Page 83 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.”

“Then maybe you would understand me, too. You see, I’m still cross with Voron. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually and things will return to normal. But right now, it irritates me to see something of his around the neck of the woman I care deeply about. Especially tonight, when I finally have you all to myself.”

He cared about me? Deeply? He never said anything like that before.

“I see.”

“You do?” His voice lifted. “You understand, then? Will you take his necklace off? Will you do it for me? Please.”

Not waiting for me, he ran his fingers around my neck and tried to open the closure of the necklace, but it wouldn’t give. Like Voron had said when he gave it to me, no one would be able to remove it without my permission. But some might be able to break it.

The king tugged at it, getting more and more irritated. If there was anyone capable of breaking the necklace, I assumed, it would be the king with his strength and powerful magic.

“I’ll do it.” I reached back myself. “Here.” I took it off.

He grabbed it from me and put it onto the marble stand next to our glasses.

“Excellent.” He lifted his glass and took another drink. “The necklace will stay right here for you. You can have it back first thing in the morning.”

With a gentle smile, he caressed the side of my face. Sliding his hand under my chin, he guided my face to his.

“Thank you for taking it off. It means a lot to me,” he murmured against my lips.

His breath fanned across my skin. The sweet fragrance ofcamytefilled my nostrils just as his tongue parted my lips and invaded my mouth.Camyteflavor clung to his tongue, hitting the roof of my mouth.

Horror gripped me as the dreadfully familiar sensation of helplessness spread through my limbs. Without the necklace, I was defenseless, one on one with the man I now knew without a doubt I could not trust.

He leaned back, breaking the kiss.

“Now will you drink it?” he grinned, taking the goddamn flute from the stand.

“Please, don’t…” I whimpered, even as my hand reached for the glass.

His blue eyes twinkled excitedly as he watched me drink. He practically bubbled with giddy anticipation.

“Oh, but I will, my treasure. I will do everything I’ve been dying to do to you for so long. Come now,” the king murmured, taking me into his arms. “Let’s fulfill the prophecy, my sweet, little pet.”

ChapterTwenty-One

SPARROW

Light danced behind my eyelids. I opened my eyes, squinting and turning my head to evade it.

A ray of sunlight pierced the gauzy curtains draped between the vines above the bed—King Tiane’s bed. The sunlight came from the round skylight in the domed ceiling.

There were barely any clouds in the sky. This was the first ray of sunlight I’d ever seen in this shadowless kingdom.

Propping my hands on the mattress, I rose in bed. The room was empty. The king wasn’t here.

My robe lay on the floor where I remembered standing last. My corset was still on, leaving my chest bare. Several small round spots dotted my breasts. They were sore when I touched them. Then I realized the dots were bruises, likely left by rough fingers.

The memories of last night rushed over me. The king, the necklace, the drink… King Tiane saying something about a prophecy.

The last thing I remembered was the king leaning over me lying in bed.

“I will savor the memory of every minute of our first night together,” he’d said. “And I’ll be looking forward to many more nights like this. But you…” He stroked my face. “You, my precious baby chick, don’t need to remember any of it.”

His lips had parted after that, and he’d inhaled one gentle breath in through his mouth. Then, oblivion had descended upon me like a thick, woolen blanket. And now I didn’t remember how I got to bed in the first place, who took my robe off, or what happened in between.

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