Page 10 of Death God

“We might want to explain to Lady Pip why she needs to wear the cuffs, so she’ll accept it gracefully and adopt a better attitude,” Going-gray offered humbly. “She’s always been headstrong, but we also know that she can see reason.”

He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at me, his body half-turning from the front passenger seat. “It’s the rule for any newcomers that they must either wear the cuffs or bear the king’s mark to enter the castle. It’s a failsafe, as the world is a dangerous place. So, you must bear the king’s mark if you refuse to put on the cuffs, Pip girl. The choice is yours.”

The Alpha King ran his hand over his face. “See? You keep misunderstanding me, Pip. I wasn’t threatening you. I’m sorry I lost my temper for a second, but you keep frustrating me. My cousin is right. I should have explained it to you more patiently. After all, you aren’t just any woman. You’re my fated mate, and nothing can change that.”

“Sure, it’s my hobby to annoy you,” I sneered, and I was good at it since I learned it from Marlowe.

“Just wear the cuffs,” he said. “Rules are rules, even though they’re hard. We’ve wasted enough time arguing. Based on your past behavior in the Shifters Academy, this is just a precaution. I’ll personally remove them after you prove to be loyal, like everyone else here.”

I eyed the runes on the cuffs. “They’re designed to neutralize my power.” I flashed him a derisive grin. “Are you afraid of me, Alpha King? You have to put a pair of cuffs on a girl to make you feel safe?”

A nerve throbbed on his jaw, then he took a deep breath and calmed. “You might be more powerful than everyone else, Pip Ophelia, but you aren’t more powerful than me. The cuffs are to protect my subjects as well as protecting you from yourself. As Commander Jay stated, you had a reputation even at the Shifters Academy. And you just demonstrated your troublesome powers with the tires and the birds. I like my home to have order instead of chaos, so I won’t take a chance with you until you prove yourself. If you do that, I’ll prove myself to you as well.”

I’d come so far, I might as well just wear the fucking cuffs. Otherwise, the asshole would turn around and go for my mate and my friends. No way would he let me into his realm without forcing me to have the cuffs around my wrists. I could always find a way to break them.

“If I wear this pair of fucking cuffs, I compromise myself,” I said. “You’ll let me roam freely in your city as compensation.”

He frowned at me. “You’re not my prisoner, Pip. You’re my future queen. Of course you can walk around the castle as much as you like, though there’ll be guards to escort you wherever you go. That’s non-negotiable. Your safety is of the utmost importance to me.”

There was no point arguing with him. At least he wasn’t going to throw me into the dungeon or strap me to the operating table right away.

“Whatever,” I said.

“There we go.” The Alpha King clasped a cuff around my left wrist, then fastened the other one around my right wrist.

They fit tightly. Immediately, a suppressive, foul power pressed in on me, and a dull ache swept over my chest. Nausea churned in my stomach.

I fought against the feeling of drowning and struggled to take the thin air into my lungs. It felt like eternity before I finally surfaced and gasped like a dying fish. Yet it was far from over. The hateful weight remained, and it wouldn’t go away until I could break the cuffs.

My inner flame sputtered before winking out. The dark spells from the cuffs latched onto my mind in order to control me. My shield turned to spikes and locked it in place.

I’d heeded my mage allies’ warning and had practiced shielding myself at all times. I wanted to shatter the cuffs more than anything, but I’d be a fool to reveal my power in front of my immortal enemy.

The black spells from Spartoi’s minions didn’t have much effect on me, but the runes on the cuffs were specifically designed to neutralize my power. I bet they were Spartoi’s lifetime work.

I evened my breathing. The Alpha King looked smug and satisfied at the cuffs’ effect on me.

“There’s no need to fuss, Pip,” the Alpha King said. “As I said, the purpose of the cuffs is to protect you from yourself as well, and it’s only temporary. I understand that it’ll take time for you to adjust to your new life and undo the damage the Vampire King has done to you. But I’m confident that we’ll prevail. After all, I’m a patient man.”

Going-gray glanced at me from the rearview mirror, but I did not need his sliver of sympathy.

“Let’s go home,” the Alpha King ordered the dark mage driver.

Our van shot toward the chasm.

CHAPTER 4

I wouldn’t mind the van plunging into the chasm if I could take down my enemy with me and rid the world of the ultimate evil. But instead of falling, the vehicle was suspended in the air before gravity pulled us through in another direction. Impenetrable darkness pressed into me like a brick wall, depriving me of oxygen.

Then I heard the screams. At first, I thought they were mine, but they sounded like a legion of thousands—no, tens of thousands. It became too much and too unbearable. I thrashed and kicked out, needing to fend off the horrific screams.

“No! No! Leave me alone! Stop. Please, stop!” I screamed.

Shrieks of pain, rage, and wretchedness kept pounding in my ears. Phantom hands lashed out, some shoving me, some squeezing me, and some grabbing me to try to pull me to them with malicious intent. The fucking cuffs left me vulnerable.

I snarled, cursed, kicked, and punched blindly to fend off the onslaught.

And it dawned on me what I was dealing with.

---