Page 93 of Crownless King

“Why not?” He lowered his head stubbornly.

“For one, I’m not ataurean. I believe that’s the wife you really want.”

He stared at my hand rubbing my chest.

“Is that the true reason you’re refusing me?” His eyes narrowed. “Or is there someone else?”

He hooked a finger into my neckline and easily tore the sturdy fabric down the middle.

“Bavius!” I caught the ends of the bodice of my dress, trying to pull them together to cover my breasts.

He’d never acted like this before. Yet I didn’t believe he would hurt me. I felt more shocked than scared.

He easily fought my hands away, yanking the fabric aside to expose my left breast.

“Just as I thought,” he said bitterly.

The skin on my breast was red and felt hot as if inflamed. Raised welts I’d never seen there before appeared, as if someone carved the intertwined letters V and S into my flesh. The lines were broken, forcing the eye to compensate by imagining the connections. But the letters were readable.

I sucked in a breath with a gasp. “What is this?”

Palming my breast in his giant hand, Bavius rubbed his thumb over the letter V.

“Is this for Voron? The king is the father of your child, isn’t he? The lad looks just like him, too.”

“Oh God…”

My legs suddenly felt like cotton. I propped my butt against the table for support. I didn’t even care that Bavius was practically fondling me. I didn’t have the presence of mind to demand he stop. My head was spinning. The images of golden letters T and P painted on Queen Pavline’s chest flashed before my eyes.

“The mating mark,”people had said.

Hers was painted and carefully re-applied before every party and official function.

Mine…

Mine was carved into my skin, deep and permanent, without my knowing or drawing even a drop of blood.

“What does it mean?” I breathed out, afraid to hear the answer.

Bavius flexed his fingers, painfully squeezing my breast before releasing it.

“It means that you’re a liar,” he snapped, pushing away from me.

The accusation was cruel and unfair. It felt like a slap in my face.

“I haven’t lied to you,” I protested. “I just never told you who Aithen’s father was.”

“Well, you should have,” he fumed. “You are his fucking bonded mate! You should’ve told me, Sparrow. I needed to know that before getting involved.”

“The mark is new.”

“But the baby isn’t.”

“Would it have changed anything if I told you that Voron is his father? Would you have let me stay here if you knew?”

“Probably not,” he admitted.

“I see.”

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