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I clasped my head in my hands. Blood trickled down my arm, reminding me of the knife I’d taken to myself, slicing and thrashing at the fucking mark Theron had placed on me. I’d tried to cut it away before, I knew it was useless. It reformed every single time I tried to cut it away. Burned it away. It didn’t matter. Nothing worked.

I gritted my teeth as I opened my hand, the tiniest of shadows dancing across my palm. As they grew, a searing pain clawed at the backs of my eyeballs, and I roared. But I kept trying, the pool of black floating higher and higher above me. They undulated, stuttering as the agony tearing through my head became so intense I could barely see.

With a guttural cry I let the shadows fall, and I slammed my fist into the stone floor, recoiling for only a moment before I was on my knees slamming my knuckles into the stones over and over. I only stopped when the wet slap of blood brought me to my senses.

Hurting myself wouldn’t help her. It wouldn’t help me. But it was all I could do.

There was a sharp rap on the door, and a guard stepped through it, standing to attention as Theron swept in. His gaze moved around the room, and a satisfied smirk spread across his face.

“Rough night, my friend?” He asked, tilting his head as he looked down at my bloody hands and arms.

Wordlessly, I rose my feet. I held his gaze, smearing my hand across my face, leaving long, thick trails of blood behind.

“You’re either brave or stupid to fucking show your face in here.”

Theron bared his white teeth as he laughed. “Am I supposed to be intimidated?”

“I know what you did to her.” White hot rage swelled in my chest.

Theron shrugged, strolling past me to the open window, ducking down to glance out at the dark gray clouds. “And? What are you going to do about it? You know, it’s almost a little boring, facing you, knowing you can’t do a single fucking thing to hurt me.”

Remember your promise. You swore you wouldn’t hurt him. You promised her.

“You really thought I didn’t know, didn’t you?” He turned to face me, spreading his wings so he could lean against the window frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Know what?”

“That she is your Mate, my friend.” His mouth twitched, an eyebrow lifting. “As I said to the princess, I thought it was just fucking. We all know how much you enjoy that.” His eyes narrowed. “But no, it was much more than that, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Blood was running down my fingers, dripping onto the floor. My hands had started to ache, but not just with the pain of pounding them into the stones. No, they ached with the need to squeeze the very life out of Theron’s body, crush his windpipe until those venomous green eyes went glassy and vacant.

“Extraordinary.” Theron stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I never could have guessed that such a gift could be handed to me. I certainly won’t make the same mistake I made last time.”

“Last time?”

He nodded as a flash of lightning illuminated the room. “Giving your enemy nothing to lose is an unwise move. Killing your wife, and not just your wife, but yoursonas well. That was a mistake. I was foolish. I mean, it broke you certainly.” His mouth twitched. “But it did not… Bridle you. Not the way I would wish.”

My hands balled painfully into fists, the broken flesh stretching across my knuckles. “Don’t talk about my wife or my son.”

“I had her brought to me, did you know?” He chuckled. “Celeste. When they carried her into the palace. She was laid out for my inspection. You were a lucky man, Rook. She was a true beauty. Those breasts of hers.” He gave a low whistle. “Perfection.”

“Enough.”

“There is something about the female form, is there not, when it finds itself in a state of fertility.” Theron sucked in a breath and growled low in his throat. “I confess, it’s something I look forward to. Fucking my Queen while she is round with my child.”

I wanted to turn away from him, but I was frozen to the spot, watching the delight on his face grow with each passing second. I wanted to smash his fucking head into the wall until there was nothing left but blood and brain matter.

“It must be hard for you,” he went on. “Knowing my seed may have taken hold already, when yours merely lay inside her uselessly. Knowing that the only child you will ever know is dead, buried here somewhere.” His eyebrows shot up suddenly. “Oh, I do wonder what that will feel like for you, when your Mate is carrying another’s child? Surely that will be torturous?” He took two sidling steps towards me, tilting his head pensively. “As torturous as it must have been when you felt me take her.”

I had sworn it to her. I had promised her I wouldn’t hurt myself. I wouldn’t hurt Theron. But with every venomous word that dropped from his lips, my rage became more blinding, more all-consuming. My fists were shaking at my sides.

“It was a dream, finally taking her.” Theron stepped closer to me again. “Such soft skin.”

“Stop.”

“That mouth…” He grinned, licking his lip. “Delicious.”

“Stop this.” Red seeped at the corners of my vision. Shadows danced across my fingertips, the slave mark burning on my arm, the clawing pain at the back of my eyes returning.