Chapter 14 The Lair
The Lair
“To what do I owe the pleasure of my Queen finally visiting me after all these years?”
The oily voice that haunted my dreams laughed, but he remained hidden from sight.
I wasn’t sure if it was Landon’s growl or my own that answered the King’s greeting. Darkness surrounded us, the stone room completely barren. The Serpent King’s lair was a place where only he could deem who was worthy to enter.
There was no furniture, no artwork, nothing to hide behind as you awaited your judgment.
Although the dimness made it impossible for a normal person to see clearly, I was far from normal. My eyes quickly adjusted, searching through the thick sheet of black.
There he was.
In the corner of the room, there was a faint glow. It was as if golden flakes danced in the air—the telltale sign of the Serpent King’s power.
It never made sense to me why his magic appeared golden and not black like his soul.
“Stop hiding in the shadows and greet me as a queen should be.” I straightened, thankful my heels added a few glorious inches to my already abnormal height for a woman. Yet, my height was nothing compared to the behemoth that was lurking nearby.
The darkness began to lighten as shimmering particles vibrated closer, practically buzzing with excitement.
Then he was right before me.
A cold finger snaked underneath my chin, forcing me to tilt my head up and meet those piercing green eyes I could never forget.
The man who haunted my dreams.
Darkness fled from us, as we were enshrouded in our own bubble of faint, golden light. Landon’s voice barely pierced through the shield the King placed around us, but I heard him cry out . . . it sounded like he was asking if I was okay.
Typical Landon.
I sighed, watching the Serpent King greedily claim the air I blew from my lips.
My lip curled in disgust, while his twisted into a cruel smile.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist coming back to me, my Queen.”
“I am not your Queen.” I attempted to rear my head back and out of his grip, but he simply snaked his other hand around my lower back. My breasts pressed against his chest, prompting his gaze to dip and drink in the sight of our bodies colliding.
I planted my hand against his chest, trying to create space between us, but his grip was too strong against my back.
“Do you know what happens to men who touch me unsolicited?” I seethed.
“Enlighten me,” he purred, his eyes finding mine through the darkness.
It was my turn to offer him a chilling smile.
“First, I cut their hands off, ensuring they never have the ability to touch anything ever again. Then, they stay in my dungeon for a week or so, until I grow tired of carving up every piece of their body.” I dragged my hand up the king’s chest, wrapping it around the back of his thick neck, tugging him nearly an inch from my face.
“Finally, I allow my snakes the pleasure of slowly choking the life from them, but not before Dante eats their insides while they’re still breathing.
Whatever is left of them is fed to the beasts in the pit.
” I sunk my nails into his skin, reveling in the way his body tightened around my hand.
“So, you have two seconds to get your filthy fucking hands off me, or I will grant you the same royal treatment I give mortal men.”
“Lucky bastards.” He chuckled, but his fingers disappeared a moment later from beneath my chin and from cradling against my back. Warmth instantly flooded my veins, now that our bodies were no longer touching.
“Who is Dante?” Curiosity seeped into his deep voice.
As if the sound of his name summoned my snake, Dante appeared, spiraling up my arm. A moment later, Ember joined him, matching his movements on my other arm.
Dante slithered along my shoulder and atop my head, bringing himself face to face with the Serpent King.
Although I may be who my snakes answer to, they know this male was their maker. It was only natural he was curious about the menace standing before us.
“Ah, you must be Dante.” He lifted his hand toward my snake, as if he was a pet he could simply stroke. Dante’s tail rattled against me as his vicious hiss tore through the bubble of magic encapsulating us.
“The same rule of no touching unless permitted extends to my snakes.” I stroked Dante’s body, grateful that his insufferable attitude was pointed at someone else for once.
Much to my surprise, the Serpent King lifted his hands as if to surrender.
“Lesson learned.” His eyes shined with delight as he observed Ember and Dante protectively coiling their bodies around my arms and shoulders.
“I can feel it, you know.” His eyes dipped, meeting mine.
“Feel what?”
“Your bond with your snakes. It is strong—stronger than most animal bonds.”
I shrugged. “Maybe that is what decades of killing together will do to a relationship.”
He shook his head, causing a piece of his perfectly swooped back black hair to fall into his eyes. I tensed when he dipped his head, bringing us eye level.
“I also feel you,” he drawled, looking at me through his stupidly thick lashes.
Why did a slight thrill shoot through me from those four words?
Clearing my throat, I feigned ignorance. “Wouldn’t you have to be touching me to feel me?”
His lips curled into a feline smile. “On the contrary, my Queen, I can feel your magic—my magic. It sings to me.” He dared to brush his thumb over my parted lips, and I couldn’t hide the sharp breath I inhaled from his cold touch.
He leaned closer, bringing us nearly one wrong move away from having our lips crash together.
“Careful, Serpent King. Have you forgotten what happened last time we kissed?” I arched a brow, doing my best to calm my traitorous heart.
“How could I forget the kiss that shook the world?” He bit his lip. “As much as I’d love nothing more than to kiss you again, I doubt you came here only for another taste of my perfect lips.”
“You’re disgusting,” I groaned, but he laughed like I just called him the most charming man in all the lands.
“Are you going to tell me why you are here, or”—his emerald eyes twinkled with mischievous glint—“I can always have my voices float into your mind? Perhaps, they can conjure some old memories to fill our time together?”
Panic lurched through me at the mention of the cave’s whispers, prompting me to gnaw on my lip in an effort to hide my heightened emotions from the king.
His eyes shot to my lips, not missing a beat. He breathed deeply, and I knew my efforts to calm my emotions were futile when a deep wrinkle formed between his black brows.
“Care to tell me why you reek of panic?” His eyes pierced into mine with a sudden ferocity, and I swore he could see straight through my soul—well, if he didn’t already own it.
“Seera,” he breathed.
Again, there was that strange feeling akin to surprise rattling through me at the intimate way he said my given name.
He hadn’t called me by my name since before the bargain . . . since the day he broke my heart into a million pieces.
Luckily, I wasn’t able to feel the true weight of my heart break, for the king stole my soul in the same breath he shattered it. I always wrestled with whether I should hate him for ridding me of such terrible feelings or if I should thank him.
The cool sensation of his fingers grazing against my wrist brought me back to his question.
I took a moment, for I suddenly felt a knot of complicated emotions gather at the back of my throat. “My emotions—they are changing.”
“What do you mean?” His fingers stilled against my skin.
“A few days ago . . . I had a panic attack for the first time since you rid me of such an emotion.” I pursed my lips as I waited for him to offer me an answer, but he only rubbed his chin and stared at me.
Landon’s voice pierced through the shield louder this time, causing the Serpent King to dramatically roll his eyes.
“Gods, does he ever shut the fuck up?” With a snap of his fingers, the golden bubble burst, expanding to illuminate the rest of the room in glowing light.
My bodyguard was on the other side of the room, but his head snapped toward me the moment he could see better. He raced over, inserting himself between me and the king.
“Back away from my Queen.”
The Serpent King’s laugh boomed, grating across the stone walls like nails on a chalkboard.
“Your Queen? She was mine far before you ever existed, mortal.” He looked down his nose at Landon, as he had at least half a foot on my bodyguard.
However, that did not deter Landon from holding his ground, staring right back at the king. I sniffed the air, not catching a whiff of fear wafting off his muscular frame.
I taught Landon well.
As he continued to glare at the ferocious immortal, he proved how far he had come in the years since being in my service. He was a far call from the broken man I found in Ashivire.
If I could feel a sense of pride, this would be the perfect moment to do so.
Yet, I quickly grew tired of their standoff, so I stepped to the side and out from behind my bodyguard’s human shield.
He glanced at me, his eyes glinting with displeasure, but I held my hand up, silently commanding him to stand down.
His chest rose while he took a steadying breath, fighting against every urge in his body to protect me from the man who intensely tracked our encounter.
I didn’t need my bodyguard to fight my battles, and it was time to make my point to the Serpent King crystal clear.
My stilettos clacked against the stone as I swayed toward the menace, and when I was within reaching distance, I poked a sharp nail into his chest—right where his skin was exposed, courtesy of the many buttons he left undone on his silk black long-sleeve.