Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen…” His hand slipped away, delving into the hair above my braid. He jerked my head back, sending a wave of fiery pain down my spine. “And I need you to pay attention, Poppy. So, open your fucking eyes and listen, or I will make you, just as the Duke did.”
The Duke.
Teerman.
For a moment, I wasn’t lying on the floor of Seacliffe Manor’s Great Hall. I was in Teerman’s favorite office with its dark walls and crimson furniture. I could feel the cold, smooth desk against the bare skin of my chest, and the even colder, smoother surface of his cherished cane against my back.
My eyes snapped open as rage burned straight through the cold terror and pain. I met his stare.
Kolis smirked. “I had plans for you. For him.” Streaks of midnight eather lashed across the crimson of his eyes. “I wanted to fuck you while I drained you, and I wanted him to watch.”
My eyes didn’t squint.
“That’s what I wanted him to see before I ended your life.” His lips parted, revealing the tips of large fangs. “I wanted the last thing he saw to be my cock slamming into you while I tore your throat out.”
My fingers didn’t twitch.
“You may think that’s excessive. Maybe it is.” Kolis’s lips touched mine as he spoke. “But the so-called King is arrogant and disrespectful. And you.” He bit down on my lower lip. “You are nothing more than a whore.”
I didn’t swallow.
“So, I’ll have to make do with telling him how you screamed for mercy as I fed from you. And you will scream, so’lis.” His tongue caught the blood on my lip. “And then, after your heart stops and I take your essence within me, I will take your soul. You know what that means, don’t you? I can bring you back. And I will.” He twisted my head to the side, baring my throat. “This won’t be the end of you, so’lis. So, you’d better not displease me. And give me what I want.”
Kolis’s lips brushed my pulse.
Essence sputtered and then thrummed, unfurling from the pit in my stomach. It was hot and cold but nowhere near as intense as I’d felt it before.
“And just in case you forgot,” he whispered. “I only want your screams.”
Eather poured into my veins.
“This is going to hurt,” he promised.
I lifted my arm, ignoring the pain flaring across ribs that had yet to heal whatever fractures they had in them.
“A lot.”
Fangs scraped my throat.
I sank my fingers into his hair, jerking his head back. Crimson-and-black eyes locked with mine. “You will be the only one screaming.”
His upper lip curled. “You bi—”
I slammed my knee between his legs with enough force to squish everything there.
The bastard didn’t scream. Not yet. He roared as he let go of my hair and reared back, cupping himself. Blood drained from his face as he started to list to the side.
The corners of my vision turned silver and gold as I rolled my hips inward, drawing my legs up. My jaw clenched against the agony in my back and shoulder. I kicked out, planting both boots into his chest and knocking him back. He hit the floor, and I didn’t waste time. Hissing through the pain, I sprang to my feet, unleashing a bolt of pure energy, I let out a ragged breath as I stumbled. Golden light streaked with silver and faint shades of black and red arced and crackled. The essence slammed into his shoulder, sending him sliding across the floor. I knew it wasn’t enough to kill him—I knew it was probably causing me more harm than him—but I kept it up, channeling everything I had in me into it.
Kolis writhed on the floor, his back bowing as Primal mist spilled out of him, a thin, churning mass of crimson and black that quickly faded. When I felt the eather pulsing and flickering inside me, I let go and extended my hand. Conjuring the image of the dagger I’d seen Attes holding, I used what was left of the essence.
A heartbeat later, the bone dagger smacked against my palm. Stalking forward as he rose to his knees, I drove mine into the side of his head. He went down again, and I followed, pressing my boot into what was left of his balls.
I wasn’t escaping.
I was going to die by Kolis’s hands, breaking the bond forged by the Joining. I didn’t want to die, but a sense of calmness washed over me as I dropped, aiming once more for his heart. It reminded me of Spessa’s End, when I held the blade to my throat. I hadn’t wanted to die then either, but I was ready if it meant protecting Casteel and those I had come to know and love.