Page 18 of The Crownless King
“Why would I use my magic?” Anita said, and Amaya’s heart dropped.
She turned and her mother’s face showed her confusion. The fugue state had taken over. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, but she could still make the plan work. Quickly, she built the stairs and guided her mother onto them. When she reached the top, her stomach dropped to her toes.
Levi and Sebastian stood on the other side, legs parted and arms crossed over their chests.
“Will I need to reinforce all the shielding around my property?” Levi’s voice was bored.
Cursing, Amaya tried to think of anything she could use to fight the Bayi king. She descended the stairs on the other side of the fence and faced off with the vampire. He looked sane now, but there was no telling if that would change. Fuck it. Using chaos magic, Amaya created a staff, swinging it at Levi as he tried to step closer to her and Anita.
Levi stepped back and held up his hands, anger flashing in his gaze. “You plan to defeat us both with a stick?” He clicked his tongue. “Though I’ll compliment you on it being oak. You are well informed at least.”
His taunting pissed her off, so she sharpened the end of the wooden stake with her magic and jabbed it towards him. “I could stab you in your heart.”
He laughed. Laughed, damn him!
“Could you?” He stepped closer and she swung again.
“Maybe not now,” she said, her chest tight with frustration, “but you have to sleep sometime.”
“Threatening me, baby doll?” he asked, his voice silky menace. All traces of amusement were gone from his gaze.
“Just let us go,” she whispered.
Headlights cut through the dark night, illuminating Sebastian, who had not moved an inch during any of the confrontation. Amaya’s heart rate sped, thudding hard against her chest. Her cousin had such unfortunate timing.
Levi turned to her car and hissed. Before she could even yell out a warning to her cousin, he jumped in front of it. Tracy slammed on her brakes, her scream escaping the confines of the vehicle. Levi leaned on the hood, his fangs lowered.
“Don’t kill her! I’ll go back!” Amaya yelled out.
Levi gave her a sinister smile before turning back to Tracy. A lump formed in her throat and helpless tears escaped her eyes. Tracy stiffened in her car and Amaya couldn’t tell what was happening, but without saying a word, her cousin completed a three-point turn and drove away.
Amaya released a shaky breath. “What did you do to her?” she whispered.
“I ain’t lay a single finger on her, baby doll. She’ll be home in bed soon, with no memory of this happening. You should thank me for that grace.”
“Fuck you,” she hissed. Now that Tracy was out of danger, the need to curtail her words was gone.
Sebastian sighed and shook his head. The smile dropped from Levi’s face.
“Get her mother inside. Now,” the king snapped. His eyes speared Amaya’s and her body froze.
Sebastian walked over to her and her mother and gently grabbed Anita’s hand. Amaya wanted to stop him, but Levi’s magic wrapped around her, holding her in place. Sebastian led Anita away and Amaya was left with the king, only silence and twilight between them. Levi’s steps were unhurried, more like prowling as he covered the distance to Amaya.
He circled her, a low, sinister growl breaking the silence. “Beloved, ain’t but so many times I’ma let your fine ass play in my face.” His breath brushed the back of her neck and a hard shudder rippled through her body.
“I hate you,” she told the vampire, and he flinched.
“Maybe today, but not forever,” he whispered. “Eventually, you’ll let me in, and I’ll worship at the altar of my queen. You don’t wanna be my queen, baby doll?”
He made her head spin. Dynamic and potent, his presence blotted out the existence of all around him. The way he switched between the old-worldly way he spoke, to modern slang, made her dizzy with want.
Yes, she hated him.
And yes, her body craved him.
Both were true, and Amaya was determined to only allow one feeling to win out over the other.
“Release me,” she whispered.
