Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Knox
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
That meeting had gone almost exactly as I’d assumed it would. I’d known Marina wouldn’t break the curse without regaining the night casters’ collective powers.
Since I knew none of the other kingdoms would trust her or the night casters with so much power again, I’d been aware that my chances of getting the curse broken today were slim to none.
And as I’d suspected, the cyclops, merfolk, gorgons, day casters, and strigoi had all voted against returning their collective powers to them. The elves abstained, and I couldn’t vote.
Marina looked ready to kill Cozameal with her bare hands when he voted against her. He’d smirked as Marina’s face turned red and her nails drummed the table. No love was lost between those two.
Though I’d expected things to go this way, I couldn’t control the riot of emotions pinging through me like lightning trapped in a bottle.
I planned to scrub my flesh raw after being in the room with those fucks. From experience, I knew I could never wash away the memories of those assholes on me, touching me, breathing on me.
Marina especially haunted my memories. Her voice, her words, and her repulsive touch haunted my nightmares. The way she would sit and watch as others abused me, her legs crossed and her foot swinging as if she were bored. One day, I’d cut off each of her toes and feed them to her.
I shuddered at the memories as bloodlust thrummed through me. I had to get away from Briar. I couldn’t stand to be around anyone anymore… especially not a caster.
But I also wanted to crush Briar against me and never let her go. That’s the last thing I should crave after being in a room with those soul-destroying pricks again, but seeing her with that elf, and the smugness in Devnair’s eyes, rattled me more than I cared to admit.
He touched her. He’d fucking touched her!
When this was over, I’d rip Devnair’s spine out through his throat and bash him over the head with it. Until then, I’d play nice with Alwin’s brother-in-law and the rest of the kingdoms.
Grasping Briar’s arm, I steered her away from the hall and toward the road.
“What happened in there?” Briar asked.
“What did you and the elf talk about?” I demanded instead of answering her question.
“What does it matter?”
“Because I asked.”
When my bones cracked, she glanced at my feet and rolled her eyes. “Put your massive toe claws away. After what you did to my earth moss with them, they should remain sheathed.”
I glowered at her; she glowered back. It took some effort, but eventually I restrained the beast enough to retract my claws.
“The elf,” I growled. “What did you two talk about?”
She gnawed on her bottom lip and pondered my question before answering. “He asked how you were treating me here.”
“Why would he care about that?”
Irritation flickered across her face. “Probably because I helped free him from the harem.”
“I freed him from the harem.”
“You were content to leave him there until I insisted you set him free.”
“And you think I would do that for you?”
Color rose in her cheeks. “Of course not. I don’t expect you to do anything for me.”
“Watch your tone, Briar; I can make your time here a whole lot worse.”
She jerked on her arm as she tried to tear it free. Like a fly trying to rip itself free of a spider’s web, she had no chance of escaping. She’d learn who was in charge.
“Go ahead!” she snapped. “You can take everything from me, just as my mother did, but you’ll never break me. If my mother couldn’t, then you certainly won’t.”
I stopped walking and drew her to a halt as I turned her to face me. On her shoulder, the small creature rose and sniffed the air. Its small paws curved against its chest as its nearly black eyes bored into me. When its button nose twitched, its whiskers brushed her cheek.
I could smash that thing with one blow, and it looked as lethal as a kitten, but Petra claimed it was one of the deadliest creatures in the kingdoms. While it couldn’t understand our words, it looked ready to attack.
“What if I take him?” I inquired and pointed at the animal.
Briar jerked at her arm again, but when I wouldn’t free her, she stepped back and turned so the creature was further from me. “You leave Gizzi alone.”
That threat rattled her, but instead of feeling satisfaction, guilt lanced my heart. It wasn’t her fault the elf watched her like she was a tasty morsel he planned to devour. It didn’t help that she also clearly liked the elf.
“Gizzi, is it?” I asked.
The animal scampered over to her other shoulder, closer to me. Its big, deep brown eyes burrowed into me as it rose onto its hind legs again. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it really could understand us. And while that was impossible, it clearly sought to protect her.
“That’s the name I gave him,” Briar said through her gritted teeth.
“Did you know that thing was poisonous when you brought it into my home?”
“No, I’d never heard of a lowleeto before, but Zephyr told me what he was while you were gone.”
“And you didn’t think to get rid of it?”
“He’s my friend.”
“Until he bites you.”
“Gizzi would never do that to me! And there are far worse things in this world than his bite.”
Like losing you.
The thought swam up from the depths of my subconscious and hit me with the force of a cyclops’s punch. I didn’t want this woman… but I did.
Anger swelled forth, as well as a sad resignation. I could continue to claim she meant nothing to me, but I knew the truth. I was pretty sure everyone knew the truth.
She did matter, she would always matter, and the beast still recognized her as my mate. I glanced down the road to where the procession of riders had disappeared into the woods. My skin still crawled with memories of Marina and those assholes, but a new hunger was making its way through me.
My cock stirred as I drank in Briar. Somehow, she could make me forget about the casters and their bullshit.
This has got to stop!
She hadn’t noticed that I was semi-erect yet, but she would. When she did, she’d probably run. Not to mention, this riotous sway of emotions wasn’t good for anyone, but especially not her. An out-of-control beast was more lethal than the shadow dragon and the lowleeto; of that, I was certain.