Page 23 of Poisoned Kingdom (Secrets of Dagome #1)

‘You still think you have the upper hand?’ he asked.

‘Okay. Let’s talk about Liliana, then. About the testimony from a disgruntled worker that paints an interesting picture of the death of Tivala’s heir.

How our sweet little courtesan had arranged a meeting between him and a renowned poisoner in her House of Lilies .

. .’ He smirked. ‘Even if no one believes the ramblings of a discarded whore, I have a sample of a remarkable lip gloss in my workshop that would provide enough evidence. What did you name it, Wrath of Lilies ? Imagine what Duke Tivala would say if I were to present him with that . . . How long would it be before her head is on display over the city gates?’

I clenched my fists, fighting to control my anger. ‘You wouldn’t dare,’ I whispered, but Jagon laughed.

‘Oh yes, I would. To have you, I’d destroy her, take her apart piece by piece, as you watch her lose everything before I kill her. Fight me, and I’ll be wiping away your tears as you bury your friend’s bloated corpse.’

I gasped, falling backwards until I hit the wall.

‘You’re a fucking monster,’ I spat.

‘I am, and you are the gem I found amongst the ashes of your family.’ He grinned, clearly enjoying the moment. ‘You will stand beside me, Roksana. The sooner you understand that, the better for you and those around you. It is your fate.’

I slowly raised my head and looked at him—at the narrow, hawkish face with its sharp nose and thin lips. He was barely forty years old, but I saw the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and the grey tint of his pale skin from years of working with toxic fumes.

I wanted to study him, to learn the map of his life force, because I was going to dismantle his very existence.

Jagon had won today, and I had to yield.

However, the bastard didn’t realise that his hunger for power, his obsession to own me, and his twisted lust had awakened a monster that was going to devour him.

I wrapped my fingers around Jagon’s hand, noticing his surprise when I lowered my head submissively to hide the hatred in my eyes.

‘Fine, but leave Lily alone, and you’ll have me . . . just as you always wanted. But Jagon—if she dies, so will you . I’ll make sure of it.’

Jagon’s breath hitched, and his free hand eagerly covered mine. I felt it tremble as he caressed my skin.

‘My beautiful Nightshade. You may hate me now, but you’ll soon realise I’m doing this for your own good.’ The feeling of his thumb stroking my knuckles made me nauseous, but I didn’t move.

‘And you’re leaving me here for my own good?’ I asked.

He smirked. ‘Yes, that will be best, I think. The king sent soldiers to every shithole in Dagome trying to find you. I can’t let them accidentally disrupt my plans in their fervour to find his precious prisoner once again, so you’ll have to endure for now.

’ He reached into his coat and pulled a tiny vial from his pocket.

‘Just in case that ugly bastard tries touching you,’ he said.

‘A dab behind the ears and the scent will cool any man’s ardour. ’

‘I thought you wanted me to keep him busy?’

‘Chasing you, yes, but not touching you. Don’t forget who you belong to, Roksana.’

I took the vial and smiled gratefully, knowing that I’d fuck Reynard in the cold, wet dungeon just to spite this bastard.

‘Of course, Master,’ I said, inclining my head, hating the gesture that always seemed to please him.

Quick as a snake, Jagon reached through the bars and grabbed my chin, tilting my head up.

‘I know you hate me. Don’t think, even for a second, that you can deceive me with your fake compliance.

This coy pose means nothing,’ he said. ‘I never aspired to have your love. Your skills’—he slowly looked me up and down—‘and your body, are more than sufficient.’

He released me, stepping away before placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly.

‘Until we meet again, my dear. Don’t forget to use my gift if he tries touching you.’

I stood motionless, clutching the vial as he left until all I could hear was silence.

Only then did I throw it at the wall with such force that the glass shattered.

I didn’t cry. If anything, I felt numb, my forced submission leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

If this was the gods’ way of telling me I’d pissed them off by injuring the king, I’d certainly received the message.

My body grew colder with each passing moment, and my thoughts turned sluggish and disorganised. Not that thinking clearly would help. There was nothing I could do against the cold.

Fuck my life , I thought, hours later, as the first blush of dawn peeked through the narrow window.

I told myself the warmth from the sun finally coming up was why I’d stopped shivering, why the ache in my fingers and toes had dulled into nothing.

But I knew that wasn’t right. I forced myself upright, swaying slightly as I stepped into the pale beam of morning light.

‘Roksana, what are you doing here?’

I turned my head towards the cell door, huffing a dry laugh when I saw Riordan peering through the bars with a shocked expression.

‘Me? Oh, I don’t know, trying to stay alive after some bastard locked me in here?’ I said with a shrug, curling up under the sun’s warm rays.

‘A pity the cold didn’t freeze your tongue, Viper,’ Reynard said as he came up behind Riordan, his posture surprisingly relaxed for someone who’d been woken in the middle of the night.

Another chuckle slipped out.

Of course he’s relaxed. He didn’t spend most of the night in a cell, freezing his butt off after being threatened .

‘How can I help you, Your Majesty? More questions to answer? Or did you come to gloat? Maybe you want the last scrap of my clothing?’ I asked, executing a lopsided curtsy.

‘Roksana, don’t make things worse,’ Riordan tried to intervene, but I only stared at Reynard, who, with a smug expression, raised two fingers, gesturing to someone behind him to open the door.

The king stepped in and wrapped his cloak around me. His gesture caught me off guard, and I instinctively grasped its edges, wrapping them tighter while enjoying the heat of his body still trapped in the heavy fabric. When I held my silence, looking at him curiously, he shrugged.

‘Don’t flatter yourself, Viper. I’m not interested in your body any more than I’d want to fuck a snowman.’

I wished I were strong enough to rip off his cloak and throw it at his feet, but it was very warm, and I was a pragmatic woman.

‘I hate you,’ I said simply, imagining my fist breaking his strong, chiselled jaw.

‘I knew there was something connecting us,’ he answered, the corner of his lips curling up ever so slightly before he gestured to some servants.

‘Take the lady to the bathhouse. Scrub her until her skin is red and raw, then scrub her again. Burn whatever she’s wearing and dress her in . . . something different.’

Immediately, two serving women wearing unyielding expressions entered the cell.

‘What? Why?’ I asked, baffled, shifting back when one of the women reached for my elbow. ‘Keep your hands off me!’

‘Go with them, Viper. And if you even think of escaping, think again, because next time, I’ll send male guards with you.’ At his words, both women approached again, and I took a deep breath as every muscle in my body tightened.

‘No, don’t touch me. I’ll go by myself,’ I said through clenched teeth, but instead of looking at me, they looked at Reynard.

‘I don’t care, as long as she cooperates,’ he said with a shrug.

We walked along the barely-lit dank corridors until we reached a small, unobtrusive door. One of the maids opened it and led me out into a tiny courtyard filled with herbs and vegetables.

I restrained myself when I noticed how tense the women had become.

Do they think I’d make a run for it? I snorted as I looked down at my bare legs. Yeah, I don’t think so.

I bit my lip, worrying about Lily, hoping she wouldn’t get caught in between the king and Jagon any more than she already was.

We passed through two more doors until we entered a room that surrounded us with steam, the heat a blessing to my ice-cold body.

Unfortunately, it also triggered a weakness that sent me sprawling to the floor, terrifying my guardians.

I was dragged to a large wooden tub filled with water, where one of them helped me get in while the other disappeared to the gods knew where.

As Reynard had ordered, I was scrubbed and then scrubbed again, shivering so hard that water splashed from the tub while my teeth clattered like a marching army. Finally, I was left alone and allowed to immerse myself in the hot water.

‘This wasn’t too stupid an idea—for a man,’ I muttered with a smirk, sinking down and letting the water close over my head. The tub was big enough for three people and must have been used as a communal bath for the servants.

The heat worked its magic as I stretched out and lay on the bottom. Bubbles escaped my lips, but I held on, unwilling to emerge into the chill air. All of a sudden, a muffled female scream surprised me right before an enormous shadow fell over me and a hand yanked me to the surface.

The movement was so rapid and unexpected that I gasped, inhaling the fluid as I was dragged up. I coughed and spluttered like a drowned rat.

‘You think to escape me by drowning, Viper? I won’t let you hurt yourself, not in my fucking palace.

Your life is mine , and only I can take it.

’ Reynard held me dangling by the neck, his quiet anger more chilling than the draft from the wide-open doors.

He spared me a single glance before dropping me back into the tub, splashing water on the stone floor.

‘See to her. Ensure she is healthy, and don’t leave her alone until I question her.’ Reynard snapped the commands, barely looking at me.

‘I wasn’t trying . . .’ I protested, but he’d already left, slamming the door, leaving me with the serving women and an old man in a healer’s robes.

I pulled my knees to my chest, hiding myself from their judgemental stares before asking as calmly as I could, ‘Can someone please explain what just happened?’

While the serving women helped me dress in a simple chemise and kirtle, I discovered that, seeing me collapse, and how violently I had shivered in the water, a healer had been sent for.

Unfortunately for me, the healer had been with the king, and as soon as my condition was mentioned, both men stormed in here to find me at the bottom of the tub.

‘Someone just kill me, because if you don’t, embarrassment certainly will,’ I groaned, sitting on a bench while I let the servants dry my hair.

‘My lady, our king would never hurt an innocent woman,’ the old healer chimed in. ‘His manners might be brisk, but he is a righteous man. Maybe . . . try not to anger him?’

I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply. ‘How? Every time he sees me, I swear I can see steam coming out of his ears.’

My remark provoked a few sniggers, which gave me hope that the servants were more than obedient tools following orders. I waited until the healer finished his examinations, and when he left, I turned towards them.

‘I won’t give you any trouble. Not to you, and not to the king, but I’d like to ask one favour.

Could you please deliver a message to The House of Lilies?

’ I asked, and their faces instantly turned cold and unfriendly.

‘It’s nothing terrible, and I’m happy for you to share its contents with the king.

Can someone please just visit the madam and let her know that I’m fine and will be staying with a friend for a few days?

I don’t want her to worry or cause trouble. ’

There was very little chance that they would fulfil my request, but I had to try.

‘I will ask His Majesty, but I wouldn’t count on his agreement,’ the older woman answered, and my hope drained into the gutter.