Page 75 of A Queen Of Broken Realms
Hail Queen Leucosia.
I turn to Pyrrhus as guards stride from the edges of the playing field to escort us from the pit. “You’re free to go home now,” I say. “Thank you again.”
“Thankyou, your grace. You gave me something…unexpected.”
I huff a little laugh. “Mercy shouldn’t be unexpected here.” I tap his chest where the tattoos of his House lie beneath his bloodied shirt. “It’s written right there. Mercy is stamped on your skin.”
“No, it is not mercy you gave me,” he says with a little shake of his head. He steps down from the podium as soldiers approach, but his eyes stay fused to mine as a faint smile crosses his lips, embers sparking in his eyes. “It is hope.”
CHAPTER29
As expected, my husband is fuming.
Literally.
Billows of black smoke roll across the dais, sparks hissing as they die on the cold stone. Ashen’s snakeskin wings drape from the armrests. Vivid orange embers twist between the scales. I can sense Ediye’s magic still binding him to the chair, yet Ashen sits as though he’s completely at ease, deceptively still. It’s all a menacing illusion, of course. I can see it in the bright crimson rings encircling his coppery eyes.
“Wife.”
Oof. It did not sound endearing that time. More like a barb hooking into my guts and tugging.
“I take it you enjoyed the show?” I say with a doubtful smile.
I get a growl in reply.
“So that’s a no then…”
Another growl.
“Your husband seems to have lost his colorful vocabulary,” Ediye says with a saccharine grin as I take my seat between them. “You missed some true gems. My favorite was ‘if you do not release me from this fucking chair this instant, I will find youranunnakilover and feed him to the hyenas one piece at a time, starting with his dick.’”
“Ashen,” I chide with mock horror. “So rude. You need to start with his balls. I want to see if there’s glitter inside.”
“Nope, but his cum tastes like cream cheese icing,” Ediye says.
I whip around to face her as a thousand questions race through my head. “Seriously? He smells like a warm cinnamon bun.”
“I know, right? Delicious.”
“But if he smells like a cinnamon bun complete with the cream cheese icing, does that mean he’s always got spunk somewhere that it’s not really supposed to be? Like, does he jack off constantly and wipe his hands on his pants?”
Ediye’s brow furrows. “Legitimately a good question. He does spend a long time in the bathroom. I just assumed he was admiring his reflection. Do you think—”
“Enough.”
“Oh look,” Ediye says as we both turn to face Ashen. “It speaks.”
“Get. Out.”
Ediye gives a long sigh and brushes the front of her sparkling indigo dress free of wrinkles before she stands. “Fine. Just try not to lose sight of the fact that tonight was an unmitigated success. Not an insignificant amount of that is thanks to you being strapped to a chair. So, you’re welcome.”
Ashen lets out a final growl as my heart rate climbs. He’s by far the most pissed at me he’s ever been, and of course I can understand why. Nonetheless, I’m not looking forward to the justifiably harsh words I expect to come my way. I lean forward in my chair and signal to Cyrus who nods in reply, then strides away to start emptying the Gauntlet of excited demons.
“Good luck, my love. The spell will wear off when you’re the only two left and the last person has ascended the steps.” Ediye says as she leans down and kisses my cheek. “Be gentle. He’s pretty hurt beneath all that sexy fire demon facade,” she whispers in my ear.
A breath of a melancholy laugh whispers past my lips. “I know. Thank you. Love you.”
Ediye squeezes my arm and offers a final smile before she turns, looping her arm with Imani’s as they head toward the stairs.
