Page 48 of The Throne's Undoing

Kolen merely chuckled and leaned closer to her. "The king likes his toys. While some may look like you, others are not as easy on the eyes."

Myra shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.

The guards remained silent the rest of the way, their heavy footfalls reverberating through the quiet hall. When they finally reached the end of the hall, an iron door blocked their path.

Kolen dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Dozens of keys clinked together as he rifled through them with one hand.

Picking out a slender one, he twisted the ancient key inside the lock. Goosebumps crawled across Myra's arm as he pried the door open, its metal hinges protesting with a spine-chilling screech.

With a rough push, Kolen forced her inside the small, square room. A single torch flickered on the far wall, revealing two doors facing each other. The air crackled with anticipation.

"Iro," Kolen said, tipping his head to a door inside the room.

The second guard nodded and knocked on the door to the right, fear wrapping around his ankles.

Sweat coated the back of Myra's neck. She wasn't sure if it was because of the heat or the unease spilling from Iro as he waited by the door. Either way, every muscle and nerve in Myra's body screamed at her to run, to flee, to escape back down the hall from which they came.

Yet Myra did not move a muscle.

She couldn't.

She stood frozen as the door finally cracked open from the other side. A low moan sounded from somewhere in the room, a noise that crept across Myra's skin and sent a shiver down her back.

"Finally," King Domitius said, and his sinister voice had Myra yearning for the cell she had just escaped. "We have been waiting for you."

The king, despite his impeccably tailored suit, looked slightly distraught. To anyone else, he might have seemed sick with worry because of his missing daughter, but Myra knew better.

Domitius did not care about Kallie's well-being. He only cared that she remained in his possession and remained loyal.

Myra had caught the flicker of wildness within his eyes before he had composed himself and she had dropped her gaze. Although the emotion was fleeting, she easily recognized the underlying panic.

More than anything, Myra wanted the king to feel that he was not all-powerful--that he could not control everything. But after years of being in the king's employ, Myra knew that the king wasnot easy to shake. Once his mind was made up, there was no turning back. He would not stop until he succeeded.

"Your Majesty," Kolen said, bowing deeply and forcing Myra to follow suit.

Myra could feel the king's gaze press down on her.

"You couldn't have cleaned her up before coming?" Domitius drawled.

Kolen tensed beside her and cleared his throat. "We did not want to waste any time, Your Majesty."

"Is this conversation not a waste of my time?"

The guard tipped his head in penance. "Yes, Your Majesty. My apologies, My King."

"We will have to make do." Domitius huffed and turned on his heel. "Come."

Kolen straightened and pushed Myra forward.

Myra stumbled forward, her footsteps unsteady. Without anything to stop her, she collapsed onto the floor, her knees hitting the stone. She bit her lip to stifle the cry of pain.

"What the--?" the king began, spinning back around. He groaned in annoyance.

Suddenly, a rough hand snatched her chin and jerked her face upward.

Domitius's gaze bore into hers, his lip curling as his fingers dug into her cheeks.

Myra blinked away her tears and cleared her emotions, hiding them away as best she could. She held her breath as King Domitius scrutinized her.

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