Page 194 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“No wonder the crowd has grown.”

“Mm-hmm,” he responded distractedly.

Kaden, who I hadn’t seen grab another glass, sipped at a fiery red liquid, his gaze locked on a balcony high above. Looking at him, I wondered if he was nervous. The music changed tempo but quieted, and I heard someone clear their throat. I followed Kaden’s gaze, hurt tightening my throat.

Silence rippled across the room, and everyone turned toward the large staircase. Now I knew why I hadn’t been able to find Vincent. He was at her side. Jealousy made me chew the inside of my lip as he stared at her with a soft smile on his lips. I hadn’t seen him in days, and the one time I’d heard him come back and stop near his door, I heard them together inside. Maybe kissing me made him realize how much he really missed her, and now that she had finally given him the time of day again, he was done with me. It seemed I’d only been a distraction.

I should have known. Why did I ever think I could change him? He wouldn’t even change for his chosen family. I was nothing to him, to no one. My magic must have started to leak because Kaden dropped his hand to mine, interlacing our fingers. He took the brunt of my magic. He didn’t react to the burn, but his touch grounded me. It was such a simple gesture, a kind one, and kindness was something I did not expect from Kaden. Maybe he was right. I knew nothing of him and Isaiah.

When I looked up again, I could have sworn Vincent’s eyes were on us, but it was probably just my imagination. Guards in shiny golden armor surrounded them, and I realized she was expecting an attack. She held a single hand up, her magnificent black dress fitting her lithe form like a glove. Its neckline plunged nearly to her belly button, exposing the inside curves of her full breasts. The dark color of it was a stunning contrast to her flawless skin, but it was the crown on her head that garnered whispers. Silver prongs reached for the ceiling and branched off like sparkling sunlight. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

Kaden made a noise in the back of his throat, and I tipped my head toward him without looking away from Nismera. “What is it?”

“That crown.” He kept his eyes straight ahead, speaking around his glass. “It was my father’s.”

Unir’s crown.

Holy gods above and below.

My mouth grew dry as she started down the stairs, taking them one by one until she reached the bottom. Every single being in her presence went to their knees, including Kaden and I, because the crown she wore told everyone exactly what and who she was now.

King of the Gods.

NISMERA INSTRUCTED EVERYONE TO DANCE AND MINGLE, THE MUSE singing a slow melody. Maybe no one else could hear it, but I heard the sadness and fear underlying the song. I hated it, hated being here even as Kaden spun me. I caught glimpses of Vincent and Nismera through the throngs of people as they danced. This whole thing was as fake as the smile on her face.

Dead bodies lined the depths of her palace, and the screams of those she tortured with her experiments echoed off the walls below, yet she pretended to be this savior of peace and ruler of the realms she so kindly liberated. Did they not see the monster beneath her skin? Did they not feel its harrowing breath or its dead and rotted eyes? Her porcelain skin may seem perfect, her hair as light as golden sunlight, but a demon from the very pits of Iassulyn lived beneath her breast, and it would swallow us and the world whole.

“You’re staring,” Kaden whispered against my ear.

“No, I’m not,” I said, even as I looked away.

“If it makes you feel any better, he is watching you, too.” My breath hitched, and Kaden’s chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. He knew it affected me.

Another breathless whisper near my ear made goosebumps rise on my arms and neck. “He looks every time you are not. You two should be careful. Nismera finds out you’re plucking the strings of her favorite toy, and she will skin you both alive.”

I pulled back, and Kaden’s lips were mere inches from mine. The way his head was tilted, I wondered if he was pretending to kiss me just so Vincent felt a fraction of the hurt I did. It was not what I wanted, though. None of this was. My life and heart were not a game.

My chest hurt as my reality crashed down on me. I did not want to be in this castle of a prison with a demon of a ruler who pretended to be kind. I did not want to feel for a man who had betrayed all he claimed to love and now treated me as a passing distraction. I did not want to dance and fake a relationship with my arch-nemesis.

I couldn’t do it, not anymore. A fine tremor went through my body, and my eyes burned. I had been strong for so long, but now I felt like I was going to break apart. I wasn’t strong enough.

“I can’t watch this, and I can’t do this anymore.”

Kaden’s brows rose as if he’d read every thought I had. “You try to flee, Camilla, and they will hunt you down. You’ll never escape this place.”

I let go of Kaden’s hand as I lifted the hem of my dress. Turning, I darted through the crowd and out of the ballroom. I ran past others, thinking of the crown she wore. She’d claimed it with the blood of the innocents she’d trampled. It was all too much.

Laughter beat at me, fake and forced. The sky bled silver with the power of the last true king. He would have ruled with kindness and fairness. I hurried past the tables of food prepared by beings forced to do so, whipped until they bled in service of her.

I ran up the staircase to the second level, excusing myself as I squeezed between kings and queens. I glanced behind me, but Kaden hadn’t followed me. No one had. Maybe he’d run to tattle to Nismera about me.

I stumbled against someone and reached out to steady myself. A small prick of pain stung my hand, and I hissed, pulling back and rubbing at it. I turned and came face to face with the beautiful man from the foyer. A slender woman stood at his side, her short brown curls cut close to her head. Her dress was deep maroon and damn near transparent. She offered me a slow smile that was as seductive as she was.

“I’m so sorry.” The man looked at my hand. “Did I hurt you? These stupid pins on my suit have come loose, and sharp edges, no matter how beautiful, still cut.”

“I am fine. Thank you,” I said, forcing a smile. He wore a small crown, its dips and swirls reminding me of the flow of wind. “It’s my fault. I was not looking where I was going.”

“Running away from the party?” his date purred.

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