Page 17 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
“You look mangy in that outfit by the way. I now see why you had to masquerade as a mortal just to potentially get laid. Sadly, that personality of yours cannot be shifted. Pity, yes?” I queried, batting my eyelashes to feign innocence.
“That is enough Healing power!” Theon shouted, shoving Tish to the side just after she unlocked the chains upon the table. Unfortunately, there were still chains keeping my hands tightly secured to one another. His large hand grabbed the links, tugging me down until my body slipped off the edge. I toppled to the ground and was hit with a new flash of pain. Gods, how unnecessary.
Before I could gain my footing, Theon began pulling me, dragging me out the door and down the dark and damp path to my cell. Fighting, I tried and failed to gain the upper hand long enough to get my feet below me.
We reached my cell quickly, my shouts of protest startling Sterling into consciousness. The mortal prince jumped up, his eyes finding mine immediately. When he opened his mouthto defend me, I shook my head. They had not tortured him for information—or fun—since I arrived. If I could prevent any further harm upon him, I would.
Theon dropped the chain connecting my handcuffs and dug into his pocket to find the keys. After a few muttered curses, he recovered them and unlocked my cell. Then, he removed my shackles, picked me up, and threw me in. My right knee hit the stone so hard I screamed in surprise and agony. How many more times would he hurt me until he was satisfied?
“You are really making me mad, you beast of a fae. I would be careful not to infuriate me further unless you wish to meet a grizzly end,” I threatened, glaring up at him. A random breeze flew through the dungeons, my nearly bald head too exposed and causing a chill to run down my spine. Theon must have thought he caused it, because he merely smiled down at me, grabbing the bars of my cell door as he spoke.
“Actually, it is you who should be careful not to infuriate me. Eventually, we will break you, and you will regret not choosing me. Now and then.” His eyes glittered beneath the Fire power that blazed in the wall sconces, victory there in the depths of blue.
“You are truly that angry that I did not date you in Academy? That was so long ago. Get over it.” Adjusting to a more comfortable position with my back against the wall, I faced Theon, embarrassed for him at his crush turned vengeance.
“No, it is not simply that you looked over me. It is that you chose a lowly Healer over me. That you cared for a random nobody when I was the strongest Multiple the Academy had seen in decades!” I stilled at his shouted confession, my mind filling with Sipho. How did he know about him? “You look confused, Princess Asher. Perhaps I should enlighten you.”
With that, he flashed a final smile and pushed away from my cell. He paced loudly, Sterling catching my eye when he stoodand approached his cell door. The two of us were on edge waiting for Theon to explain himself.
“You turned me down my fifth year, your third. Do you recall?” he asked. I remained silent, not completely remembering the moment. As if he could sense my answer, he scoffed, continuing his story with far more annoyance than he had before. “Well, not only did you take away my chances at havingyou,but you took away a crown that I deserved. Yes, I could wait for your eventual introductory ball, but none of us were sure when or how it would be held. So, I followed you. Studied you. Trying to gain your attention and discover what you liked. However, all I truly figured out was that you were rather private and did not care much for socializing.”
True. Not that the intense bullying and shunning helped any. Theon continued to pace, Sterling watching intently, just as I did.
“It was not until I came back to visit during your first year after Academy that I realized why you were so uninterested in the males around you.” He stopped midstep, turning his head my way and offering a wink. “You already had yourself a lover.”
“No,” I said breathlessly. It could not be. There was no way he knew all those years ago and said nothing to the royals. Sterling hit his bars, furious with the turn the story was taking. But I remained still, both ready and not to hear the rest of the story.
“Yes, Asher. I saw you and your precious Sipho. He whispered in your ear as he passed you one day.” Suddenly, the Shifter whipped around to face Sterling, his smile impossibly wider. “Let me fill you in, my little doppelganger of sorts. Sipho was a Healer that graduated the same year as Asher. His father had begun selling his produce at the market here in The Capital immediately after his son’s graduation, which meant Sipho was able to visit rather often. And where do you think he went when he disappeared from his father’s stall?”
Sterling answered with a defiant shout and another rather forceful smack of the bars before him. Theon, undeterred, nodded vehemently. Pointing to the mortal before him and then snapping, he faced me again.
“Exactly right, Prince Sterling. Sipho went to the woods behind the golden palace, where he met—you guessed it—The Manipulator herself. There, well, the details are a bit too graphic to share, though I will not lie and say that I did not have some fun watching such scandalous activities.” Theon groaned as he reached down and cupped himself between his legs, rolling his head as if fighting off a wave of lust. My body began to shake, the image of Theon pleasuring himself to Sipho and I having sex making me bloodthirsty.
“You know what I felt after, though? Fury. So much fury. Because the princess had told me once that she was not allowed to be with anyone until the royals chose her husband one day. But there she was, fucking a farmer’s son. Fucking scum—”
I cut off Theon with a shrill scream, jumping to my feet and racing towards the bars. Slamming into them, I reached through the bars in an attempt to sink my claws into him. Theon merely laughed, taking a few steps back and eyeing me with glee.
“Oh, just you wait, Asher. The story gets so much better. I waited months to find the perfect time to share my knowledge with the king. I needed to get rid of the Multiple that was just above me in rank, as my scores landed me third in my subfaction,” he said nonchalantly, waving off the fact that he murdered his Warden like it was nothing. “But once she was dead, I was to be given the title of Warden, allowing me to rule over the Multiple Lands. Which, of course, meant a ceremony at The Capital.”
My head swam with the facts, timelines falling into place until dread overcame me, making my legs weak. Theon laughed so hard he doubled over, grabbing his stomach as if to containthe humor. Stumbling back, I tried to remember what I had done the night of that ceremony. Had I not met with Sipho? I could not recall exactly, but he had been safe with me. Right?
“It was all too easy for King Xavier to send the Healer and his father home before you could meet. Even easier for me to take Sipho’s form and meet you in the forest,” I watched as he licked his lips, his eyes traveling down my body slowly as if he knew it well.
No. Eternity,please no.Shaking my head, I muttered the word over and over again. “No.”
“Yes,Asher.” Then, right before my eyes, Theon shifted. A cry of agony left me hunched over as Sipho’s dazzling honey eyes and unruly black curls appeared in front of me. The Multiple had done far better with Sipho’s likeness than he had with Sterling’s. I thought then that such a hurt was far worse than any form of torture they could inflict upon me.
“Please, stop. Stop this,” I begged, choking on sobs. Theon merely smiled with Sipho’s beautifully brilliant white teeth and round cheeks before dragging a finger across his full lips.
“The way you ravished me with your lips that night was nothing short of magical. You did not even let me attempt to speak in his voice, which was great for me as I have always been poor at impressions. And oh, did you taste delicious.” With that, he leaned his head back and moaned loudly.
That was when the grief slowly began to simmer into rage.
“Sadly, King Xavier was watching, and I could not take you like I wished. So instead, he called to you. Do you remember, Asher? Do you recall that time youalmostgot caught with your lover? How you placed one more chaste kiss to my lips and mouthed ‘later’ before running off to your king?”
I shook with the anger within me, letting it bubble and straighten my spine. My hands balled into fists, something deep within my chest coming alive. I felt an odd sensation aroundmy neck where my blocker was, as if the throbbing and never-ending agony it caused was beginning to fade.
“You know the rest, right? No more than a fortnight later, King Xavier and Queen Mia made false plans to visit Isle Element. Reckless as you were, you almost immediately ran to your Shifter and made plans. You even took the time to speak with his father, who had no idea that the princess before him would be the death of his beloved son—hisonlyson.” A low sound rumbled its way up my throat, like a building threat. Theon did not care as he let the end of his tale be known. “You know, I touched myself many times upon that spot on your floor while you were gone. Pleasuring myself to the thought of that waste of space dying was more euphoric than your stretched out and used cunt could ever be. Too bad Sipho is not here to see your pathetic and hideous self now. I bet he would be so disappoint—”
