Page 83 of Marked By the Dark Lord
“So, he wants you dead.”
“That is my assumption,” I confirmed, my eyes locked with Kraw’ok’s. “I want nothing to do with it, but he can’t risk that. He needs me dead. Or at least, under his control somehow.”
“How would he do that?” Mila asked nervously.
“Through you, of course,” Kraw’ok gloated as we approached. “Hello, dear brother.”
Mila’s face paled as she began to understand the gravity of the situation.
“What do you want?” I growled.
The Dark Lady chose that moment to intervene, probably for the best. I wasn’t sure I could have kept myself from attacking Kraw’ok. I didn’t want the throne, but I still despised him.
Just not for the reason everyone assumed.
“Lord Kraw’ok has just arrived,” the Dark Lady said, taking control of the conversation, “and he has made a most excellent proposal for what to do.”
“Has he now?” I asked dryly. “And what proposal is that?”
“Peace,” the Dark Lady said. “His troops will withdraw from our borders. As will ours. A gesture of goodwill from both parties.”
“How generous of him,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And what did you have to do to get him to do that?”
“Why, nothing,” the Dark Lady said. “Which is why it’s so beneficial for me. I simply donothingabout either of you two, and I benefit. Isn’t that remarkable?”
“So, you’re going to let him take her then, is that it?”
“No, no,” the Dark Lady said. “I’m not going tolethim. I’m simply not going to stop him.”
“That’s the same thing,” Mila said. “You’re just letting him do whatever he wants. And you get nothing out of it.”
The chamber went cold. Beside me, Aurr’av stiffened in alarm as the hair on the Dark Lady’s head floated freely, the only thing moving at the moment.
“No, it is not,” she said icily. “Context matters greatly. Kraw’ok is going totakeyou. I am notgivinghim to you. Once he has you, he will have what he needs to secure his borders, and the recent unpleasantness between our Houses will subside. Do I make myself clear?”
I covered Mila’s mouth with a hand. She shot me an angry glare, but it subsided after I gave her a tiny shake of her head. Arguing Fae logic was useless and a waste of time. The deal had already been decided.
“As the offer is better on a large scale for my House, I must therefore decline yours, Korr’ok,” she continued in a normal tone. “Thank you for your time. Aurr’av will show you to the border when you’re ready. Please do not ever come back.”
Kraw’ok just grinned over at me. “No hard feelings,brother. But she’ll make a better concubine for me than she would everdo for you. Best you not make an issue of it. Otherwise, I might have to change my mind on how I treat her.”
An image of Mila, pinned to a bed underneath Kraw’ok, came to rest in the front of my mind.
“Just like old times, isn’t it?” he said under his breath, fingers closing over Mila’s arms. “They always want me more.”
I snapped.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Korr’ok
Kraw’ok had just enough time for his eyes to go wide before my uppercut took him in the chin, lifting him clear of his feet and throwing him back ten or more feet to land in a heap.
“SHE IS MINE!” I bellowed loudly enough that dust and bits of stone fell from the arched ceiling far, far above.
There was no magic. No weapons. Just raw brute strength. I landed on my younger brother like a wolverine, kicking, clawing, and driving home whatever attack I could. No skill or plan. I was enraged beyond all definitions, and it had turned me feral.
The initial attack had stunned him, but Kraw’ok was a Sidhe and no slouch. I took my fair share of blows until one of them finally dislodged me, sending me rolling off to the side, coughing as I struggled to breathe from the sharp elbow to the stomach.
