Page 50 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
He didn’t like that.
Shit. These feelings pricking inside him were a nuisance. He searched for something to say. “Ah, so you admit humans are weak.”
“Only in muscle strength.”
“You think them better than yourself?”
“In the one way that matters, yes.”
He remembered the man she’d killed that first night he’d followed her and shook his head. “Not all of them.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Stop changing the subject. Tell me what this potion does or I’ll have to take it myself.”
“You’ve seen its effects. That would be very ill advised.”
She sighed. “Look, Zarathos, you have me. I’m bound to this bargain, forced to keep you alive no matter the cost. I’m your Bloodbound. You have me chained so tightly to your power, what could I possibly do with anything you admit to me? If I expose it, I’m only going to cause my own death.”
Her words intended to reassure him, but all he could picture was his father looming over him, eyes cold with the threat of death, or another beating.He couldn’t confide in the vampress, even if he wished to. She may be bound to him, but she already understood too much. She was already a liability. He’d be a fool to make that worse.
“The sun is coming up. I suggest you get some rest.”
Her hand drifted to her thigh. “The mark grew cold. Itachedwhen they came after us. I suppose I knew Bloodbindings warned us when the other was in danger. I just hadn’t expected what it would feel like.”
Had that happened to him? He thought back. Yes, there had been a moment when he’d felt a cold ache in his bicep, and a fear for her well-being possessed him, even as his seizure loomed.
“Good to know everything is working as it should,” he said, letting his disdain show through. “Once I’ve regained some strength, we’ll go to my bedchambers. The next time the moon is out, theopening ceremony shall begin. That is what you should focus on, Vampress.”
Her soft expression soured and she looked away, her jaw clenching. Finally, she responded. “As you wish,master.”
Chapter 18
Aryana
It took nearly all day for Zarathos to fully recover. Aryana had tried to rest but spent most of the time wondering about the upcoming opening ceremony. She wanted to ask Zarathos about the particulars, but he was asleep most of the time and she didn’t want to disturb him. After several hours he was able to move well enough to access his powers and whisk Aryana up to his chambers. Then he had gone in search of something to eat to replenish his strength.
The sun had barely set when he walked in, looking like his old self. Lips pressed tight, he gazed at her tentatively. “Tonight is the opening ceremony for the Demon Trials. If we don’t attend, I must forfeit my crown and my life.”
Zarathos had most likely signed a contract magically binding him to the trials. Refusal wasn’t an option. Defiance meant death at the hands of the very magic that sealed the agreement.
And Aryana would die for not assisting him in winning the trials. She wondered how it felt for him to finally be in a bargain where his life was at stake.
She met his gaze. “Then what are we waiting for?”
“I’ll have to bring you through the front gates, as if you have only just arrived. Nobody knows that you are already here.” He sucked in a slow breath, running a clawed hand through his midnight hair. “The kalator position will be… difficult for you. You must survive, but you also must hide your fighting skills.”
She bit her lip. What was this about? “Since when is that a requirement for the trials?”
“The role of the kalator has changed over the centuries. Our situation is complicated. Nobody can find out that we are Bloodbound or about my shadow powers or we are as good as dead. Nobody can know of your fighting skills or there will be hell to pay. Do you understand?”
Not really. “Prince Kaelroch probably knows I can fight.”
His mouth twisted in thought. “Doubtful. All the prince saw was you slamming the butt of a spear into a guard’s face before letting it fall. Honestly, that might have happened to any careless soldier, even if they were escorting a human. The holy water spared us a lot of trouble.”
“It caused a lot of trouble,” she muttered, thinking of the bricks in that room baked in the stuff.
“Nothing you couldn’t overcome—with my help, of course. The rest of the demon nations should be as clueless as to your fighting prowess, so as long as you keep your skill hidden, we will be safe.”
She still didn’t fully understand, but she said, “Fine. I’m your kalator, right? Tell me what you need.”
