Page 57 of The King has Fallen (The Kingdom of the Krow #1)

SOUNDTRACK: Can’t Help Falling in Love – DARK , by Tommee Profitt and Brooke.

~ MELEK ~

The despair was so overwhelming, the rage so white-hot, I did nothing but stand there and tremble.

“Melek,” she breathed. “Please.”

“Please, what?!”

She stared at me like she was drinking me in—probably just as frantically as I drank in the sight of her. But did she hate herself for it as I did? Apparently not.

Then she swallowed. “I didn’t lie about anything,” she said hoarsely. “I just… didn’t tell you everything.”

“Well you left out a whole fucking lot!” I roared.

There was a shout on the other side of the door.

I snarled. “Better go soothe your bond-vowed. He seems to be losing his shit.”

“I’m going to handle Turo. He will know the full story first, before the others. He deserves that much. But for now…” she drew herself up and I saw it then, that regal certainty—it flickered though. Hints of the scared young woman peeking through. “For now, it’s important that you know that the only thing I didn’t tell you was that I was Queen. Everything else—my feelings, my convictions, what I wanted for you… it was all true.”

I took a step closer and her eyes widened as I leaned in and dropped my voice. “So… you still want me?”

“Of course I do! You’re my mate!”

I tipped my head. “Better tell that to your bond-vowed General. Seems like you have a type, Yilan. Have you fucked him since you got back? The man clearly worships at your feet, so I’m guessing the reunion was thrilling. ”

“Melek,” she choked. “Of course I haven’t! Don’t be cruel.”

“Cruel? I’m cruel? Are you fucking kidding me?! You lied to me, drugged me, and stole me from my life! I trusted you!”

“And you should! Because you’re mine. And I’m yours!” she hissed, glancing over her shoulder.

“Don’t say it too loud. He might hear you.”

She snapped her head back around, and some of her fire was back. “I know you’re angry. And I get it—I would be too. But I didn’t lie to you. And I would never betray our bond that way. The only reason they don’t know is because I haven’t had a chance to talk to you, so you wouldn’t be used against your will—”

“Bullshit,” I snarled bitterly, raking my hand through my hair. “Just stop. I don’t believe a word anyway. A fucking Queen? I should have known,” I said with a sneer. “The Royals always are the most conniving and vicious.” I leaned even closer until my nose almost brushed the bars. “One of the reasons I never wanted to be one .”

“Melek—”

“Suddenly all your ambition for me makes sense. Hard to get excited about a simple General, right? I mean, clearly. You already had one of those.”

“That is not what is happening here!” she hushed, stamping her foot. There were tears in her eyes, but she stood with her hands balled at her sides and her chin high, meeting my snarling insults with a dignity I hadn’t seen in her before.

One more thing she had hidden from me.

“I am going to forgive you,” she whispered.

“So noble of you,” I snarled.

She closed her eyes and swallowed, then met my eyes again. “I am going to forgive you for your harsh words because I know this is a shock, and… and I would feel betrayed at first, as well.”

“At first?!”

“But I am not going to… to spar with you. Because I am not vicious, except in defense of those I love. And I love you, Melek. You’re my mate.”

“Another deception,” I snarled. “How did you do it? How did you make me believe? Is this just a spell?” I hissed, pounding my chest once where the bond sang and screamed.

She shook her head, her eyes welling. “Trust me, this was far harder for me than it was for you.”

“Such bullshit. You played a part, Yilan: Strong, beautiful, but vulnerable in a herd of Nephilim, right? Always the poor female that we needed to rush to save. Very, very well played. But make no mistake, I will not fall for it again. I will not play your games.”

“I wasn’t playing you! You were never a part of this plan. My mission was to kill you! And then I met you and…”

“Then you should have done it,” I hissed, leveling a finger at her. “Because I will never serve a liar and a fiend!”

Her head jerked back and her eyes cleared. “You already did. Your entire life,” she said incredulously. “That fucker deserved your loyalty, but I do not?

“That fucker was born with the birthright—”

“So was I!”

That stopped me cold, because as much as it grated to admit, she was right and I had to consider what that meant.

If she was truly their Queen, truly born to it, and leading… she’d done so at the front of the battle. She’d left her throne to examine and then solve the problem herself. Exactly as a good leader should.

No wonder they were all so twitchy about her safety.

In any other set of circumstances I would have admired that.

But this…

She must have felt me waver, because she gripped the bars again, leaning between two, pressing herself towards me. “I am your mate, Melek,” she whispered. “And you are mine. God put us together for a reason. And that reason is to lead into truth.”

And then it all became clear.

I was no longer snarling, or bellowing. I was even beginning to let my anger pass…

I was just cold.

“Yilan… you cannot lead into something you do not possess.”

Her brows pinched and her forehead lined as she shook her head. “I understand your anger, but do not let it make you stupid, Melek.”

I huffed. “I have been deceived. I am a fool. But I am not stupid. However, those people out there are if they believe you can lead them into truth . You don’t understand the concept!”

“Then you show them,” she challenged me.

I frowned. “What?”

“I said, if you don’t think I can do it, you show them. I am Queen, Melek. The Queen of this people. In my land things work differently. The Shadekin birthright always passes to the female. The Queen. And then is balanced by the wisdom and strength of the man she chooses. Always,” she said, swallowing hard.

I blinked. “What?”

“I am Queen, Melek. That makes my mate, my pair, our King.”

For the second time in minutes, I was in freefall.

But Yilan didn’t even hesitate. She set her jaw and pinned me with her eyes.

“Do you hear me, Melek? You said God chooses rulers. Well, He chose you as my mate. And in my culture, the King always outranks the Queen. It is the Queen’s most important responsibility to choose the right man for the crown. And I did.” She swallowed hard. “So if you’re really my mate, that makes you King of the Shadekin. Chosen by God. If you really believe I can’t lead them into truth, well… can you? Because you’re about to get your chance. That is… if you are willing to claim me as mate and will allow me to do the same.”

I was speechless, gaping. Utterly floored.

But Yilan’s jaw just tightened. “I didn’t wait to tell them about our bond because it was faked. I waited because it’s real. And because the moment I acknowledge you, you become our King. And hear me, Melek: Mate or not… I will not hand my Kingdom to a coward.”

THE END—but not for long!

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