Chapter 177

Amaris was horrified at what she had just seen. Tears ran down her face. The King huffed and mumbled something about 'You can't please everybody.' He stood once again and came to the top of the dais stairs. "Well, I think that deserves a round of applause. It was a good effort all around, unfortunately, since neither competitor was able to complete the task, no points will be awarded to either team." He said placing his hands on his belly and giving a laugh, and then trying to lead all the watchers in applause. Only the vampires clapped. Many of them whistling or catcalling as well. Amaris looked out at the faces of the prisoners in the two groups. Many of them were horrified, others showed outrage, and a few of them looked like they would like to kill the King with their bare hands. It was clear that the King had no regard for life at all. Amaris did not want this to go on any further but did not know what she could do to stop this. "We will take a short intermission to let the guards reset for our next task. In the meantime, there will be refreshments served. Please stay in your groups as the servers will come around and serve you." The King turned around with a smile looking at Amaris. He came and stood right in front of her and took her hand and kissed it. He pulled her up out of her chair and led her around to the back of the dais. One of the guards opened a door and it led to a small chamber behind it. The room was of a warm wood with thick woolen carpets and dark squishy leather furniture. It was not at all like the grandiose, cold marble rooms that she had seen here so far. The King walked over to his own personal bar and poured himself a drink. He grabbed the glass and pulled the stopper out of a decanter and poured. When the glass was full he stopped and held the decanter in mid-air and looked at Amaris. "Would you like one, my dear? You look like you could use one." His tone was so different from the one he was using out in the other room that Amaris looked at him as if someone else had spoken. She shook off the surprise and regained her composure. "No thank you. I don't drink." The King nodded his head and put down the decanter. As he replaced the stopper he said, "Suit yourself." He picked up his glass and took a sip with a thoughtful gaze. He walked over to the front of the desk and leaned on it crossing his legs in front of him. He wrapped one arm around himself as he held his glass to his lips with the other. "You know I heard you turn that worthless, power-hungry idiot that my daughter is mated to, down. Good for you." He said with a salute of his glass to her. "He made her hold off on marking each other so that he could take his shot at you. My daughter was most put out. He had told her that he would mark and mate you to get your powers and then kill you and mark and mate her, and they could share your powers. Personally, I think that he had no intentions of sharing with anyone. He just wants the power." He said casually. Amaris looked at him, wondering why he was confiding in her. "Isn't that the same as what you plan to do with me?" She asks in a somewhat disgusted tone. The King looks at her appraisingly. "Well, Yes. In the beginning, I admit that was my plan, but after I got to know you more through your actions, and now that you are here, I have changed my mind. I believe that you and I are well suited to each other and that while I may gain power, I will also gain the perfect ally upon whom I can rely to rule with me." He looked at Amaris as if he had bestowed a wonderful gift and she should be thanking him. Amaris leaned on the back of the wing-backed chair and traced the rivets with her hand in thought. "Until your daughter and her henchmen came for me, I was not even aware the werewolves and vampires existed, now here I am the rightful heir to the throne, the oracle, and being hunted by about every single being in power in the supernatural world and honestly I do not even know why, or care. I have watched too many people die simply so that someone else could gain power. Those two poor men out there, they died just for your amusement, and you do not seem to care. No, I do not think that we could rule together compatably. No, I do not think that you should rule at all. Do I want the job? No. Who else is there though? So here we are." Amaris said with all the conviction she could muster. She thought that if she laid all the cards on the table honestly, maybe she could stop this charade of a wedding celebration. The King regarded her for a moment and then put his glass down on the desk behind him and stood up. He walked over to her and grabbed her chin. He held it so firmly in his hand that it hurt. Amaris tried to pull away, but was unable to move. "Hear me, and hear me well. You will marry me, and you will rule by my side. Whether it is silently or in agreement it makes no difference to me. However, you will marry me and mark and mate with me. If not, our fun little game out there will become a slaughter for all the guests." The King moved his face very close to hers. Amaris could see the gold flakes in his brown eyes and the coldness that lay there in their depths. This man had no love for anyone. He let go of her face as she tried one more time to throw him off. He grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the door, where he opened it and handed her over to the waiting guard. The King turned to the head guard who was waiting to the other side of the door, and whispered something to him. The guard nodded his head and turned and hurried away.