Page 51 of A Kingdom so Crimson

He heaved in a breath. "Because…after all I did, all the horrible things that I've done, and after hearing your story from Jesri, the only way I saw a sliver of freedom for you…was this."

My heart sank and burned passionately, raging with bubbling anger that pricked my tongue with copper. "How long?" I hissed out, struggling to force the anger down. Every inch of me that wanted his warmth was long gone. "How longwere you working with Jesri?"

He took a step back, sensing my growing rage. "A while," he said, cutting his thoughts short.

My mind raced back to those first days when Jesri turned more malicious after my failed acceptances of suitors and handlers. He forced me to train with Darius until I bled on the stone floors, until I vomited from exhaustion day and night, until I was beaten and bruised.

I was stillsoyoung and naïve, even before I had my first bleed. The parties Jesri threw started to become toxic, with people looking at me with even more hesitation, ladies snickering, and calling me hurtful names, which Jesri made sure I knew.

I sucked in a breath, trying to register everything, trying to calm the tumult of emotions.

Soon after the decline of suitors, Jesri had returned home from a longer-than-usual business endeavor, unusually happy. He even treated Calum and me to a feast fit for the kings, with every pastry imaginable hinting at celebrating something that would go down in history. Only then did he make my training harder and became more demanding, saying he would only show me to another suitor once I was ready.

It couldn't have been because of Levon. Could it?

The sensation of flames licked at my fingertips, amplifying every sound until it felt like the world was closing in on me. I clawed at my corset, desperate for relief, desperate to breathe.

It was all his fault.Every bit of it. He was the one who drove Jesri to madness, provoking him with unrealistic ambitions for a mere child. If he hadn't made that deal, perhaps I'd be livinga more normal life with a guardian who didn't push me to the brink or force me to do unspeakable tasks.

Levon reached for my hand, compelling my searing gaze to meet his. The intensity of my surroundings surged as I felt the blood rush to and from Levon's palm up into his beating heart. Heard the birds soaring to our right, the insects chattering and buzzing beneath our feet.

"Eliah, look at me."

My heart stuttered, roaring to be able tobreathe.The sun pressed down on me, blinding me with thoughts of reddening darkness with its long, spidery legs to take me whole and pull me down, down, down.

"Eliah!"

I couldn't stop my fingers from burning, feeling like it seared my flesh right off. The metallic twang rushed up my nose, stabbing right into my brain, sending the raging flames within me bursting out.

All I could do was scream and scream and scream before those long, spidery fingers dragged me down, cutting off my air supply and leaving me in a heap on the ground.

18

Iwas trapped in an unending whirlwind of gold, black, and crimson hues, so vivid they seemed to seep into the depths of my soul, distorting my perception of reality. Thoughts scattered like distant echoes, and each breath felt like a beacon in the darkness, betraying my presence to unseen forces.

Crouching amidst the shadows, I wrestled with the oppressive mist that seemed to ensnare the very essence of my being, pulling me along an unfathomable river of fear.

Golden sparks cascaded around me, lighting the darkness with their celestial glow. Each pulse and spark sent a surge of energy through me, electrifying my senses. But as the radiant display continued, a darkening crimson crept in, weaving sinister threads that whispered haunting nightmares and long-forgotten memories that I didn't want to surface.

The thunderous roar of the clouds echoed overhead while red lightning crackled through the air like fiery spiderwebs. In the distance, towering mountains loomed like jagged spikes, casting a shadow of dread over me. Each peak was capped with snow, contrasting sharply against the encroaching darkness thatswirled threateningly, dancing in a frenzied horror illuminated by bursts of lightning. A chill raced down my spine, leaving me paralyzed with fear.

I struggled to move and break free, but invisible fingers gripped me tightly, pulling me deeper into the abyss until the golden light was swallowed whole.

19

My eyes snapped open to a bitter, biting cold that engulfed me. Gasping for air, I found myself face-to-face with fiery amber eyes hovering over me. I jerked upright in pain, my hair plastered to my face and chilled with ice.

"Geisha, bless me." A voice rasped as two strong hands took my face. I coughed and sputtered, slowly realizing that Kaizen crouched before me, not those bloodied mountains.

I pushed him away instinctively, though regret flooded me instantly, and I found myself slumping into his arms for support.

My body throbbed with burning pain, a fiery ache coursing through me, yet I felt as if I had plunged into a frozen chasm, shivering uncontrollably. Gasping for air, I noticed the absence of the suffocating corset constricting my ribs. Grasping for reality, I blinked slowly, seeing my torn dress and corset lying beside me, leaving me only in my wet petticoat and skirts clinging to me.

Instinctively, I tried to cover myself before feeling the comforting embrace of a warm cloak draped over me. Clutchingit tightly, I trembled violently as my teeth chattered, sending echoes of cold reverberating through my skull.

"Breathe," Kaizen whispered softly, his hair brushing against my face, tickling my nose as he lifted me from the ground, my own weight feeling overwhelming. I struggled to focus, clinging to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Levon," I rasped, trying to recollect what happened. Where he went, where—where I went. "Levon?" I slurred.

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