Page 42 of The Queen’s Shadow

I had already been exhausted before my attempted assault of the triquetra, so when I finally collapsed into bed, I had almost immediately fallen asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

Something had woken me, and I couldn’t determine what it was at first. I glanced around the room, feeling tense. Was there someone in here? What had pulled me out of such a deep sleep so quickly? Finding no external threats, I turned my focus inward and scanned my aura. Something felt different. I ran the metaphysical fingers of my power through my aura and gasped, as I suddenly found a gap where the trace I had placed on Amon was.

It was unblocked.

Had they removed the triquetra? How was this possible? Had he somehow escaped? Had he managed to get away and remove it? A rush of adrenaline erupted through me, and I nearly dove down the magickal tether without a second thought, before I realized that this could likely be a trap.

Frowning, I figured it would be a good idea to make sure I had a lifeline back to my body, and quickly unblocked the bond between myself and Rycon. If something went wrong I trusted him to snap me out of it.

Satisfied that I had at least installed one precaution, I allowed my consciousness to flow down the line of the trace. I spilled into Amon’s mind, his name falling from my lips as I let myself in, but what I found stopped me in my tracks.

“Is she here?” Ash Nevra purred from where she stood in a dark stone room at the end of what looked like a large bed. Kieran stood next to her, thumbing the triquetra, an evil smile on his face.

‘Raven, go.’ Amon hissed at me. Outwardly, he said nothing.

‘Amon what’s happening, why did they remove the triquetra?’ I asked, panicked. The longer I spent in his mind, the more I was able to adjust and absorb his mental and physical state. I allowed myself to feel what he was feeling and examined the crushing barbed wire of the slavery bond as it suffocated his beautiful, dark magick. I ran my power through his body as he had done to me when he had visited me, and gasped.

His hands! The amount of pain radiating from his beautiful, perfect fingers was enough to make my consciousness buckle.

‘What the FUCK did she do to you?’ I screamed into his mind.

‘It is nothing, Raven.’ He sounded annoyed. Surely not annoyed with me? ‘They are just fingernails, they will grow back. You need to go. Now.’

‘I’m not fucking going anywhere.’ I snarled at him, and I felt his frustration mounting.

Ash Nevra smiled, and crawled up onto the foot of the bed, giving me a clear view of her cleavage under her silk dress.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.” She said as she crawled forward, I watched her in horror through Amon’s eyes. “Put your hands over your head, Shadow.” She purred, and I felt the slavery bond lash out against him and force his arms up. He grit his teeth, his fury and rage mixing with my own. “Good, my little Shadow,” she cooed as she straddled his lap, bracing her hand on his shoulders. “Let’s take this shirt off, shall we? We’re wearing too many clothes for tonight’s activities.”

A familiar drum beat began deep in my chest, my blood turned to fire. My daemon came alive with a vengeance. There was nothing I could do but watch, as she unbuttoned my mate’s shirt against his will and ran her hands down his chest, crimson nails scraping gently. I felt his revulsion at her touch, even as his skin pebbled beneath it.

She wrapped her hand around his chin, and forced him to meet her gaze. She wasn’t looking at him though, she was looking at me. Speaking to me.

“Hello, Raven.” She simpered, “Your mate and I have been having so much fun. I’m glad you’re here for the show.” She leaned forward and bit down on his chest, hard.

I felt it, and nearly cried out from the sharpness of the pain, but he did not react at all. He remained silent, and still, refusing to give her any sort of reaction.

“You have been very, very naughty, Raven.” She whispered against my mate’s chest, as she ran her tongue over him, pulling his nipple into her mouth and sucking on it, before biting him again, aggressively enough to draw blood.

He still did not react.

“Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences to your actions? Did you think you could free one of my slaves, and I would not know? I am their master, do you think I cannot feel when a bond is severed? I am connected to them all, you foolish, foolish girl.”

That’s what this was, this was about Cerenah. She had felt it, when I had freed her, and now she was punishing me for it by punishing Amon.

‘Raven, please,’ he didn’t sound angry anymore. He sounded desperate. ‘Leave. I don’t want you to see this.’ My heart broke for him, and he mentally cringed as Ash Nevra began to rock herself against him, hovering her lips near his while she did so.

“Know this, Raven. Each time you make a move against me, I will make sure your mate is punished for it.” She whispered against his lips, which he kept clamped firmly shut. “Kiss me, Shadow,” she ordered, smiling against him as she did. But she wasn’t looking at him, she was looking through him, to where she knew I nestled in his mind. She was taunting me, daring me to try to do something about it. I was powerless and she wanted me to know it.

I felt the slavery bond flair to life as he resisted.

God did he resist. It hurt so much, I felt he might die from the pain. It lashed out against his magick. I thought of Cerenah’s crippled aura and panicked. I couldn’t take it anymore.

‘Just do it, Amon, do what she says, she’s hurting you!’ I sobbed into his mind, but he ignored me and continued to resist. She frowned in annoyance, before repeating the order.

“I said kiss me, Prince Amon, kiss me like I’m your mate.”

The pain doubled and finally, he was forced to comply. His lips smashed into hers and I felt it, as his tongue entered her mouth and massaged against hers. She grabbed his face and ran her fingers up into his hair and groaned as he gently pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it gently. As if she were me, I realized with horror.