Chapter 18 Eighteen.
By the time the full celebration is about to kick in, I’m sent back to my room with two guards trailing behind me.
Once I’m plopped on the bed, I can’t help but think back to my time inside the Pegasus. After my confrontation with King Kaius and King Thane, I was told to kneel again. I obeyed without protest. Then, King Kaius called Linnet to perform.
She danced to the soothing melody of the lute, her hips swaying in perfect harmony, her legs weaving a majestic pavane that almost stole my breath. Watching Linnet was like watching a goddess descend into the Pegasus.
The other slaves followed with something far more provocative, stripping entirely before dissolving into an orgy that made me turn my face away.
But even more unsettling were the kings’ eyes on me.
King Kaius was more of disgust and hatred, King Thane was more predatory… but King Sven? His gaze burned through my skin which stirred some feelings in me. I feel it even now, hours later, like phantom fingers ghosting over my skin. I blame it on the mate bond.
The golden jubilee of the Kingdom of Māui’s liberation from Eris is now in full celebration, and for some reason, it makes me think of my brother.
Kyle and I might never have known the truth about Eris and the werewolf kingdoms if those walls hadn’t fallen. We might never have discovered the darkness of Eris’s rule.
“Kyle…” I whisper, rolling over to face the window. The moon is beautiful tonight, crescent-shaped and glowing, like the curve of Kyle’s eyes when he smiles.
Even the birdsong in the dark reminds me of him. It's how he sounds when he attempts to speak, even though he’s mute.
“Are you staying safe, Kyle?” I ask, feeling tears prick. Damn it. I feel pathetic. For failing him, for letting us both be caught, all because I dropped a damn glass pitcher and cut myself in front of King Sven.
I close my eyes, trying to sleep, but the door creaks open.
I sit up with a start just in time to watch King Sven step inside. He doesn’t say a word at first, just closes the door behind him and leans against it for a moment. Even in the dim light, I can see the tray of food he's holding. It's bread and what smells like mushroom soup. His eyes are fixed on me, although unreadable.
“I’m sure you haven't eaten,” he finally murmurs.
I say nothing as I get up from the bed.
He walks over, slow, deliberate, and places the food on the table. There’s a beat of silence before he speaks again. “Kaius and Thane sure had a lot to say about you tonight.”
“Is the event over?” I ask, frowning, because he isn't meant to be here. Yet. From what I heard from the guards, the celebration is meant to continue till midnight.
“I left early. Came to bring you food.”
“Right. So I won’t die before giving you the child I might someday carry?”
He nods. “At least I don’t have to spell it out for you.” His lips twitch. “Kaius and Thane were surprised by your audacity. I also can't help but think that you always have something clever to say. But I’m starting to wonder if it’s a defense mechanism or if you’re really that fearless.”
I don't say anything.
Sven walks to the window, seemingly unaffected by the spell binding it as he touches the sill and looks out at the moonlight reflecting off the glass. “You surprised me today, Little Fae. I was curious what you'd do in the presence of Kaius and Thanes' order. I thought you'd submit.”
“Disappointed?”
“Not in the slightest,” he says. “As a child I’d seen plenty of slaves scream, submit, beg. It gets boring. But you? You submit without truly surrendering. Even when you beg, it costs you something. Your pride. Or the empath in you. You're different.”
“I didn't know your father owned slaves,” I admit, surprised.
King Sven doesn't say anything in response as he turns back to me, stepping closer, and his expression shifts into something I can't quite name. Pensive, maybe. Or deliberating. “My father never owned slaves,” he replies softly once he's in front of me. “I didn't grow up with him. I spent the first twelve years of my life with my mother.”
That's news to me. However, it's not news to me that King Sven's existence was first made public on his thirteenth birthday. A few months before he waged war on Eris. But… “You were raised in Eris?”
“I did say my mother was a Fae, didn't I?”
“Then why destroy her kingdom? The place you once called home?”