Page 60 of Blood of Two Crowns

Realization dawned on me.Hades. The drakonati genocide.

Ataraxus gave me a sad smile in confirmation that made something in my chest squeeze tight with sorrow.

“How did you survive? And how did you get back here?”

Rationale told me Azrael before he answered.

“You probably know her, actually. I owe her my life...”

Her?

“Queen Zurie.”

My jaw hit the stone floor so hard it was a fucking miracle it didn’t shatter.“Zurie?”

Ataraxus’ eyes dipped to where my lips were parted, and I didn’t miss how his pupils flared wide. Again, my logical mind admonished me as my body arched ever so slightly towards him as he curled a finger under my chin.

My heart thundered in my chest in anticipation.

Gods, when was the last time I’d been kissed?

Instead of kissing me, the male gently closed my mouth before brushing a thumb over my bottom lip. The action proved to render me equally stunned.And aroused.

Ataraxus’ nostrils flared, bestowing me with that luminous grin again before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead in a way that seemed so familiar it stole my breath.His words were murmured in a low voice against my forehead.“This is Kismet, Mareina, and you make it all worth it.”

Sometime later, we reached a large set of stone doors, and Ataraxus turned to me, wearing a look that didn’t suit him. He gave me a sheepish grin, only one dimple making an appearance, as he opened the doors to reveal a beautifully appointed bed chamber that boasted a thermal bathing pool in a far corner.

My eyes stuttered as they landed on…a grand piano?

“The drakonati build pianos in hell?”

Ataraxus chuckled. “Not in this hell, unfortunately.”

My brows lifted. “Sooo…”

“So I stole it.”

“From who?”

Ataraxus smirked. “Azrael.”

My head tipped back in a surprised laugh. “How wildly endearing.”

This male bargained with Azrael to kidnap you,my rational mind unhelpfully provided as my intuition batted the thought away.

Ataraxus gave me a feline grin. “You have a choice…,” he announced from beside me as I took in the warm setting. A live, crackling hearth illuminated the space, decorated with furs, red and gold artfully woven rugs, and a bed pallet that looked cozy enough todiein.

A choice…

As far as I could remember, that was perhaps the first time in my entire fucking life that anyone had ever actually given mea choiceinstead of attempting to force their will upon me. And despite the fact that logic would tell me to kill, something inside my already aching heart blossomed just for him.

He dared a glance at me. “You can either bathe in here, in the privacy of my room,oryou can choose the far less appealing option of utilizing the communal baths. Admittedly, they are quite stunning and perhaps more elaborate than this, and I understand if you feel safer amongst a crowd.”

My brows pinched with something very near disbelief. I’d had countless males attempt to force themselves on me. A handful of which had succeeded when I was hardly more than a youth before I’d gained the skill and knowledge of how to protect myself…

Neverhad a male so brazenly given me achoice.

I trained my features neutral even as my heart swooped like a butterfly against the winds of a storm. “And… if I were to choose to bathe here in your rooms…”

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