44 #2
“Of course,” Raxon said, as if pleased I’d asked.
“The Serakan Mountains are named after the serpentine beast from many of our fables. It’s rumored the serakan favors the largest part of the river at the base of the mountain range, where it awaits daring prey to fall beneath the ice.
” Spreading his hands, he said, “You need only cross that part of the river.”
My knife slid across my plate, nearly knocking over my empty goblet.
“You’ll be perfectly safe.”
I frowned. “Forgive me, Majesty, but how can you be sure?”
“We are in the middle of our eternal winter. That ice is impenetrable.” Raxon further explained, “And there have been no sightings of the serakan for some centuries. Many presume the ancient beast has finally perished.”
That was somewhat reassuring, but I still couldn’t envision it—crossing a frozen river with a monster potentially lurking beneath.
The king eyed his nephew. “And no bride-to-be has taken part in the trial without their intended watching and ready to aid them.” Eerie amusement danced in his emerald eyes. “Not since the royal lineage neared extinction when a direwolf queen almost fell through the ice during the annual thawing.”
I blinked. “You’ll be there to help me?”
A booming laugh ricocheted through the stone room.
“Princess,” the king wheezed out. He looked at Strenard, who chuckled, then at me as he dabbed the corners of his eyes with his napkin.
“My great goddess, no.” Calming, he again eyed Voran.
“I’ll certainly be there, but my nephew will ensure your safety. Won’t you, Voran?”
The wolf prince nodded once.
Raxon continued talking about the trial, but all I heard was the violent thud of my heart in my ears. All I saw were Voran’s hands, clenched so tight around his cutlery that the silverware began to bend.
“…trial will end only after your evening in a sacred hovel named Ceremonial Cave.”
That brought me back. I almost shouted, “We need to consummate the marriage before the wedding?”
The king released a baffled laugh. “But of course. This is the most crucial part of the trial. Many would argue that it is the trial.” He drew in a breath before explaining.
“Evidence of your subservience will be sought with the new dawn, you see. Failure to find it will result in distrust and disapproval from the wolves, and therefore, the rest of our Unseelie community.”
I needn’t have asked what he meant by evidence. The scents.
Perhaps even seed and blood.
“It goes without saying that, without such approval, we will not be wed the following evening.” The king’s lengthy pause made a warning out of his words.
“Your real purpose here begins in that Ceremonial Cave with my nephew, Princess Ayla. Everyone will eventually assume what they will—but I shall still make myself scarce to give the impression of being with you.”
He wouldn’t be there. Wouldn’t take my innocence.
There was no relief.
Shock had inundated my body like iced poison. Fighting tears and the urge to flee, I pushed some pork into my mouth and concentrated on chewing. I ate some more and didn’t stop until the king grabbed my chair.
My cutlery clattered to the table as I was pulled close to him. Close enough to smell the wine on his breath and for his hand to creep beneath the table to settle on my thigh.
He leaned even closer. “It saddens me that I will not actually have you.” He stroked my thigh.
At my ear, he whispered, knowing full well that the two wolves could hear, “And I know what I require from you must seem daunting, but to ensure the longevity of our lineage and that our kingdom remains formidable, I need a pup to rear.”
Be quiet, I told myself. Behave.
But my patience was dwindling. All those years spent polishing my politeness no longer seemed like enough. Not for this.
Only when blood filled my mouth did I realize I’d been biting my tongue.
“So you will let Voran have you whenever he wants you. In that cave and afterward.”
Breathe. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t breathe, and—
Raxon dug his fingers into my thigh. “However many times he wants you.”
The room twirled and blurred.
“You will let him fuck you until your belly swells, or I will kill Princess Elynia and Princess Celestine.” His fingers squeezed hard enough to bruise. “I’m afraid I need to hear your acquiescence, Princess.”
Voran’s gaze bored into the table before me, as if he could see through it to his uncle’s hand on my thigh.
I stared at him. “I will let Prince Voran have me.” Swallowing thickly, I added, “Majesty.”
“High King.”
“High King,” I rasped.
“There’s a good princess.” Raxon’s grip eased. “Continue with such obedience, and I promise you need never worry about another male touching what’s mine again.” He straightened in his chair. “We will have our own fun.”
Still staring at Voran, I could only nod.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve fucked a pregnant female.” Raxon then mused aloud, “When was the last time?”
Behind me, Strenard said gruffly, “Your sister-in-law, Liege. When she was awaiting the arrival of Elynia.”
I clenched my teeth to keep my mouth from falling open.
The king laughed, as if remembering. “Well, best we do not go into detail about that, but yes.” With a wistful sigh, he said to his nephew, “Your mother had quite the appetite, and apparently, pregnancy made it worse. Really, I did Tolvos a favor.”
I couldn’t imagine what this king had done to hone his nephew into the weapon he’d become. But it seemed to be working against him.
Voran failed to so much as blink. He snatched some pork with his fingers. He tossed it into his mouth and reached for another piece as the king scoffed. While chewing, he muttered, “Can I go now?”
Strenard huffed.
The king glared at Voran. Tension flooded the room. Then, finally, he flicked his fingers in dismissal.
Voran rose.
His steps to the door were unhurried, almost lazy, yet his broad back appeared rigid. When he vanished, the weight of his betrayal sank heavily—as if his presence had kept it afloat.
“Beast,” hissed the king.
“Not long now, Liege,” Strenard said.
The king slouched in his chair. “Have Gore keep an eye on him. Now that he knows it’s upon us, I would not put it past him to sneak out of his cage or even dump his seed into that maid just to spite me.”
Strenard marched out of the dining room.
In the silence broken by the snapping fire, the princess telling me to visit her cage came back to me. Though the last thing I wanted was to be alone with this mercurial king, I couldn’t resist seizing the opportunity.
“Cage?” I asked him.
As if just noticing that I still sat beside him, the king’s brows jumped with his widening eyes. Straightening, he stabbed some cold pork with his knife. “Where else do you keep a monster you made yet cannot tame?”