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Chapter

Twenty-One

EZABELL

T he Dokimasi hummed in my chest. Not the forceful tugging I’d grown accustomed to, but something deeper and richer. It warmed me, blazing hot but not burning.

And it filled me, its light scattering every shadow I’d carried since my father died. Doubt fled, leaving only a sense of rightness that flowed in thick rivers through my veins.

Dain and Nikolas flanked me, both ready to give their lives for mine. They would fight Viraxes and lose, and they would do it to stop him from hurting me.

But they didn’t have to.

I met the sorcerer’s stare, the magic in my chest humming with the power of the sun. Viraxes expected me to cower. He thought I would weep and beg him not to force me to debase myself.

He’d miscalculated. But he could wait.

I looked at Corvus and found him watching me with an unsettled expression.

He was stiff on his lounger, his wine goblet pinched between tight fingers.

My father’s crown sat too low on his brow, as if he’d smashed it down to make sure it didn’t slip.

The hollow where the sunstone should have nestled gaped like a dark wound.

“You’re weak,” I said, my voice carrying across the chamber.

Corvus sat up straighter, and his wine sloshed in his goblet. Malice twisted his features as he raked his eyes down my body. “I’m not the one who’s nearly naked in human lands.”

“But you are in human lands,” I said. “Worse, you’re here of your own will, which proves you’re not simply weak. You’re also afraid.”

He sucked in a breath. “I’m not afraid.”

“Yes, you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t allow the sorcerer to put his boot on your neck.” I raised my voice, pleasure curling through me when contempt dripped from every syllable. “What kind of king bows to another? You’re not fit to rule, Corvus, and you know it.”

Red flooded his face. Jumping to his feet, he smashed his goblet on the table. “My blood is more noble than yours, my line more ancient. I?—”

“Nobility doesn’t come from blood,” I said. The Dokimasi’s heat surged in my chest. “It comes from the heart.”

“Touching,” Viraxes said. He motioned to the platform behind me. “Get on with it. Unless you prefer I summon the guards?”

Dain and Nikolas stood like two pillars on either side of me. Fury rolled off them in waves. Any second, they would do something stupid like rush Viraxes and get themselves killed.

I pulled the gown over my head and tossed it to the floor.

Corvus’s eyes widened, then narrowed to slits. He looked away, his discomfort palpable.

Viraxes stared openly, a mix of lust and calculation in his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched in what might have been surprise…or amusement. He hadn’t anticipated calm compliance. Now that he had it, he obviously didn’t know what to do with it.

Cool air kissed my skin, but the Dokimasi warmed me from within.

Its fire swelled, heat peeking over the horizon of my heart.

Rays of it fluttered down my body like a cloak falling into place.

Tendrils of heat wrapped around my limbs like armor.

At the edges of my vision, Dain and Nikolas looked at me sharply, wonder and confusion flowing off them.

I could hardly blame them when I shared the same emotions.

The magic spread—then it roared, heat sizzling to my fingertips, my toes, the crown of my head.

The power pushed at my chest. It pounded at me from all sides, as if the sunstone lay just under my feet.

But that was impossible. If Viraxes possessed the stone, he wouldn’t have bothered with me.

I offered my hand to Dain. He took it without hesitation, magic sparking between our palms. When I turned to Nikolas, his hand already waited. The moment our fingers touched, magic leapt between us like lightning called to the ground.

I looked at Corvus, and I didn’t have to fake my smile. “You want to watch us fuck? Gladly. And when you do, know that fucking them feels a thousand times better than it ever did with you.”

Rage contorted his handsome features into something twisted and ugly. Although, maybe he’d always been ugly. I’d just never truly seen him before.

“You bitch!” he snarled. “You can’t speak to me that way!” He swung toward Viraxes, who still reclined on his lounger. Spittle flew from Corvus’s lips as he thrust a finger at me. “Punish her. I know you’re capable of it.”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Viraxes’s face. “I’ve done enough for you, Corvus. If you want her punished, do it yourself.”

Corvus stared at the sorcerer. Then he turned back to me. Dain squeezed my hand. Nikolas took a half-step forward, clearly prepared for Corvus to attack. But suddenly, Corvus appeared to calm. The mottled red faded from his face, and a vicious smile played around his mouth.

“You think you’re strong,” Corvus said, malevolence lacing his words.

“Standing there like some righteous queen when you’re nothing but a spoiled child playing with her new toys.

” His tone went silky, sliding under my skin like a well-sharpened blade.

“Your father was the same—a frivolous fool who cared more for lances and spectacle than running his own kingdom.”

Dread settled over me, but I kept my expression neutral. Let him talk. Let him reveal himself.

“Thessador was weak,” Corvus continued. “Someone had to save the Summer Court from his incompetence. Someone had to make the hard choices his Council was too spineless to make.”

“What choices?” I asked quietly. The answer loomed in my mind, but I needed to hear him say it.

His smile widened. “That final joust in the Serpent Steppes was such a tragic accident. And so unexpected. How could a knight as renowned as your father fall to another? All those centuries perfecting the joust, and he left himself open to that lance.” Corvus leaned forward, his eyes glittering.

“ I took care of things when no one else would. You dare call me a coward when it was I who crossed the Covenant and journeyed to this tower. I negotiated with the Sorcerer of Solbarren to purchase a lance guaranteed to find its mark.”

Blood pounded in my ears. I’d been so blind. But no longer. The Dokimasi expanded inside me, a ball of heat and fire ready to spring to my command. But not just yet. Wait , it whispered. There was a time for everything. I knew that now. The sun rose on its own schedule. And sometimes, it slept.

“You killed him,” I said.

Corvus lifted his chin. “I saved Summer,” he corrected.

“Thessador’s weakness would have destroyed us eventually.

The other kingdoms mock us. They think we’re soft and consumed with seeking pleasure.

But no more. At last, the Summer Court will finally have a king worthy of it.

A king who will use the sunstone’s power as it was meant to be used. ”

In a flash, I saw the world as Corvus would have it. He would rule as a tyrant, using the sunstone to serve his vanity. He’d already killed one king. He’d allied himself with Viraxes. He thought I was too weak to stop him.

“Thank you,” I said.

He blinked, a frown appearing between his eyes. “What?”

“For admitting what you are. It might be the first truthful thing you’ve done. You believed my father was weak, and you were right. An honorable man would have challenged him. But you’re not honorable, so you stole what you were too powerless to take.”

Corvus’s expression darkened. “You know nothing about power. True kings don’t ask for crowns. They take them.”

The Dokimasi burned hotter. It didn’t pull, but no matter. I knew where to go.

“You’re right,” I told Corvus. “I’m not a king.”

I tightened my grip on Dain and Nikolas’s hands and turned us toward the platform. They climbed ahead of me, silk cushions yielding under their knees. I followed, then looked back over my shoulder.

“I’m a queen.”

Dain and Nikolas knelt on the platform. One light, one dark, they waited for my next move. The Dokimasi’s magic was a living thing under my skin.

“What is she doing?” Corvus demanded behind me, a thread of panic in his voice.

Viraxes’s tone was almost bored as he replied, “What I told her to do.”

I ignored them as I settled on my knees between the men and placed a hand on each of their chests. Magic pulsed under my palms, light dancing between us.

Two heartbeats thudded against my hands. Two pairs of eyes—one dark and warm, the other clear and blue—held mine.

Words passed between us, unspoken but clear as a bell.

Do you feel it? I asked.

Their answers gleamed in their eyes.

Yes.

Oh, yes.

They most certainly did.

Magic slid through me like warm honey, the thick current pooling between my legs. Leaning forward, I brushed my lips first over Nikolas’s and then Dain’s. I want both of you to fuck me. I have a plan.

Desire darkened Nikolas’s eyes. You only had to say the first part.

Dain touched my jaw with gentle fingers. He glanced past my shoulder before stroking a thumb over my bottom lip. Are you certain?

I knew my answer shone in my eyes the same as theirs, but I nodded anyway. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.

Nikolas moved first, capturing my mouth in a kiss almost as searing as the fire in my veins.

He threaded his fingers through my hair, cradling my head as he plunged his tongue deep.

When he pulled away, Dain was there, his strong fingers on my jaw guiding my lips to his.

They bracketed me, their thick thighs pressed to mine and their hands roaming my curves.

Callused palms ran down my sides. A warm hand cupped one breast, testing its weight. Fingers plucked and rolled my nipples.

I arched between them, the honey flowing faster.

The ends of my hair brushed the small of my back.

My nipples ached. As if he sensed it, Dain lowered his mouth and took one into his mouth.

His stubble scratched my skin, drawing a gasp from me.

Then he circled the peak with his hot tongue, and I cried out.