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“Do you know he actually drew his sword on me?” Veses laughed as my eyes widened. “What was he thinking? Striking out against me when you’re not Nyktos’s Consort.”
Shit.
What was Ector thinking?
Feeling that Reaver was still behind me, I swallowed. “Maybe his sword slipped and fell into his hand.”
Veses laughed again, a full-body laugh that shook parts of her I shouldn’t be able to see. “I’m not sure. But perhaps Nyktos will be able to convince me of such.”
I didn’t let myself respond. I didn’t even bat an eyelash.
“You know, I couldn’t believe it when he told me the rumors were true.” Kohl-lined eyes drifted over me in a way that made me painfully aware of how I must appear in the robe with my hair looking like I’d been caught in a windstorm. “What little he did say about you left me confused.” Laughing softly, she began to prowl. And that was exactly how she moved. Like the large, striped tigers that roamed the drylands of Irelone. She sat on the couch, draping her arms along the back as she crossed one leg over the other. “Sera? That’s your name, is it not?”
“It is.”
“Well, it’s Seraphena, to be exact,” she said, and unease blossomed. Had she been to Dalos? And had Kolis spoken of me? Or Hanan? “I thought we should have a little chat, Seraphena.”
I flicked a glance at the doors. “About?”
“Many things.” Her smile remained. “Don’t worry. I doubt we will be interrupted. Rhain will find it a bit difficult to make his way to Nyktos. At least, for a little while.”
I couldn’t let myself think about exactly how Veses had ensured that.
“How did you become his Consort?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“As I said, he spoke very little of you.” Her eyes glittered as if made of gray diamonds. “Of course, I’m dying with anticipation to learn how.”
Too bad that wasn’t a literal statement. “We met in the mortal realm. I was swimming in a lake when he stumbled upon me.”
Pale, pink-tipped fingers splayed across the back cushions. “And?”
“And we spoke.”
“That can’t be all.”
“It wasn’t.”
Veses went so still, I wasn’t sure her chest moved for one breath—and I thought I’d know, since I could see straight through her gown. “Do tell.”
“I think you must already know since I’m here,” I said, angling my body so Reaver stayed behind me.
“Actually, I do.” Veses shifted, drawing her elbows to her thighs and resting her chin in her cupped hands. The fact that she actually looked even more stu
“I’m not lying.” I held her stare.
She laughed. “But so was Nyktos.” Eyes glowing faintly with essence narrowed slightly. “I suppose it makes sense.”
“What does?” I reached down, blocking Reaver as he started to inch around my legs.
Her smile returned, a tight slash of berry. “That he would take a freckled and fat Consort.”
My brows shot up so far on my forehead I wouldn’t have been surprised if they hit the ceiling. The insult was so pathetic, I couldn’t feel anything but disappointment. I’d expected better from a Primal.
“Your hair is lovely, though, I’ll give you that. And”—she rolled her eyes—“your face is pleasant enough, I suppose, even with the freckles.”
“Thanks.” I drew out the word.
Veses smirked. “But then again, you are his Consort in title only, correct?”
Prickly heat scalded my skin, causing my throat and face to flush. It was the truth. But he had told her that? There was no other way for her to know. That shook the box inside me free enough that I felt a quick jab of pain… It stung like it had upon seeing them together in his office.
“Oh.” Her eyes widened as she pressed slender fingers to the base of her throat. “I’m sorry—”
“What are you apologizing for?” I cut in, sealing myself off. “You didn’t say it.”
“True, it wasn’t me. It was your soon-to-be husband. That’s gracious of you to acknowledge,” she said, and I almost laughed. Not for one second did I believe she thought that. Thick, dark lashes lowered. “Did he tell you about me? About us?”
I stiffened. “He did.”
Eather-filled eyes lifted to mine. The essence wasn’t the only thing brimming in them. So was eagerness. The cruel kind that I’d often seen in Tavius’s stares. “What did he say?”
“He didn’t say much, to be honest,” I said, even as I told myself to be quiet. To not needle this Primal. To not taunt her with her own words. That voice went largely ignored. “It was my turn to be confused. You see, I saw you when you were here last. I saw how beautiful you are. But all he has said about you is that you’re the worst sort.”
“Did he say that?” Gravel replaced the velvet in her voice.
“He did.” And he had at one time, so it wasn’t a lie.
Her lips thi
A short, dry laugh escaped me. “That he does.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Does it bother you?” I asked in return.
Golden ringlets slid over her chest as she tipped her head. “I’m not the one who will become his Consort.”
“So, is that what bothers you? That it’s me, freckled and fat, who will? And not you?”
“Come now.” She rose with fluid grace. “I am a Primal. I can be no Consort.”
“But you could still be his wife. You want him,” I said. “Obviously.”
“Want him?” Veses moved closer, stirring Reaver. I reached behind me, grasping his hand. His talons pressed lightly into my skin. “My dear, I already have him.”
The sharp twist in my stomach and chest sickened me. “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”
She shrugged. “Well, since your future with Nyktos includes me, I figured we could get to know each other better.”
Acid pooled in the back of my throat. “My future with Nyktos has nothing to do with you.”
“Is that what you think?” Veses’ laugh was as brittle as dry bones this time.
“That’s what I know.”
“Then what you think you know is a joke.”
“The only joke I know is the one standing before me,” I spat, my restraint snapping. “And it’s a pathetic one.”
A soft huffing sound came from Reaver. It sounded an awful lot like a laugh.
Veses drew back, her brows rising. “What did you just say?”
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
Shock rippled across her face. “How dare you speak to me with such disrespect—?”
“It’s kind of hard to speak to you with respect when you have earned no such thing, Your Highness.”
Two pink splotches appeared on her cheeks as she stepped toward me—
Reaver shot out from behind my legs, wings spread, growling. Real fear exploded in my gut. I grabbed a slender, scaled arm. He fought me. And the little cuss was strong, pulling away as he stretched his neck and opened his mouth, emitting sparks. They hit the skirt of Veses’ lilac gown, charring the gossamer fabric.
Veses reacted as fast as a Primal could. Reaver yelped as she kicked him, knocking him free of my grip. He flew back, hitting the wall next to the fireplace. Falling to the floor, he crumpled into a ball several feet from where he had stood.
“Stupid draken,” Veses sneered. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”
A veil of red slipped over me. There was no time to think. It was just like when I spied the gods in the Luxe, and they’d tossed that poor babe to the ground as if it were nothing more than trash to be discarded. I reacted out of pure, vengeful fury.
And this time, Nyktos wasn’t around to stop me.
Closing the distance between us, I stretched up and plunged the dagger deep into her eye, straight through it and into her brain.
And I didn’t feel even an ounce of guilt.
Veses shrieked, jerking back so fast I didn’t have a chance to pull the dagger free. She bumped into the corner of the bed but caught herself. She didn’t fall. She didn’t go down at all, not even for one second.