Page 45 of Ruled By Magic

She reached the stage and beckoned to me. I frowned, glanced at Leo, and took a step forward. The guards were distracted, dealing with a loud drunk at the far end of the stage. I reached the edge, and Catrina crooked her finger at me, urging me to bend toward her.

“Liv! Come here.” Leo’s voice.

I whipped my head around. He stood, body tense, looking between me and Catrina.

“Liv,” she called.

Indecision ripped at me. I should go to Leo. Tension crackled, as if a storm gathered, and something seemed off about the whole situation. But my pride, which I stamped down every damn day in the palace, flared. To go to him, passive and meek, the instant he called me to heel. To refuse Catrina a moment of my time, the opportunity to speak, when I’d ruined her life. It felt wrong, pathetic, and weak. I couldn’t do it. I turned from Leo and bent down to Catrina. “What?”

She reached both hands out, gripped my dress, and pulled me from the stage into the waiting arms of the crowd. I cried out. She bellowed, “NOW!” and the throng erupted into chaos.

A roar rang out, followed by hundreds of voices chanting “NPU” in angry unison. Something—red paint—splattered across my dress. I found my feet. The crowd parted for a moment, and banners caught my eye. “Corrupt Assembly out.” “End magical oppression.” “Livet is not your slave.”

What the fuck?

Catrina and another man gripped my arms and propelled me through the crowd. I tried to see over my shoulder, but the mob pressed in, a solid wall. My feet slipped, and I stumbled, but they dragged me forward.

A deafening crack split the air and a blue dome sprung up over us. The chant died, turning to yells of fear as people slammed against the shield and found it solid. Catrina and the other man stopped, loosening their grip enough for me to turn.

Leo leapt from the stage, blue energy crackling around his hands. Catrina squeezed my shoulder as the crowd compressed, forcing themselves into the sides of the dome to get away from him.

She spoke into my ear. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out. You’ve got friends in the NPU. When you get out, come and find us. We’ll see you safe.”

Her hand fell away. Leo reached me, eyes black and cold, and I shrank back. He’d never looked at me with such anger. The pure venom of it set ice racing through my bloodstream.

His hand fell on my shoulder, and everything vanished.

The apartment came into view, Leo’s hand still on my shoulder. Would he let me explain? His face was set in bitter lines of fury.

“It wasn’t what it looked like. I didn’t—”

“Bullshit. They knew you were there. They had banners. And I’ve got eyes, Liv. You signaled them and dove away from me. How long did you plan this?”

“I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me! I’m not a fucking idiot.”

I flinched back. He’d never raised his voice to me before.

“You’ve made me a figure of ridicule, destroyed my authority—” He shook his head. A flash of pain shot across his features, and he bent his head to the floor, fists clenched. He thought I’d betrayed him. My mind blanked. Words refused to come. It looked bad. All the evidence pointed to my guilt.

When he raised his eyes to mine, his face was a marble mask, hard and controlled. “You don’t deserve to wear that dress. Take it off.”

“Leo—”

“Lord Commander!” The words snapped like the crack of a whip. “I’ve given you an instruction. Do as you’re told.”

A command. Conditioned to obedience, I moved to comply before my conscious mind processed it. With my hand on the zip, I paused. This was how he meant to deal with things? To show me my place, and that I remained his captive, subject to his orders? To take away the piece of dignity he’d returned to me only hours ago? He’d tried me and found me guilty in an instant, without letting me plead my case. Should I scream at him, demand he listen?

No. It wouldn’t work. I knew him better than that. Obedience was my best option. Maybe after he made his point, we could talk.

Decision made, I stepped out of the dress and placed it over the sofa with care. Sadness rippled through me at the sight of it. This evening should have ended so differently.

He studied me, unreadable. I crossed my arms over my stomach, unsure what to do. Why wasn’t he saying anything? His eyes remained flat and hard. I tried one last time.

“Lord Commander?” Using his title felt unnatural now, too formal. “I need to explain.”

A shadow passed over his face, a cruel mockery of a smile. I shivered.

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