Chapter 18
Mina
The throne room was quiet as guards escorted Weiss forward.
Courtiers stood huddled in groups, watching the scene unfold.
I kept my place below the dais, in the shadows where I could watch everything unfold.
Trudy Holland stood with her father and siblings, arm draped through another female courtier’s.
Her expression flashed with concern. There were rumors that she was wooing the ambassador.
“What is the meaning of this?” Weiss cried, pulling himself free of the guards’ grip, massaging his arm afterward. I studied his body language, looking for any sign that he could be the one responsible for Rixon’s assassination attempt.
With Rixon’s go-ahead, I’d spent the better part of the day looking for leads on Darius Santos.
Anne and Elianna had accompanied me. We’d gone from tavern to tavern, discreetly asking around.
Every attempt left me empty-handed. But if Santos was merely a lap dog and the true culprit stood in this room, then that saved me a great deal of effort.
“The meaning?” Rixon leaned forward on his throne. “We received word that Carthian troops have invaded at the border. They’ve set up camp along the base of the Cardosa Gap.”
Gasps rang out.
“That’s impossible,” cried Weiss.
“It’s not, according to our spies.”
“Lies! Why would we want to go to war when we are trying to establish new commerce between our kingdoms?!”
“You tell me,” Rixon drawled. “It could be any number of reasons, but I think it was a distraction, to make us complacent. To give us a reason to pull our troops back.”
Weiss’s eyes began to dart around before they fell on Trudy. She took a step forward and said, “Your Majesty, surely there has been a mistake.” Her father reached out and tugged on the back of her dress, making her stagger back into place. She shot her father a glare.
“I disagree, Lady Holland.”
“I had nothing to do with this, Your Majesty,” Weiss cried, looking more concerned by the minute. “I am an ambassador, nothing more. I do not make decisions for my country.”
“And what of the recent assassination attempt on my life?” Rixon asked.
Weiss’s eyes widened. “Surely you cannot…”
I watched him, eyes narrowed, looking for signs.
“It seems convenient, no? You being here in my palace, peddling your kingdom’s newest invention, distracting us all.”
“I… I had nothing to do with that. I would not betray your hospitality so.” His breaths came faster, eyes darting, like he was looking for an escape.
The back of my neck prickled. I scanned the crowd, eyes lingering over the courtiers. Their attention was rapt on the scene unfolding, hungry gazes taking in Weiss’s trembling form. My eyes snagged on one courtier whose attention was fixed on Rixon. My neck prickled again and I took a step forward.
The male was dressed in finery, the typical court clothes. He had a sword sheathed at his waist, probably ceremonial more than anything, like most of the other males in attendance.
“Please, Your Majesty.” Trudy Holland shot forward, this time breaking free of her father’s grasp. She rushed through the crowd, creating a commotion as she stopped beside Weiss. “Please. He is innocent.”
“And how might you know this?”
“I have been spending time with him. We…” She swallowed. “We are courting.”
Rixon blew out a breath.
My gaze scanned the crowd again. I looked for the male who’d caught my attention, noticing he wasn’t where he’d been.
A flash in my periphery made me jerk, followed by a snick and pained cry.
I whirled around. A scream built in my throat, my body immediately morphing as the dark thing inside me spilled to the surface in a rush.
Rixon slipped off the throne, a dagger protruding from the base of his throat.
My gaze shot back to the crowd, looking for the assassin.
A ripple formed in the courtiers as he escaped.
A fury I had never known exploded from me.
The darkness wanted nothing more than to destroy, to rip and shred.
I took a staggering step forward, as if to give chase, then stopped myself.
“Guards!” I screamed, motioning with my hand.
I raced up the dais stairs, falling to Rixon’s side. “Rixon.” I cradled his face in my hands. He choked, then blinked, his gaze wide with surprise and even…fear. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. The light was fading from his eyes.
I didn’t pause to think. Pulling power from my well of magic, I poured it into the wound while dislodging the blade.
A scream of anguish tore from my lips as I battled the pain, as my power flowed into him.
Ophelia's words echoed in my mind—the last drop leaving a dying well.
For the first time, I truly understood what it could mean to lose this ability.
What would I do if my well ever ran completely dry?
Rixon’s mouth opened and closed as he tried to form words. Tears filled my eyes. Someone had tried to kill him—tried to take what was mine—right in front of me. “It’s okay, my love. I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”
The wound closed, the skin and tissue deep inside knitting back together, reopening his airways. He took a gasping breath, lifting his hands to cling to my arms. More breaths followed. A sob tore from my chest. I dragged him against me, cradling him, rocking him.
I was aware of someone approaching in my periphery.
I looked up and snarled at them, the protective thing inside me on edge.
It was Andrei, Rixon’s steward. He took one look at my face, at the demon on the surface, and staggered back.
That was when I noticed the entire throne room gaping at me. I didn’t care.
“Demon,” someone cried!
“She’s a demon,” came another voice.
I snarled and pinned the courtiers with my blackened gaze. “Aleksander Rixon Kozma is my wielder. Mine. He was mine before he was ever your king. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt him.”
“Mina,” Rixon was fighting my grip now, righting himself. “Mina, enough, sweetheart. Look at me. Look at me!”
The endearment caught my attention. I tore my gaze from the slack-jawed audience and looked into his eyes.
“That’s it.” He brushed a hand down my hair. “I’m all right. I’m okay. You saved me. It’s all right. Take a deep breath.”
I tried, but it felt like I couldn’t get enough air. Tears were sliding down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop trembling, in rage, in fear. “I can’t… I can’t lose you.”
“You’re not going to lose me. I am right here.” He cradled my face in his hands. “I’m right here, sweetheart.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Take a deep breath.”
I nodded, trying to breathe more deeply. Slowly, ever so slowly, the thing inside me settled down. “The guards, did they…?”
“It looks like they’ve given chase. Come.
” He pulled me to my feet, then tucked me against him, my back facing the crowd.
“Guards, escort Weiss to the dungeons. He cannot be trusted. Let this be a lesson to all. Anyone who wishes to kill me will suffer the wrath of my lady witch. I promise you she will be far more ruthless than I. We’re done for the day. You are dismissed.”
I distantly heard the jostling and footsteps as the crowd dissipated. I couldn’t pull away. I didn’t have the heart to look upon his people. “Rixon, they saw me,” I breathed. “They saw me like this.”
Had I just ruined everything?
“I know.” There was no judgment in his voice. No anger. I expected him to be furious. I might have cost him the loyalty of his courtiers. His kingdom. What would they think, seeing their king cavorting with a demon-possessed witch?
His arms only tightened. “You did good, my love. So good. You saved me. Everything's going to be all right. You’ll see.”
“No it won’t!” I cried.
He leaned back, hooking his fingers under my chin, forcing my eyes upward. “I will make sure of it.”
There was a grim determination in his expression. It was enough that I believed him. Still, it didn’t make me any less fearful.
He backed over to the throne and dragged me with him, sitting me down on his lap. Holding me. I curled into him, still trembling.
“How can you be the calm one?” I demanded. “You literally almost died.”
“I knew you would save me.” The certainty in his voice made my insides melt.
“I… I almost didn’t,” I admitted, feeling the horror of my words. “For a moment, the thing inside me wanted to go after the assassin. It was enraged and thought only of revenge and retribution.”
He was quiet, digesting my words. “But, you fought through it. You got to me in time.”
I swallowed. “What if it gets worse? Darker? More controlling? What if next time, I don’t?”
“Stop.” He stroked down my hair. I hated his fierce optimism.
“No matter what is inside you, you will still have a part of you that is uniquely you. That is the part I trust. Besides, I think your demon is a little fond of me, no? Surely it would have seen the sense in such an action. Who would make you—it—come the way I do, if I’m gone?
I saw the way it looked out at me last night. ”
I shivered against him. He wasn’t wrong. The thing inside me had reveled in last night’s activities. I had enjoyed it too, but whatever this thing was, it hungered for what Rixon offered. Needed it, even.
I blew out a breath. “I guess you’re right.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He stroked a finger down the shell of my ear, then followed the motion with his mouth, sucking the lobe between his lips before tugging.
“Rixon,” I groaned.
“Didn’t I just have a fantasy—a dream—about fucking you on the throne this very morning?”
A laugh burst from my chest, suddenly lightening my dark mood. It was exactly what I needed to hear. “You cannot be serious.”
“Oh, but I am—”
The doors to the throne room grated open. A trio of guards strode in, led by General Ralston. I wanted to snarl at the sight of him. “The assassin escaped,” he informed us. “We will try to find him.”
“Your king is doing fine,” I scoffed. “Thanks for asking.”
“I can see that he’s fine,” Ralston drawled before addressing Rixon. “The guards tracked him out of the palace but he disappeared after that. Our units are combing the city.”
My rage returned. How was this happening?! “We need to question Weiss. This can’t happen again.”
“I’ll have it taken care of, Lady Witch,” Ralston agreed.
I was about to open my mouth to protest. The last time the crown’s people had questioned someone, they’d failed. I’d do a better job with my own methods. But Rixon placed a finger over my lips. “Let him see to it for now, yes?”
I sighed, shoulders sagging. “Yes, fine.”
“Also,” Rixon added, looking at Ralston. “See if the name Darius Santos means anything to him.”
Ralston’s brow furrowed but he gave a nod, then strode off.
“I hate that male,” I huffed.
“I know, love. So do I. But he’s useful, and unfortunately I need useful people around me if I’m to get through this transition.” He stood, lifting me easily. “As much as I’d like to pick up where we just left off, I don’t fancy anyone else storming in and seeing you. Your pleasure is mine alone.”
A shiver raced down my spine at the possessiveness in his voice.
“You can put me down,” I said as he carried me down the dais steps.
“No, I think I’ll carry you, thanks.”
“Stubborn male,” I teased, nuzzling against the crook between his neck and shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent.
I’d almost lost him. It had been close. What if I hadn’t been there?
I knew Lola didn’t have the same skill at healing as I possessed.
Would she have been quick enough, thorough enough to fix the damage to his throat and neck?
Would he have lost his voice? I couldn’t think of a world in which Rixon couldn’t speak to me, couldn’t utter filth in my ear while fucking me.
I needed to find a way to protect him, to keep him safe. But first, I needed to figure out who was behind these attacks and make them pay.