Page 81 of Kingdom of the Two Moons

My gaze falls to my hands again. “Why am I here?”

“Because of an arrangement with Lyrian,” he answers too neutrally, evasively.

“Why am Ireallyhere?”

He hesitates for a second, irritation flickering over his features. “Because you’re unique to this world.”

My mouth goes dry. I swallow, then ask, “You’ve never seen a half-blood before?”

“No, not a human half-blood.” His hand brushes back my hair to reveal my round ear, the curve of my cheek, the shape of my neck; gently, before he pulls it back. But his eyes keep roving over my skin with some kind of rapt curiosity. “I must admit that even I have not. I think only a few ever have.”

I don’t have it in me to ask whether this makes me a special trophy. Something… extraordinary to keep and show around. Is that why he wanted me? Why hetradedme?

The question burns in my mind, along with so many others. What about my mother… my father?

But I’m not ready to ask. Not now. Not here.

Not when I’m all alone with him.

Eventually, he says, “Go. Sleep. It’s already late.”

I turn to get away as quickly as possible when the sound of his voice makes me pause midway. “And Melody—”

I glance over my shoulder. “Trying to run would be foolish.”

My heartbeat stutters. Does he know? Did Riven tell him? “Because you’re going to flay me. Got it.”

“Because monsters roam this realm,” he counters, ignoring my remark. “Monsters that come straight out of the nine hells.”

24

Riven

A cracking sound, so hard it almost shakes the thick walls of the training rooms. Followed by a bone-grinding growl from Caryan’s throat. Even Riven startles at the brute force with which Caryan has driven Kyrith into the wall, the stone giving way and fracturing under Kyrith’s body.

Caryan’s fangs are only slivers away from Kyrith’s throat, pausing a second before he sinks them into his flesh. Brutal, without mercy, as if Caryan wants to rip it out.

Kyrith’s face is a mask of pain, but he doesn’t make any sound. Doesn’t fight it until Caryan eventually lets go of him, but not without grabbing Kyrith’s throat again, along with the wound there, and hurling him across the room into the opposite wall. Kyrith collapses on the floor like a mass of dead flesh.

Riven stares at his friend. It’s time that Caryan disciplined Kyrith, but he’s never seen Caryanthisangry. He’s even taken the damper off his magic, and the power in the room is flaring so thick it’s almost suffocating.

For the dark kings of the Abyss’s sake, it has no beginning and no end. It takes all of Riven’s own magic to move against it, not to be crushed by it like a ship buried under the weight of the ocean.

Caryan strides over toward Kyrith, who’s still lying curled on the floor, every visible part of him bleeding. Kyrith lifts his head,blood dripping over his chin, looking up at Caryan like a dog at his master, pain shining on his face so bright and clear it’s gut-wrenching.

But Riven knows it’s not the physical pain. Kyrith’s a hard bastard. He can handle shattered bones. It’s the fact that he has upset Caryan so much.

Riven almost feels pity. Almost, if the thought of Melody on the ground doesn’t make him want to send another kick into Kyrith’s already cracked ribs.

Caryan wipes the blood off his chin with his sleeve before he says, calmer now, “I know you hate her because she looks like her mother, Kyrith. But you can’t punish her for that.”

“I treated her just like we treat slaves. She dropped and spilled everything. A slap was the least—”

“First you dare to speak to me like that in front of others. Now you dare to lie to my face. You ran into her deliberately, Kyrith. Do you think I can’t see it in your blood? Do not tempt me.” Caryan’s voice cuts through the air like a knife.

Riven isn’t sure, but he thinks he sees Kyrith blush under all his cuts and bruises. Kyrith opens his mouth and, briefly, Riven expects him to apologize.

But instead, Kyrith straightens up as far as his broken bones allow. He stares right into Caryan’s face, a challenge bristling in his own forest-green eyes. “Tell me why, Caryan? Tell me why you brought her here! She will be trouble. She already is.”

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