried to ensure every vital part of me was protected, should he lash out.
“No,” I barely breathed the word as I prayed to the gods for strength.
“What was that?” he asked, his eyes darkening as he rested his forearms on his thighs, leaning closer into my space.
“No, Your Majesty,” I forced the words through my teeth.
“I don’t need a reminder. I am aware that it is by your grace alone that my sister is free—that she isn’t serving at the temple like the other seers.
” I am aware that because of your fucked up system of living, I had to make a stars-damned bargain just to ensure that my sister didn’t have to sign her life away as a servant in your temples.
That she still had freedoms in life, even after being marked as a seer—an aetherial affinity that usually requires a life in servitude at the temples prophesying your greatness.
And I am fully aware that my life is now entirely yours, thanks to that bargain.
The words were an angry thought in my mind that I refused to voice.
I rubbed at the mark inked on my wrist—the bargain I’d agreed to in exchange for keeping my sister further away from Luc after our father’s death.
Her freedom . . . but my freedom was his.
“Good,” he purred. “And you’d do well to remember that. It would be such a shame if any harm came to your sister because of your lack of cooperation with the bargain we made. I’d hate to have to make an example out of her, much like my father had me do with your father.”
“You wouldn’t.” The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them, and every part of me froze as Luc’s eyes flashed with venom.
“After everything we’ve been through . .
. After everything I’ve sacrificed for you .
. .” I spat the words and knew it was wrong the moment they left my mouth.
Lucanus was off his feet and dragging me out of my chair in an instant.
His fingers wrapped tightly around my neck, cutting off my circulation.
Tears welled in my eyes, my lungs struggling to breathe around his punishing grip as he held me by my throat.
“Wouldn’t I?” he taunted in a vicious tone as he finally dropped me, and I fell to my knees on a far too fancy floor as I clutched at my neck, gasping for air. His eyes remained pinned on me in a cruel stare as he snapped his fingers.
Two guards on the far side of the room moved at the motion, opening the door they’d been standing guard by, and my heart plummeted as two guards walked through the doorway, Orela held upright between them, hands bound and restrained as she struggled between their hold.
Our eyes collided from across the room, and everything around me seemed to fade into nothingness as I held my sister’s gaze. I tracked the slight quiver of her lip, the tremble in her arms as she was held back, the way her head hung in defeat. A bruise was forming on her cheek.
My head snapped from Orela’s to Luc’s, taking in his smirk of victory as everything in me screamed.
“What is the stars-damned meaning of this?” I snarled, springing up toward the king, only to find powerful blasts of water restraining me. Luc’s affinity swirled tightly around me, refusing to let me move.
“This,” he replied, his eyes gleaming as he stared down at me.
“Is a reminder, butterfly. A reminder of what happens to those who go against me. Who go against royalty and everything I stand for. I suggest you take this lesson to heart; otherwise, you may find that I’m not so merciful toward your dear sister. ”
“You can’t be serious, Luc.” My eyes widened in surprise at the male before me, frustration rising inside my soul.