Then he let go, dropping me to land on my stomach across the chair. A stinging pain on the back of my neck had me wince, and I tentatively felt two large fang marks with my fingers. That asshole! In a way though, the pain felt like a proper punishment for what he caught me doing with D’Arcy, and what I planned to do. In a way, I was becoming every bit the calculating little whore he accused me of being. I focused on evening out my breathing and ignoring the two marks on my neck that throbbed in agony the closer he got.
“What do you want now? You got what you wanted,” I spit at him.
He grabbed my arm and spun me around. The rings under his eyes were gone, and the edges of exhaustion that had lingered around him the past week were nowhere to be found.
“Let’s be clear; I don’t want you.”
I looked away; all the fight gone from me. The pain from the fang marks felt like it was traveling to my head, and I rubbed my temples.
“Fine, yes, we all are very much aware of how you hate me and use me for nothing other than carnal pleasure. Any other breaking news you feel compelled to share?”
My nonchalant attitude irritated him, but I hurt too much to care.
“Give me one reason not to watch you bleed out on my floor the way you did to Bair.”
I lifted my head, glancing at him. Fear would be easy; it would be familiar. But it wouldn’t fix any of the things that felt irrevocably broken.
“Again, I did it to save you. He’d made a deal with Severn to become King after you were dead. I never want to see you dead.”
Something flickered in his eyes, but then it was gone. Benedict reared back, his purple skin darkening as his claws and fangs slid out from beneath his skin.
“You’re lying! He’d never! Severn said you were just one of Crullfed’s agents, that you worked for—"
“Bair told Severn where the drakens are hiding! Didn’t Kieran mention that? Or did you stop listening and start throwing bodies into walls?”
Benedict went rigid, the light from the torches reflecting off his scales. I felt light-headed as my neck and head throbbed, but Benedict needed to believe me. It had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the safety of every draken hiding in this mountain.
“Look,” I began, my posture wilting, “I know you can’t stand me, and brought me here only because Severn told you to, but I’m not lying about this!”
His eyes were purple again, but they glared at me with mistrust. I tried one more time.
“Are you willing to risk the lives of every draken on this mountain on whether or not I’m lying?”
He twitched, gritting his teeth in anger. I knew he wouldn’t risk his people; they were the only thing he truly cared about. The part of my heart that hurt throbbed in time with my head and neck, and suddenly I felt as though I’d give anything to have him care half as much about me as he did his drakens. Then the moment passed, and I just felt empty.
I snagged one of Domik’s maps and trudged over to my bed.
“You should come to the Games in a few days; I hear it will be quite a show.”
He stormed out without another word, and I cried myself to sleep, both my heart and body filled with pain.
SIXTEEN
The next day was awful and the day after that. I hadn’t seen Kieran or Ronan since Benedict had left me, and that was strange. I wondered if it had anything to do with what I told Benedict. Hopefully, they were just busy with Benedict, planning and figuring out a solution.
D’Arcy was taking advantage of the absence of my mates, enjoying the power he held over me by catching me in the hallways and groping my body in dark corners. I became afraid to leave my chambers alone, but he simply followed me there, knowing somehow that the others were busy and couldn’t be bothered with me. Not even Georg was coming around.
“How the mighty have fallen.”
I sat dully in front of my fireplace, restless as the marks on my neck twinged in pain when I moved. Benedict was such an ass.
D’Arcy’s hands dug into my shoulder blades, but it was anything but soothing as his fingers probed
