Page 65 of Crown of Chaos

“Obviously.” Knox snorted, sinking into the chair before he leaned back, watching Greer closely. His long legs stretched out in front of him, and his hands gripped the armrests as he waited.

“They’ve been hexed to alter the emotions of the recipient. Specifically, they are spelled to turn carnal emotions, like love and lust, to hate and anger. The chest itself seems to be enchanted, likely to compel you into violence toward who sparked the emotion. Or, it would if the hex was activated when you had felt them. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a way for me to verify that now that the thing is little more than kindling.” Greer picked up the piece of the chest I’d spotted a moment ago and shook it until the remaining hex bags fell out.

“No. you’re wrong. That chest was in here when Aria lost the babies, and I never once felt compelled to lash out at her.”

“There was likely some trigger to activate the hex. Had you opened the chest or placed anything inside it?”

He looked pensive for a moment and then slowly shook his head. “Before tonight, the only time anyone had touched the thing was when Celia opened it after she had it delivered.”

“When you opened it, what were you thinking of?”

Clearly unwilling to answer, Knox scowled, which caused Greer to smirk. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Fine. What happened after you opened it?”

Knox rattled in anger but begrudgingly admitted, “I trashed the room. It wasn’t until the library put it back to rights that I noticed the hex bags.”

Brander scoffed. “You had that thing with you when we were traveling, didn’t you?”

“And we all know what happened on our happy jaunt through the countryside,” Greer added before steepling his fingers in front of his lips.

Greer hummed in thought, and Knox’s eyes burned with rage as he said, “I did.” Knox’s brow furrowed, and he released a heavy sigh. “Are you suggesting that everything that happened in the tent with Aria . . .” Knox paused, and anger tightened his features. He shoved his fingers through his hair, and released a soft rattle while the men waited for him to calm down.

“Indeed, Knox. The chest itself seems to be enchanted. Knowing that, and considering the jealous nature of the woman who placed the hex? I’m willing to bet the hex sent you off the rails, and filled you with violence you unleashed on Aria.” Greer sipped from the teacup, glancing at Knox with a resigned look.

“It’s a new chest,” Knox pointed out, his mouth tightening into an angry white line. “The one before had a scratch on the side, but this one is a perfect replica, minus the missing scratch I made in my travels. Almost as they made several of them, or created by . . .”

“Magic?” Killian snorted, scrubbing his face while tossing Greer, who chuckled, a dry look.

“So was it filled with the same enchantment, or did she add shit to this one?” Brander countered, ignoring Killian’s question.

“That is the real question, isn’t it? It’s hard to guess at what triggered you in the tent without having those bags present. Not to mention, the enchantment cannot be studied without the thing they cast it on, I’m afraid.” Greer sat back, but the tension in his shoulders didn’t ease.

“I could have hurt her,” Knox muttered, closing his eyes before he opened and aimed them at Greer. “I held her through the pain of losing our babes, and that fucking thing was at the end of the bed throughout it all.”

“Not necessarily, Knox. The chest doesn’t simply activate when near you. Something has to create a trigger, which then releases the hex. Once that happens, you turn into a psychotic prick,” Greer stated, and the others near him nodded in silent agreement.

“All that time with Aria on our way here . . .” Knox paused, rubbing his hands over his face before he swore violently beneath his breath. “I hurt her and should’ve known that wasn’t me. I don’t hurt women needlessly. She drives me insane, but that never should have driven me to violence. The only timeIactually desired to give her pain was when she was in heat. Of course, that was a different sort of hurt, and I merely wished to murder that woman’s pussy.” He smirked, but it dropped as grimness tightened around his eyes.

“It brings enlightenment to why you hurt Aria after they had attacked her at camp or why you reacted as you did after she revealed what she’d learned from Lord Anders. The stronger the emotion that triggered the hex was, the stronger the hex and enchantment would have responded,” he softly informed the room without taking his eyes off where I hid. It was as if he were staring into my soul, urging me to hear the message behind what he was saying.

“I thought it was the emotions she forced me to feel. Aria would get close, and fuck if I didn’t want her even closer to me. But the moment I lowered my guard and felt her fingers grazing my cracks, I struck her down to force her away. I can’t believe this bullshit. Why the hell does shit like this happen the moment I think it’s lessening? Every time I think I’m moving forward, something rips me apart to ensure I can’t move on? Fucking hell, she didn’t deserve this shit or to be caught up in their sadistic game.” Knox shoved his fingers through his hair, and dropped his head back before leveling his focus on Greer.

After a moment, Knox continued with regret and misery, heavy with his statement. “I think Killian’s right. Celia may not live. I sent Gideon to grab her, but I instructed him not to explain what was happening. We’ll need to inform the others of this decision, and assure them Killian agrees. Celia either has to leave or be punished. I don’t want to kill her, since she’s his only living relative, but this and the other shit she’s doing it cannot go unpunished.”

“I’ll do that immediately,” he answered, peering down at the bags. “She’s gone too far to repent or to be saved from this obsession with you, Knox.”

I considered his mood swings, and the way they shifted when we’d been in proximity to the chest. Yes, they were often more unpredictable when we were in his tent, and both times he’d actually hurt me, it had been there with us. However, there were plenty of other times that he’d been cruel to me and the chest was nowhere close to us. After he broke the lid, he’d sent it off ahead of us and he’d still struggled with his emotion and been a prick. It hadn’t been around when Ilsa had attacked, but he’d thought I had betrayed him then. Considering Luna had been standing on the field, it made sense why he had. Not that it excused his behavior, but I was perceptive enough to see it from his point of view. The guy had some major trust issues, and after being around him enough, I was getting them for him, too.

Gideon entered the chamber, his eyes dull and glazed and his coloring was off. Silently, he moved deeper into the room before he paused. He lifted a blade to his throat, staring around the room as if he wasn’t aware of the others within it. No one moved, and my stomach dropped as he spoke.

“Hello, gentlemen,” he murmured strangely in a layered tone. “I think it’s time we have a talk, don’t you?”

Stepping from the shadows, I ripped power to myself, intending to send it through the barrier to remove the dagger from his hold. I paused, looking for a pathway through the men who stood around him. Just as I found one, Knox stepped directly into it, his palms up as he tried to stop what was about to happen.

“This is merely a warning. If I were you, I’d stop seeking to end me, My Beautiful King,” he whispered in a feminine voice that sounded wrong and vacant. “You will never know where I am or who I am within. The next time you seek out that whore, another will meet the same fate.”

I sent the magic surging through the men and felt it slam into the barrier. I sucked in air and fought the denial that had built in my throat. My hands slammed down, and I watched the barrier shimmering, unable to bypass the translucent shield I’d placed for my protection. I gaped in horror as everyone lunged, but the blade Gideon pushed against his throat was magically enhanced. With barely a flick of his wrist, the blade severed his head before his hands had dropped with death. Their yells of horror and rage drowned my much softer cry of outrage.

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