Page 14 of The Dragon King's Curse
“Why should I trust you now after you’ve already proven yourself to be disloyal?” I held his gaze, not at all intimidated by this man. His scumbag son was more threatening than he was.
Atlas propped both elbows on the table, pressing the tips of his fingers together as he studied me. “I understand completely. You have no reason to trust me. We do share a common enemy in the elves. We can benefit each other greatly. What can I do to earn your trust? Would a peace offering of some sort be of interest to you? Perhaps an item of great value to me? Or a portion of my lands to claim as your own. I’m willing to negotiate.”
What would I ever do with a portion of sullied lands like the Shadow Realm? The magick here had been tainted. Corrupted by darkness. Light and dark once dwelled in the fae realm. Atlas himself had ruined that by seeking power in all the wrong places. He’d invited in the darkness, and it had stolen over the land. There was no arguing that the fae were still incredibly powerful, yet they’d lost much of what they once were.
Needing to buy myself some time, I said, “I need some time to think about it. This is a serious request.”
“Of course. Take all the time you need. When you finish eating, you may use my facilities to clean up before my guards return you to the prison.” Somehow Atlas managed to keep a straight face. I strongly suspected that he greatly enjoyed having me at his mercy.
Returning me to the prison was a power move on his part. Not that I could blame him. I’d likely have done the samemyself. We both knew he could hold me prisoner in the castle. He wanted me to suffer. To reduce me from my royal position to just another prisoner in his vile cell.
Just as well. I didn’t particularly wish to spend any longer in his presence than necessary. I needed some time to think. To plan.
No matter how much I hated the elves, I would never align myself with Atlas Rein again. He was as much an enemy to me as they were. This little stunt he’d pulled only confirmed what a despicable creature he’d become.
The day would come when I would see his end. He would bring it upon himself. When that day came, he would remember this very moment.
CHAPTER EIGHT
FERYN
As the days passed, it grew increasingly more difficult to comprehend how long we’d been held captive. Miranda and I had been surviving on wilted vegetables and bread.
After several days we’d been given fresh clothing. Plain tunics and pants. I wasn’t about to complain. Much better than being forced to wear dresses. One couldn’t fight well in such attire.
We took turns shielding one another as we changed. There wasn’t much for privacy in the prison. Using the chamber pot had to be the absolute worst. She and I shielded one another during that as well. Thankfully, our fellow prisoners were not interested in watching such things. Noxx did his best to act like it never happened, and we did the same in return.
Atlas Rein would surely suffer for subjecting us to this hell. Every now and then the guards would grow restless and bored. They would enter the cell and shove us around. Beating on us until we begged for mercy. They seemed to target Noxx more than anyone else.
I was undeniably curious about what the Fae King had said to him. That had been days ago. Noxx had returned smelling fresh and clean, looking like he enjoyed his time away fromthe rest of us. He’d been sullen since. Keeping to himself and speaking to nobody unless necessary.
“I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. I feel like I’m going to climb out of my skin.” There was desperation in Miranda’s voice. She hadn’t been sleeping much lately. My efforts to calm her and keep her focused were failing.
She wasn’t the only one suffering a mental break. One of the humans among us had stopped eating two days ago. He sat facing the wall, reacting to no one and nothing. Surely he would dehydrate or starve and die.
Occasionally, the fae prisoner would try to speak to the guards, imploring them for mercy and assistance. He often went ignored. Miranda and I were the only women, which kept us on edge. I worried that the men would succumb to their twisted urges and try to force themselves on us.
“It will be okay, Miranda,” I assured her. “Father will come for us. He will send someone. You know that he won’t leave us here. Try to keep your head a little longer.”
“How long do you think it’s been?” she asked, her gaze darting frantically around the inside of the cell. “It feels like weeks. Maybe months. What if he doesn’t even know that we’re here? What if the Fae King never tells him?”
That thought had crossed my mind as well. I’d found solace in the fact that some of our people had escaped.
“Leif and some of the others got away before the fae captured us. He won’t rest until we’re found.” Trying to find a way to distract her, I asked, “Would you like me to re-braid your hair?”
She shook her head, no longer caring that her hair was disheveled and tangled. I’d done my best to finger comb my long locks every few days before tying them into a tight braid. We weren’t given much in the way of personal care items. A tiny brush with hard bristles for our teeth, and that was all.
Feeling defeated, I glanced across to where Noxx sat. To my surprise, he was staring at me. His expression unreadable and hard. His golden eyes seemed to pierce right through me. Despite the body he currently wore, his dragon lurked within his eyes. It peered out at me, like it knew that I could set it free.
There was something else within the depths of his gaze. Something I’d seen in the eyes of other men. Want.
I told myself that I imagined it. There was no way a man like Noxx Drakoth would want me for anything other than the breaking of his curse. Yet I couldn’t deny the warmth that filled my belly as his gaze swept over me.
I was the first to look away. There was something about him that made me question myself. The sharp gleam in his eyes. His chiseled jaw and rugged appearance. The tattoo that I’d noticed along the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his clothing. Black swirls of ink that colored his skin.
Finding a man attractive was no sin. However, this was no normal man. This was the Dragon King. One of my family’s greatest foes.
I fought the urge to look at him again. No good would come of such a thing. We were both prisoners here. Attractions may form simply due to forced proximity. It didn’t mean anything at all.
