Page 133 of The Ever King

The corner of his mouth curved. “It’d be a pleasure, Bloodsinger.”

CHAPTER46

The Songbird

Crowds gathered in the great hall. Celine and Larsson woke me after dawn. I’d been disappointed to wake alone, the king nowhere to be found. I’d been told to dress and follow them to the hall. My body ached in beautiful ways, and I wanted to crawl back into Erik’s bed and memorize every scar on his skin all over again.

At the entrance to the hall, Aleksi stood beside Tait. All hells, I was a distracted fool, and for a moment, forgot my cousin nearly lost his life searching for me.

A tear slid from the corner of my eye when I gave him a tight embrace. “I’m not being harmed,” were the first words I rambled out.

“I know that now. Bloodsinger and I spoke before the dawn.”

A prickle of heat rushed to my cheeks. After we’d . . . Erik went to my cousin. “Oh. I’m sure that was interesting.”

“That’s one word.” Aleksi pulled back, a soft smile on his face. “We will need to speak, Liv. Soon. I want to hear the story from your mouth.”

I gripped his arm and nodded. “I’ll tell you everything, and you must tell me of home, of my parents.”

Alek’s face fell. “I’ve never seen Uncle Valen as the beast they once called him, but I think I’ve seen glimpses now.”

My heart snapped. I couldn’t leave them like this, wondering if I was being brutalized every day. Now with Alek gone, we had to get word to them.

“I’ll speak with the king,” I whispered. “We can find a way to stop the fighting.”

Alek offered a smile, but I wasn’t certain he believed me.

Celine and Larsson joined us, I briefly introduced them to Alek. Skepticism lined Celine’s features, but she gave Alek a nod of hello. Larsson was more amiable and asked Alek questions about the journey through the Chasm, then called him Bloodsummoner, a way to show he accepted him into the Ever culture by the time we reached the center of the hall.

“I’ll be back, Livie.” Alek squeezed my arm. “The king has need of me.”

“Need of you, what—” But he was already gone.

I strained my neck and looked over the heads of the people when the heavy doors opened. Erik appeared, all in black, and atop his head was a gold circlet with hints of crimson. I’d never seen the king’s crown before. Made of sharp edges like jagged waves, it added a bit of vicious power to his appearance.

“Blood flows through the gold,” Celine said under her breath after I remarked on the beauty of it. “And a spell was cast over the crown, so only a true heir can wear it without burning the skin. Today he wants it known that heisthe Ever King.”

“Why? What’s he doing?”

She didn’t need to respond. I saw for myself.

With the help of Tait and—hells—Alek, Erik dragged the greasy assassin and Snake Eyes into the hall. Ropes were slung around their throats; they were naked, bruised, and already bleeding.

Erik released them in the center of the crowd. People drifted away from the prisoners, forming a circle around them. Through the heads of his people, Erik found me. His eyes burned with violence, but the grin on his face said more. It said all the things our bodies spoke last night.

“It is one thing for a king to be attacked,” Erik said. “It is not the first time, nor do I think it will be the last.”

My stomach cinched. To have him brought so close to the Otherworld again was a new fear that ran rampant with all the possibilities.

I blew out a long breath. Erik was looking at me. He grinned, and my heart swelled with his voice.You are Livia Ferus, blood of warriors, body of a goddess, destroyer of the king’s cock. . .

I snorted a laugh, bit my teeth into my bottom lip, and looked away. Bastard.

Erik’s face shadowed when he faced his people again. “But to attack her.”

My heart stopped when Erik pointed at me, and every head seemed to swivel at once.Don’t bend, don’t falter. Erik was facing his people and demanding they look upon him as the king he’d always wanted to be. I was his. I needed to straighten my spine and be his.

“To try to rob us of the hope she has brought to the Ever,” Erik went on, voice dark and cruel. “That is a slight I cannot forgive with a quick death. It is made worse since these traitors refuse to give up who sent them.”