Page 43 of Darkest Heart

The aniccipere bowed to Algor, who was a bigger deal than I originally thought. He demanded the respect of every person in their weird, cavernous foyer.

I didn’t look back at the creature, enjoying the anger I felt bubbling through him. It was rare to pull an emotion from the demonic creatures. I supposed they were half mortal, which meant theycouldfeel something.

Algor extended his hand to me. I intertwined my fingers with his, knowing they were buried into someone’s chest cavity less than a day ago. “Make sure you curtsey when you meet the king,” he said as he walked me through the empty, windowless throne room.

“Sure,” I said, and he sat me on a hard throne. One of seven. This was nothing like I was expecting. This was no castle, just a court caverned deep into a rocky mountain. I ran my finger over the smooth hip bone, the central part of the throne’s arm. I wondered how many bodies it took to build this creepy chair.

My stomach churned as I searched for the source of the decay hanging thick in the air, a scent I’d become so familiar with since being captured. In a shadowy corner, the leftovers of a mortal sprawled across dirt, a couple of teeth glistening out between small rocks.

I jumped to my feet as the doors opened, but quickly sat back down when I saw Astor striding over to me.

“You look right at home,” he snarked.

I was too angry to laugh. “Just because Algor needs you alive, doesn’t mean I won’t repeat what I did yesterday.”

“I should be surprised you did that.” He took the seat of the throne across from me. “But it seems I barely know you.”

I rolled my eyes up, my lips resting in a deadpan expression. “Just because it’s silent, doesn’t mean you have to talk.”

He leaned forward, honey brown eyes darting from me to the door. “You used to be the one who talked all the time. Not me.”

“Don’t be childish.”

He leaned back, giving me several seconds of quiet before opening his big mouth again. “This whole thing is an act.” He threw his arms out, waving them over me. “There’s no way you don’t care. You were always so emotional. You’d cry over anything.”

I shrugged, glancing at my nails instead of him. “I guess you must’ve tortured it out of me.”

“I gave you that poison for your own good.”

I arched a brow. “You always were good at lying, especially to yourself.”

He scoffed, his legs falling apart as he rested against the arm of his throne. “Says you. Suddenly you don’t care about Sebastian?”

“You know I don’t,” I lied, in case anyone was listening from outside. But to ensure he knew I was lying, that he felt the betrayal, I winked, thoughts of my beloved filling my mind.

“I knew this was an act.”

I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean? You’re the one who lied to the aniccipere, telling them I was on the side of the royals. You didn’t even tell them you only fed me that poison out of revenge because I rejected you.”

He shook his head, blinking several times. “That’s not true, and you know it. I… I was trying to get us both out of a situation.”

“Both out?” I noticed. “What situation were you in? You only wanted more power.” While he may have naively believed I would choose him as my husband when I was forced to wed, I only thought he was doing it so he could become a prince.

He whistled out a breath, the bottom of his lip twitching. “Nothing. I meant you.”

“I can tell when you’re lying. I got good picking up on the tells when you made deceiving me your favorite pastime.”

“Always the victim,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes. I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I relaxed, crossing my legs. “Do you think your husband will still want you?”

“Like I said, I don’t care about him,” I lied, cautious of eavesdroppers.

“Hmm.” He fumbled his thumbs. “He fell in love with you because of your innocence, yoursweetness.” The corner of his lip lifted. “From what Gwen told me, he always wanted to be mortal. For whatever reason.” He waved a hand dismissively. “You represented that for him. That’s all. So many morals, such a good heart.” He glanced at my chest, then met my gaze. “Now look at you. A murderer of mortals. Uncaring, unemotional, scarred forever. I bet he won’t even recognize you,ifhe sees you again.”

I swallowed thickly, shifting my position on the throne as insecurity built under the slate of numbness. He was just trying to get to me. Sebastian loved me. He always had. But… I was different now. I was prophesied to kill him and our friends. Not that I ever would choose to do that. But Astor was right. I had killed the mortal boy. I kept telling myself I had no choice, but the truth was we all have a choice. I made the decision to end his life to save the others I care about. Sebastian had killed people too, I reminded myself.

Astor cleared his throat, his slight smirk setting me on edge. I bared my teeth, digging my nails into shards of bones. “That’s a lot of talk for someone who hasno one. You’ll be forgotten about in the end. I guarantee you, not a single person will remember your name.”

“You know nothing.” He scowled.

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