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“Quiet, girl,” my father snapped. “You will do your duty. The royal line has never passed to a female heir, and it won’t start now.”

My mouth clicked closed as fury and humiliation burned in my chest. I’d known, of course. Known that no matter how clever I was, how ruthlessly I’d carved out my place in this world, I would always be seen as nothing more than a bargaining chip.

But to hear it stated so baldly, to be positioned so close to what I desired for myself…

Kaz slid a glance my way, his expression cooling further. I couldn’t read what lay behind those golden eyes, but the assessment made my skin prickle.

“Your Majesty,” Kaz started. “While I appreciate the... honor of your offer, I must decline. My clan?—”

“Your clan exists because this throne has allowed it,” my father interrupted. “The first Kadhan should have been executed for his rebellion, not allowed to establish a rival branch. Yours will be folded back into the royal line, where it belongs.”

Kaz’s tail lashed behind him, the only visible sign of his agitation. “Should I accept?—”

“You will,” my father stated, the words ringing with absolute certainty.

Kaz’s jaw tightened. “I have concerns.”

“Your concerns are noted and dismissed,” my father replied.

“You will take your sister’s place in this alliance, just as Talia will take Javed’s.

Upon my distant death, you will be crowned king under the Fitsum name.

All future children will bear the Fitsum name.

The Kadhan clan will cease to exist as a separate entity. ”

I wanted to scream, to rage, to burn the whole palace to ash.

But what choice did I have, truly? I could flee.

Disappear into the human world as some of my siblings had attempted before Javed hunted them down.

But a life in hiding, stripped of my power and constantly looking over my shoulder, was no life at all.

As much as I despised the idea of letting a Kadhan murderer claim my place on the throne and rule in my name, I could easily picture the clans ripping themselves apart in the power vacuum if left without a clear heir.

Emil and his supporters would make their move.

The other clans would rebel. Blood would flow through the palace halls just as it had when the Fitsum and Kadhan lines split generations ago.

At least as queen, even in name only, I’d have some influence. Some power. Some chance to work toward what I truly wanted.

I swallowed back the bitter taste of disappointment and straightened my spine. Fine. If this was to be my fate, I would face it with dignity. I would not let them see me break.

I tuned back into the conversation as Kaz’s voice hardened. “And if I refuse?”

My father smiled, the expression never reaching his eyes. “Then the evidence of your sister’s involvement in Javed’s death will be presented to the royal court. I believe the penalty for conspiring against the crown is particularly painful.”

Kaz went utterly still, the only movement the slow curl of his fingers into fists at his sides. “Rava had nothing to do with it.”

“The evidence suggests otherwise.” My father’s tone was almost bored. “Of course, as family, such matters could be overlooked. For the good of both our lines.”

Blackmail. Simple and effective. It was exactly the kind of political maneuvering I’d come to expect from the king of the ifrit.

Beside me, Kaz seemed to have reached a similar conclusion. His shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, a warrior recognizing when a battle cannot be won. “I accept your terms.”

My father’s smile was thin and satisfied. “Excellent. Now, approach the throne.”

My eyes snapped to Kaz at the same moment his did to mine.

“Surely you didn’t think I meant at some vague point in the future?” My father chuckled, the sound startlingly genuine. “No, the mating will happen now. Today. This moment.”

What?

My father signaled to the guards at the door, who opened them to admit the chamberlain. He stopped before my father in a deep bow, holding out a length of cord in offering.

“Father,” I began. Panic fluttered in my chest like a trapped bird. This was happening too fast, spinning out of my control. “Traditionally, there are preparations. Ceremonies. The court will expect?—”

“The court will accept what I decree,” he cut me off. “The formal celebration can come later. For now, we need the bond secured.”

It was really happening. Right now. In this cold hall, with only my father and his chamberlain as witnesses.

I was about to become Kaz Kadhan’s mate.

“Join hands,” King Adron commanded.

I looked at Kaz and found his expression as stunned as I felt.

He took my hand, his skin hot against mine.

The contact sent a jolt through me, like touching a live wire.

I’d expected his grip to be hard, punishing, a reflection of our forced circumstances.

Instead, his touch was careful, almost gentle.

King Adron dropped the cord over our hands. His mouth moved, but the words washed over me, fire and clan references blurring together until I could barely make sense of them. All I could focus on was the cord winding tighter around our hands and the heat radiating from Kaz’s body.

“Blood of my blood,” Kaz intoned, his eyes never leaving mine as he spoke the words.

“Fire of my fire,” I answered, the words heavy on my tongue.

“Bound by flame, bound by oath, bound by blood,” King Adron declared, tying off the final inches of cord around our hands. “Let your claiming marks be given before witnesses and seal your bond in our most ancient ways.”

Kaz’s gaze dropped to my wrist, where the pulse of my blood beat visibly beneath the skin. In private ceremonies, mating bites were often placed on intimate areas of the body. But for a public claiming, the traditional location was the wrist.

He lifted my hand to his mouth, his breath hot against my skin. For a moment, the rest of the room seemed to fade away. There was only us, only this moment, only the heat building between us.

He brought my wrist to his mouth, his lips a whisper away from my flesh. I should have been thinking of politics, of power, of all I was losing in this moment. But Kaz lifted his eyes to mine and something passed between us—understanding, resignation, desire—before his fangs pierced my skin.

G ods . No one had warned me it would feel like this.

The pain was sharp but fleeting, immediately replaced by a wave of pleasure that nearly brought me to my knees. Heat spread from the bite, racing through my veins like liquid fire. More heat pooled low in my belly and between my thighs at his tongue soothing his bite.

When he finally released my wrist, I felt dizzy, disoriented. As if the world had shifted beneath me, and I wasn’t entirely certain how to right myself.

“Princess Talia,” King Adron prompted, his voice seeming to come from very far away. “You must complete the bond.”

I took Kaz’s wrist in my trembling hands. His skin burned against mine, hotter than any ifrit I’d ever touched.

His taste exploded across my tongue, making me want more, making me want everything . I felt him tense, heard the sharp intake of his breath. I glanced up and saw his eyes had darkened, the gold nearly swallowed by black. He was feeling it too, then, this unexpected, unwanted desire.

My father clapped once, the sharp sound breaking the spell that had fallen over us. “Excellent. Now that we are one happy family again, I have a spot of work for my new son-in-law.”

Kaz tore his gaze from mine, turning to face my father with visible effort. “Work?”

“A simple matter,” my father said, waving a dismissive hand. “A young female of the court, Leona Cadum, has been abducted. It would go a long way toward securing your place if you would retrieve her.”

I frowned, struggling to focus through the haze of sensation still clouding my mind. “Leona? From the Malum clan?”

My father nodded. “A distant cousin of Emil’s. She disappeared from her rooms three nights ago. Her family is quite distraught.”

“And you want me to find her,” Kaz said, his voice flat.

“Consider it your first official duty as crown prince.” The king’s smile turned cold. “I’m sure with your unique skills, it won’t take long.”

Kaz’s jaw tightened, but he nodded once. “I’ll get started right away.”

“Perhaps not too immediately?” The king’s gaze bounced meaningfully between us. “I believe there is a rather pressing matter to attend to first.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. The consummation. Of course. Because this day couldn’t possibly get any more mortifying than my father openly directing my sex life.

“Right,” Kaz replied stiffly. “If you’ll excuse us, Your Majesty.”

My father leaned back on his throne, satisfaction evident in his expression. “Good. I expect a report on your progress with the Cadum girl within the week.”

Just like that, my life had been irrevocably altered. I’d entered this hall as Princess Talia Fitsum, last surviving daughter of the king, secret contender for the throne. I left it as Kaz Kadhan’s mate.

Whatever game my father thought he was playing, whatever advantage he sought to gain by this arranged mating, I would find a way to turn it to my advantage.

I always did.