Chapter 17 Seventeen.
I fall silent. The Dance of the Dead — it sounds like something for optimists. I know damn well that if I enter without my Fae powers awakened, I won't survive the first round.
“What about you? Will you be participating, Olivia?”
I don't have time to mull over the question when a loud voice cuts through the room.
“Sven,” The voice says. I look up and see King Kaius already on his feet. “Why don't you introduce your first ever toy to us?”
King Sven reclines in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. “Fetch her out yourself, Kaius.”
“Is that a challenge? Faes are quite recognisable.”
“Well, this one has lost all her features and hasn't awakened her Fae energy,” King Sven replies sharply, his eyes flickering over to me for a moment. “Good luck pointing her out.”
“Now I'm curious to see who this slave is. Is she pretty?” This time, it's King Thane, the Alpha King of Cessi, that speaks. There's a court of women surrounding him.
“A slave and pretty can't be synonymous, especially for a female Fae,” the woman formerly draped over King Kaius says.
“She's certainly prettier than you, Astrid,” King Sven says airily, earning a snicker from the rest in the room, asides the woman I now know to be Astrid of course. She's pink in the face as she looks away, unable to say a word.
And me? I don't even know if I should feel flattered because Astrid herself is beautiful.
“If you belong to King Sven, stand up!” King Kaius says as he moves towards where me and the rest are kneeling.
“You're not playing by the rules, Kaius. You're meant to point her out yourself, not order her out,” King Thane complains.
“Forgive me for being impatient,” King Kaius laughs. “So, whoever you are, stand up.”
I feel a pinch in my side. “Stand up. You won't want to keep King Kaius waiting,” Linnet whispers to me.
I stand, my shackles clanging as I walk toward King Kaius, stopping at a safe distance. I bow. “You called for me.”
“Raise your head,” he orders.
I obey, biting my cheeks to hold back any defiance. I won’t make trouble for myself. Not yet.
“Such divine creatures, but demons at heart,” he says, closing the gap between us. His blue eyes scan my face and then my body, filled with disgust. “There’s fire in this one’s eyes. You haven’t tamed her, Sven.”
“I like them fierce,” King Sven responds.
King Kaius laughs again. “Of course you do.” He turns to the table, spreading his arms. “Isn’t life an irony? Fifty years ago today, our people were freed by your father, Sven, and now we have a Fae to take out our anger on as we celebrate.”
“The moon goddess sure knows how to make her children enjoy a celebration,” King Thane chortles. And I can feel his eyes roaming over my body. “Cornelius, Haden, and Rick, come out!”
Three men join my side immediately. I recognize them from when we were kneeling.
“See that Fae?” King Thane points at me. “I give you permission to do as you please with her. Put on a show.”
I feel my heart leap into my throat at that. I expected it. To be used as a sex toy prior to coming to the Pegasus, yet I can't let it happen. Just the thought of it makes my hair bristle. I step away when one of them attempts to grab me. “Dare to touch me, and you lose your hands,” I snap.
I look to King Sven. He’s watching, a ghost of a smile on his lips, but says nothing. This time, I won’t beg. I won't cry. No. I won’t cower like I did before with Lady Gwendolyn and Lord Emmett. I won't be helpless like I was during Carter's execution. I will fight this fight myself.
“What do you think you’re doing?” King Kaius asks, turning to face me.
“You don’t own me, King Kaius. Neither do you, King Thane. I take orders from King Sven,” I say firmly.
There's complete silence in the room. Even the bard has stopped playing his lute.
In slow motion, King Kaius begins to walk until he reaches my front and once he does he grabs my chin roughly, and looks me in the eyes with a wicked smile. I hold his gaze without faltering.
“I should remind you of your place, Fae,” he growls, his prominent canines gleaming. “You don’t speak unless spoken to. You don’t move unless told. We control you. You’re a slave, a Fae.”
“A slave and a fae to King Sven,” I reply defiantly. “Not you, Kaius.”
King Kaius laughs and releases my chin. “Sven, your toy didn’t address me properly. What sort of training is she getting?”
King Sven says nothing. The silence stretches until he bursts out laughing. On the other hand, Katniss and the others do not look amused. King Sven stands, rounding the table. “What else can I say?” he muses. “I like my women defiant. And she’s right, Kaius, Thane. She’s mine. Exclusively. I didn’t bring her here for a show. I brought her to show her off. You can call her a prized slave.”
“Exclusively?” King Thane raises a brow at that. “Fae pussy must be great then.”
“Oh, it is,” King Sven prides, his gaze turning to me. “And I know it can be better.”