Page 23 of Blood of Two Crowns

The sound of bare feet padding against the tiles had my eyes peeking open. My breath caught at the site of her nudity. While I had seen Thalia’s nude form, thanks to the glamor, this was the first time I was seeing Keres’ bared body. Lithe muscle, the petite palmful of her pert, pink-tipped breasts. Her long, lean, muscular legs. And the hairless visage of her pretty little cunt.

My voice contained far less venom than I’d intended.“What are you doing?”

I suddenly became jealous of the waist-high water licking across her body as she silently strode over, holding my gaze with dark, silvery eyes. Her eyes dropped to my breasts and thenlower, all visible beneath the clear water. A coy smile tilted her lips when she caught me staring at the tightening peaks of her breasts.

“If you must know,I’m proposing.”

Chapter

Eleven

KERES

For some reason, I was nervous. I didn’t even know this female. Gods knew why my heart was fluttering like a bird caught in the winds of a storm. Zurie’s lips parted in shock as I neared her. She sat staring up at me with big, beautiful, blue, doe eyes.

“Proposing?”

“Soon, I will take Ishra’s throne, and I would love to make you a Queen.”

Zurie’s mouth snapped shut, gaze shifting to some distant spot on the wall behind me. “I have no desire to be a queen.”

Fuck.

What the fuck bargaining chip did I hold if she wanted nothing I had to offer? What more do I have to offer other than… Power?

“I am tired of being manipulated. Tired of wearing masks. Of dealing with people who wish to do nothing but exploit me. And while I may not deserve it, all I want now is peace.”

My heart clenched as her eyes lifted to mine, glistening and pregnant with tears. “Take me from this place. Give me freedom and comfort to do as I please, and I will advise you to the best of my abilities. That is all I have to offer.”

Three objectives led me to Atratus. The first, I already accomplished by killing my formersoulboundso that she would reincarnate and forget all about my bother, Mors, who stole her from me.

The second was to ally with Zurie once I took Ishra’s throne when Thalia’s father passed away. However, when my niece and hersoulboundsuddenly overthrew Zurie I was forced to rethink my plan.

Initially, I thought I’d considered ingratiating myself with Nakoa, the soon-to-be King, but I’d never been particularly partial to males,andhe seemed irreversibly obsessed by my niece. Not to mention, the idea of stealing away someone’ssoulboundwas something I was having a hard time stomaching, considering I knew just how horrific it was. I was a monster in many ways but there were at leastsomethings that even my conscience couldn’t bear.

And then I realized Zurie would be perfect to rule beside me. I didn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom. She could advise me. Granted, I would take her advice with a grain of salt because I wanted to be loved and adored by a kingdom—not hated—like her.

My final and third objective in coming here was to find Miroslav so that he could tell me where Persephone, the Goddess of Life, was hiding in exile so that she could tell me where and when Soteira, myformer soulbound,would reincarnate. Perhaps even convince her to expedite the process if such a thing were possible. However, I would still be forced to wait at least thirty or so years for her to grow into a relatively mature female who would be mentally and emotionally compatible with me.

And now, this wicked female in front of me was tugging at my heartstrings.

Messy. This is going to get very, very messy, Keres,a distant voice in my head murmured, in a bored tone if I’d interpreted it correctly.

Emotions were such fickle things, and I was already so prone to impulsivity. So what if we shared a dalliance? It might last a day or a decade. There was little good in worrying what the future would bring when it came to such matters. I had been betrayed too many times by the people I’d loved most in all the realms. If we shared a deep connection and mutual pleasure could be had, I would take my joy where I could find it.

In my hesitation to reply, something like exhaustion and disappointment settled on Zurie’s face as her eyes drifted towards some distant point on the wall behind me. I dared a step closer, between her parted thighs. With the back of my finger, I swiped up a tear caught in her lengthy, pale lashes and brought it to my tongue. The faint scent of Zurie’s sweet arousal curling through the air made my heart riot in its cage.

“I will provide you with everything you could ever possibly need and want so long as you remainloyalto me. Loyalty, above all else, is what I value.”

Zurie’s eyes lifted to mine, widening with some unreadable emotion.

“Why is it that you wish to be a Queen?”

My heart gave another stutter as the truth slipped past my lips before I could stop them. “I wish to be loved.”

Zurie’s expression hardened, making my stomach lurch with the need to gain her approval. “I want to do good in the world and be appreciated for it…”

I held my breath as Zurie openly studied me for several moments. “Ruling a Kingdom is a thankless job. Even when I tried to rule with a gentle hand, I was met with hatred and opposition.”

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