Page 48 of The Sacrifice

He shakes his head. “It’s too late now.”

He releases my wrist, so I may touch my fingertip to her chest where her heartbeat has slowed to near imperceptible. A throbbing ache plagues my chest. Hot tears smolder my eyes as the rest of her glow darkens, as her breath stills, and her heartbeat stops. I break down.

“There now, little wisp...” the Emperor gathers me into his arms as I clutch the lifeless soul to my chest. He shouldn’t feel so strong, so safe. But he does. He sifts his fingers through my hair as I give into the grief weighing me down. It’s a strange and unwelcome emotion. Not even when Pater locked me in darkness could I grieve.

“If you return with me to the Capital, you may choose whatever soul sepulcher you desire for her final resting place.”

I tense. And try to pull away, but the god-eater doesn’t relinquish his grip. Now, I feel as though I’m suffocating. My throat constricts, but I manage to rasp, “No.”

“The mere notion that you believe you may say “no” to the most powerful being in the Five Realms is quite adorable, little wisp. Do not take my generosity for granted. I could choose the lowliest position of a fuck slave for you. But I would prefer to make you my personal blood binder.”

“No!” I struggle against him, gasping when the lifeless, little soul almost slips from my fingers.

For one moment, I consider how ridiculous I’m being. The one, who struck down the gods and consumed their essences to grant him more power and immortality, the Ruler of the Five Realms himself, has offered me a place in his palace. I should be falling to my knees before him, head pressed to the ground at the opportunity. If I were to bargain, I could potentially arrange for Sarai to come and live with me. Hell, I could invite my own family just to show them how far I’ve come. And despite how Kronos serenades me with seduction to spiral heat to warm my very bones, I only consider how much distance I want between myself and him. How I’d rather be cold and numb rather than stay another moment in his arms!

“And what of your Shadow, little wisp?”

I freeze, choking on a gasp.

With sharp eyes cutting straight to my core, the god-eater gestures to Qora. All this time, she’s hidden behind the crypt, but he knew she was there. Of course, he knew she was there.

“Come now, little phantom,” he bids her.

My heart pounds as Qora drifts around the corner of the crypt and approaches, her nebulous form trembling.

“What an intriguing development,” he remarks, more to himself than either of us. Pressed against him stirs a poison in my blood. His predatory heat hunts my body, and he strokes his knuckles across the side of my neck, but he turns to Qora. “Twenty years. Twenty years, you have existed—hollow and dark, cold and lifeless without a touch beyond your host. You are the embodiment of pure, unadulterated revenge.”

“That’s not true!” I push my hands against his chest, but all it does is bring me closer to him. “She loves me. And I love her.”

“Hmm...” he muses, and I stiffen, quivering when those knuckles descend lower to trace the neckline of the scaled bodice. “Never have I felt one so consumed with hatred. And envy. Robbed of blood and flesh,” he emphasizes and pushes his hand just beneath the curve of my breast, to deepen my cleavage and plump the mound in indication. Horror bleeds into me and steals my breath. “I bear the power to grant you form and life, little phantom. What say you, sweet shade?”

I meet her amber eyes. Blink back tears, my lips parted in denial. Her eyes shift to the Emperor, and she opens her mouth. My heart lodges in my throat.

Before she may respond, a yipping sound below us catches our attention. My lips spread into a smile at the sight of Jinxy on his hind legs, three bushy tails low behind him. Tiny sparks of fox fire erupt from his fur as he paws at the god-eater, his claws ripping the breeches. When one of the sparks catches onto his cape, Emperor Kronos sneers and stems the fire with a single pulse of wind. A low growl rumbles from his throat, and he raises his hand.

Another comes down, strong and pale. I snap my head to the side, shudders seizing me, contrasting with the relief rippling through me from Merikh growling back. A more powerful growl. A brutal, dark war rages in his eyes. His jaw is rigid and unyielding.

“You will not harm the pup,” he warns in a deep, severe voice and extends his claws into the other man’s arm. “And you will release our pet,” he commands, eyes not once deviating from the Emperor’s.

That’s when I catch the wince of pain from Kronos. A shockwave barrages the inside of my chest because blood seeps from the corners of the god-eater’s eyes, from his very pores, trickling down his skin as if they’re no more than beads of sweat.

“Yes, Kronos,” Merikh practically spits out with all his muscles hardening in vindictive fury. “I consumed a fucking full soul for this precise moment. Release our pet, or I will boil the blood in your veins and rupture it from your vessels, so it will require a host of blood binders and a full regenerative cycle to restore your form.”

A thrill spins into my nerves, lighting up all the endings. What I’d give to see that action from the vampire king, but a split second later, Kronos drops my wrist. He grinds his jaw in obvious loathing and contempt, but Merikh turns his gaze to me and extends a hand. I don’t hesitate, grateful when he hauls me to his chest. Oh, he’s so different from Drago. The dragon king is all heat and mountains of muscle. Merikh is far more like a cold, marble effigy—the kind that requires a lifetime for a master artist to sculpt. Beautiful and hypnotic like Mayce, but his eyes capture mine, dark whirlpools threatening to drag me under. Mine only retreat because Jinxy weaves his body between my legs, tails swinging against my skirts.

I hold my breath when the vampire king and the god-eater deadlock in a stalemate of possessive wills. Their tension smothers me. Every part of me is still.

Finally, the Emperor tugs down his tunic, darkens his eyes upon me, then turns to Qora. “Remember what I said, Shadow. And pay heed to my warning: she will betray you. When the time comes, she will leave you and choose them.”

A violent tremor rocks inside me. Indignant, I ball my hands into fists and shake my head, but it’s too late. Kronos disappears into midair, vanishing and leaving nothing behind but black particles.

Knees buckling, I collapse against the king and press my cheek to his chilled chest.

He jerks his head to Qora and commands, “Return to her room, Shadow. I require some time alone with her.”

I chew on my lower lip but don’t object when he sends her away.

“I scented you,” he says darkly once she’s gone. Fear knifes through me from how bloodthirsty his voice sounds. “I could not expose you, but I never imagined you would be so foolish as to expose yourself. And I warned you, pet. I warned you what would happen if you defied me.” Yes, he would hunt me down and bring me back to Drago in pieces, I shudder at the image.

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