Page 9 of Heart of the Summer Queen

“If I do, you will try to kill me again. Or worse, perhaps you will lead a revolt and try to turn this kingdom against me.”

I grip a fistful of the furs beneath me. A rebellion would be no less than he deserves.

There’s a moment of silence. I wait for him to leave.

He does not.

“You must eat.” At the periphery of my vision, I see him leaning near with the bowl of porridge at the ready. I wonder how long it will take for it to all freeze. Perhaps not more thanten minutes, maybe less if he carried it himself all the way from the kitchens.

“Why do you care?” I say to the ceiling.

“You are my wife.”

I choke out a strangled laugh. “You just married me because you need me for whatever reason you need a Summer Queen.”

He doesn’t even try to deny it.

I roll onto my side, so I can see his expression as I ask, “Why do you need a Summer Queen? Why do you need me?”

Of course, he stays silent. Like the previous times I’ve asked, he refuses to tell me what he seeks. The fact he’s refusing now, even after I’ve driven a dagger through his chest and he’s holding me prisoner, means his ambitions must be dark indeed.

There goes my pitiful plan to bargain with his ambition. If he won’t tell me what he wants, how can I strike a deal for my freedom?

“Whatever it is you need, I won’t give it to you while I’m your prisoner.”

“Eat.” He digs the silver spoon into the porcelain bowl. I’m pleased to see no steam wafts up from the porridge. It must already be stone cold.

“No.”

“Adara,” he growls.

I turn away my head.

“I would prefer to not have to force feed you.”

“You wouldn’t?” I retort. “I thought tyrants got a thrill out of asserting their power over others.”

He lets out a heavy sigh and sets down the porridge on the counter. “Since you arrived at the palace, I have done everything within my power to make you feel welcome. I have tried to be reasonable during these past few days, despite your shoving a dagger into my chest on our wedding night—”

“Reasonable?” I can’t help from bolting upright in bed, though weariness washes through my body. “You think caging me in here is reasonable?”

“You tried to kill me!” he roars, his calm façade shattering. I want to see his rage. I want to see the monster beneath the mask. The monster I’ve known to be there all along. “From the moment we met, you used me!”

“Just as you used me,” I snarl.

He grabs my wrist, fury blazing in his eyes. I wait for him to hit me.

The blow doesn’t come.

Instead, he pulls me closer, until our faces are just inches away. “In what capacity have I used you?” His breath is hot against my cheeks.

“I am a means to an end.”

His grip tightens, fingers digging into my skin. “At least I didn’t try to end you.”

“No,” I say, lip curling. “You just ended my sister.”

His shoulders tighten. “Ended her?”

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