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I would still go and see for myself if they were there or not. I would not take Jesper’s word for anything.

“Our wedding plans are coming along nicely,” he smiled. “Soon you will be my wife, and we can put all this trouble you created behind us.”

“When is the wedding?”

“A week.” He cranked his neck and popped it. “Don’t worry, it’s customary to send invites to all kingdoms when a royal member gets married. Crimson should be getting their invitation today.”

“I do not care.”

“Yes, you do, but I like that you are willing to lie about it now. Maybe my punishment was effective.” He stood up and walked to the edge of the tub to stare down at me. His eyes narrowed on my face.

“You will get fitted for your wedding dress today. A traditional Kizar gown, but in gray instead of white. Since you spread your legs for that Crimson trash.”

“So, what if I did? Are you a virgin?” I hissed.

“No, in fact, I slept with your sister, Tally, this morning.”

“You’re a fucking pig.”

Jesper moved quickly. He grabbed my head and pushed it under the water. I thrashed as I tried to fight him off, but I was too weak. He let my head come up a few moments later. I had been gasping for air so desperately that I had inhaled water. My lungs burned as fear spread like wildfire in my veins.

“Do not test me, Thea. You will not win.” The sleeves of his shirt were soaking wet. “I will have consorts through our marriage. You will bear two heirs for me, and that will be the end of our sexual relationship.”

“Will I be allowed a consort?” I spat back just to piss him off.

“What do you think?” He glared at me for a moment longer, then yanked me from the bath. “I think you’re clean enough. Let’s get you fitted for a wedding dress.”

Chapter 20

The wedding planning kept my body busy for the next few days. There were so many questions and things others wanted my opinion on, but I honestly didn’t fucking care about any of it. I usually pointed to whichever option I found to be the ugliest. After all, this wedding was not mine. I didn’t care what color the flowers were or what food we ate. I didn’t care if I wore white or not.

My eyes darted to Jesper as he and Tally emerged from a storage room together, clearly having just fucked. Tally’s blue eyes met mine and gave me a sneer, but Jesper walked over to me with a frown.

“I didn’t know you were up here.”

“Like that would have stopped you,” I muttered. “I’m over all the questions about planning the wedding. I don’t care about the details.”

I thought he would get angry with me, but he nodded. His blue eyes darted around the room at the dozens of fae planning our wedding.

“I’m sick of all the questions too. I’ll tell the planner to decide,” he agreed.

Well, that went better than I thought.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just marry Tally.” I wasn’t angry because he liked my sister or was sleeping with her. No, I was angry because I was being forced to marry this monster. Why did I have to give up my future for him? He looked at me for a long time, then sighed heavily.

“Because Tally doesn’t have magic and you do. My children will hopefully inherit your abilities, making them feared.” He paused for a moment, like he wasn’t sure if he should continue. “And I want to throw you in Cassius’ face for the rest of our existence.”

“Like he cares.”

“Oh, he cares because Cassius hates losing, and you were the ultimate prize.”

With that declaration, he turned and followed wherever Tally had gone. I watched after him and felt all those emotions of him doing this to me before resurfacing out of nowhere. He had always been an ass. I had never really cared if I settled for someone like him because I thought he was as good as it would get for me. How wrong had I been. Cassius made me realize what it felt like to be cared for. Cassius showed me what love should feel like. He was the reason that I knew I deserved more than this shitty life my father had given me in Cerithia.

Jesper was delusional to think I would let him use me to breed children. He was not getting anywhere near me. I would kill him before he touched me in that way, or I would gladly die. Either way, it was a win for me. Had I ever been with another man besides Cassius? A violent longing burned in my chest for him. Iwanted Cassius. My instincts told me that none of it had been a lie, so why would he kill the woman he loves if not for betrayal? Cassius was right, he did feel like home, and I was missing that feeling terribly today.

Sadness returned as I headed outside, my mind ruminating on missing Cassius. My father had stopped me from training the guards until after the wedding. He said he couldn’t risk me tainting them with my rebellion, whatever the fuck that meant. I didn’t understand why everyone thought I would be more easily managed when I was married. If anything, I would become even more rebellious. I smiled at the thought. I would make Jesper’s life a fucking living nightmare, my father’s too. That would be the sole purpose of my life—to bring destruction down upon them all from within these walls.

I had already decided the first time my father laid his hands on me that I would do whatever I could to make the walls of Cerithia and Kizar crumble at my feet. I would not win a war for them. I would not be their monster. I would be on my own, and I would burn the realm that thought they could treat me like trash. I would take everyone down with me.