Page 21 of The Coveted
There was a pretty good chance that it was something I wasn’t going to be down for. He knelt down in front of me.
“Give me your arm. If you fight you will regret it.”
Isodid not want to give this psychopath any part of my body. Panic coursed through me as I wondered if he was powerful enough to enter my psyche this way. If he could, Daelon and I were done for.
He grabbed my arm before I could give it freely, his hand cold and smooth. “Nathaniel told me it was a feeling like no other,” he murmured, cruelty lacing his every word.
I was barely aware of Daelon moving to stand behind Lucius, his tortured eyes meeting mine. I held his gaze, anchoring myself to him so I wouldn’t struggle against the uncomfortable pinch of Lucius channeling through me. I braced myself for the inevitable pain that usually accompanied his unnatural power against mine. It went against my every instinct to allow this to happen, knowing how intimate and invasive it felt.
This was why energy vampires were so detested. Stealing magick from another witch without their consent was cruel. It went against the most basic tenets of morality and autonomy. Our power and gifts were an integral part of who we were, and the thought of Lucius taking any part of me just to feel some kind of high was sickening.
But, as a wave of energy moved through me to him, Lucius gasped, and it was not from pleasure. His face contorted with disgust, and for the first time that I’d seen, withpain.I was starting to think that was a feeling reserved only for his victims. He shot back and away from me, his entire body shaking as he crumpled to the floor.
“What have you done to me, you heretic bitch?” His voice shook as he shuddered. It sounded inhuman, like a feral predator.
I stood up, my brows drawn as I looked to Daelon. He quickly knelt by the King’s side. “This is how your power affects her, brother,” he said quickly. “It’s repelling forces. Just like why we need Amos—that power comes from the old ways.”
Lucius recovered quickly, and I was fully prepared for him try and kill me right then. Instead, he just looked at Daelon. “Well, that was unpleasant. If we don’t find a use for her soon, I want her dead. I don’t care if another futile weapon rises in her place.”
All the air seemed to get sucked from the room as the weight of his words bore down upon us.
He rose, brushing himself off. “Tomorrow at dinner you will bow before me in front of all my subjects. If not, I will kill you brutally and without mercy in front of everyone in the castle. At least that would send a message to the few filthy heretics that are left.”
Daelon’s face paled, but he quickly recovered. “Lucius, you know that’s not the answer. We need her to lure out the traitors. If there’s a deeper plot at play, we can’t make any rash moves without knowing the consequences. What if—”
“The consequence would be that she’d be dead.”
“Or become a martyr. We—”
“Enough, Daelon. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had reservations about my ability to decide what is best for my rule.”
Daelon paused, nodding. “You’re right. I’m only trying to help. Ultimately, it’s up to you.”
Lucius seemed satisfied with this response. “Leave me now. All this conflict has me hard.”
Um, what? Gross?
I made a face. He didn’t need to tell me twice though; I sure as hell was out of here.
“Speaking of, I think Renata has been looking for you, Daelon. She’s been very persistent.”
My stomach churned, and I almost stopped in my tracks. I knew Lucius was still trying to get a rise out of me. He still thought I was heartbroken over Daelon’s betrayal, knowing we were intimate back at the cabin thanks to Nathaniel’s pervy spying on the beach.
Relief flooded my veins as I made it out into a long, empty hallway, barely conscious of guards standing post outside. They glanced curiously in my direction but stiffened when Daelon joined me.
“My place, now,” he whispered once we were out of earshot.
I didn’t protest.
Chapter7
“Who the hell is Renata?”
Daelon lifted a brow. “Is that seriously the first thing you’re going to ask?”
“I don’t know.” I realized I’d been clenching my fists so hard that my fingernails had torn through flesh. I turned over my palms, my breathing still ragged with anger and a churning feeling in my gut. I could still feel Lucius’s cold hand on my arm, the invasion so personal.
Daelon took my hands in his, inspecting my cut skin. He looked like he wanted to punch another wall, like he had when Lucius overpowered me in the astrals. “She’s no one. Someone I used to sleep with. It doesn’t matter.” He waved a hand dismissively and then ran his fingers through his dark waves of hair. “I hate feeling so powerless. I want to kill him for touching you.”
