A fire in the flash

“Good day, Consort.” Ione inclined her head.

I mumbled something in response.

“Ione,” Kolis called out, and my fingers twitched around the glass. The false warmth in his voice immediately caused warning bells to go off.

The goddess stopped at the cage door. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

I lowered the glass to my lap, watching Kolis’s lips curve into a tight grin. “You addressed her as Consort.”

“Yes, I…” Her arched brows knitted. “Was I not supposed to?”

“No,” Kolis answered. “You were not.”

Ione’s wary gaze darted between us. “I…I apologize. I’m—”

“It’s okay,” I interjected. “That is my title.”

Kolis’s head turned toward me, his eyes as still and flat as the waters of my lake, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. “It is no longer how you are to be addressed.”

A sudden wave of dread flooded me, and I struggled not to show it on my face. It took everything for me to slip on that veil of nothingness again.

His stare held mine. “Your coronation was not recognized nor approved by me.”

My mouth parted in incredulity. That was a bald-faced lie.

“Therefore, the coronation itself was invalid,” he continued. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as he turned his attention back to the goddess. “Do you understand?”

“I…I was unaware of this.” Ione lowered her gaze and nodded. “I do understand.”

I was nowhere near being the blank canvas I needed to be now as I clenched my teeth. My fury had nothing to do with losing my perceived rank in some ridiculous class structure; it was the message that he was sending to the other Primals. That any accusations of Kolis breaking tradition by taking me could be discredited.

Only the Primals Attes, and his brother Kyn, had been present when Kolis gave Ash and me his permission. The latter would likely back up whatever Kolis claimed, but Attes…

He had sworn an oath to me.

However, the false King wasn’t aware of that. Just as he had no idea that Ione had lied to him.

My anger cooled as Ione crossed the chamber. Attes would have to support Ash, and that included telling the truth about Kolis giving his permission. Of course, the other Primals could choose not to believe Attes or Ash, but Kolis’s plans weren’t as clever as he thought they were.

“Your Majesty,” Callum began once Ione was gone.

“I know what you think, Callum. I understand it is hard to believe. And accept,” Kolis said, the flatness leaving his gaze, and the golden flecks burning brightly. “And you’re right. She looks different, but the similarities are there. I can see them.”

Callum said nothing, but he too stared at me.

Gods. One was bad enough, but both of them scrutinizing me? I wanted to gouge their eyes out.

“But it is her,” Kolis continued. The expression on Callum’s face grew increasingly more disturbing, reminding me of how I knew I’d looked at Tavius. “After all this time, my graeca has returned to me.”

Dragging my gaze from Callum, I looked up at the false King and felt my lips curve into a smile—a real one that had nothing to do with his words. His conviction meant only one thing I cared about. “I was telling you the truth before.”

“I can see that.” Kolis’s stare softened, bringing life to his features once more. “I will honor my side of the deal,” he told me. “And you will honor yours.”

My stomach hollowed, but I felt myself nod and smile.

His chest rose with a deep breath as he looked at me. A second passed. Then several. My smile began to fade. “Callum, I will find you later.”

The Revenant bowed stiffly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

As a kiss of unease bore down on the nape of my neck, I watched Callum leave the chamber, closing the door behind him.

“When you smile, you look more like I remember,” Kolis said, his voice thicker.

My gaze shifted back to the false King.

Was he closer?

I hadn’t heard him move, but it felt as if he were. And as he stared, his features lost some of that softness, turning thi

I started to recognize the look in his eyes. I’d seen it in Ash before—a predatory need—but it didn’t even remotely evoke the same response coming from Kolis. My body didn’t flush hot with desire. I turned cold to the very core.

Fuck. I shouldn’t have smiled at him—

Wait, what was I thinking? I shouldn’t have smiled? I had only fucking smiled at the Primal. That was all. It was not an invitation, and I wasn’t ready. I was nowhere near the blank canvas I needed to be.

You will never be ready for that, a voice whispered, causing me to jerk, and my pulse to stutter. Had that…had that been Sotoria’s thought? Could she actually talk to me? Or was I losing my mind? The latter was likely, and I really needed to pull it together because I needed to figure a way out of this.

Despite believing that Kolis wanted more than to just share a bed with me yesterday, I wasn’t ready for what I saw in his stare now.

It was different than what I’d seen the day before. It was fiery. Alive. More potent. He’d needed me to be Sotoria. Now, he fully believed that I was her, and that changed things.

I stood suddenly, mouth drying. Kolis showed no reaction to me moving. “I am feeling quite tired.”

“I have spent centuries waiting for you.” He spoke as if I hadn’t, and the almost guttural sound of his voice sent chills down my spine.

“That’s a long time,” I began, struggling to keep the creeping panic from my voice. “But—” I gasped.

Kolis was suddenly in front of me, causing me to take a step in retreat and battle the natural urge to force him to back off. “I have filled similar spaces with countless imitations of you.”

I cringed.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to recreate what I felt for you,” he said, taking my glass from my numb fingers. “But I was lonely.”

He’d really misunderstood my reaction to that statement.

His eyes closed. “I have been so damn lonely, so’lis.”

My muscles cramped with the effort it took to hold myself still instead of using my years of training on him. “And I’m sorry for that.”

Kolis pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my stiff body so tightly that I felt his heart pounding against my chest. I had no idea what he’d done with my glass. “Not as sorry as I have been,” he murmured, cupping the back of my head.

Arms pi

“You don’t have to worry about Kyn or anyone ever again. I have you now.” His head dropped to mine, and he inhaled deeply.

My eyes widened. Was he fucking smelling me again? I attempted to gain some space, as the horrid gown was no barrier, but his hold was immoveable.

“I need you,” he whispered.

All the muscles in my body went rigid. And, dear gods, revolting images flashed in my mind, threatening to flood the waning emptiness I’d crafted inside myself.

“I just need to hold you.” Kolis shuddered.

I blinked.

Okay, once again, that wasn’t where my horrified mind had gone, but I wasn’t sure if it was any better. I didn’t want to be held by him.

Either I hadn’t given him an answer in a timely enough ma

His hand tangled in my hair as he continued to breathe me in. He was still shaking, and my entire being was in the midst of a frozen rebellion, barely able to force a wisp of air into my lungs. Inside me, near the embers, a scream built. One only I could hear.

I struggled to stay calm and searched for a way to take his mind off me. “Will you release Nyktos now?”