Page 123 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

R ose and her mother had nowhere to hide once they reached the courtyard, allowing the guards to spot them almost immediately.

Horns blared above them as they sprinted as quickly as her mother’s legs could carry her.

With the cover of darkness and the storm’s wind, they managed to reach the outskirts of the castle.

Onyx! Rose shouted desperately into their bond. I need you!

He was present in her mind in an instant, sensing her urgency. Where are you?

The south entrance, she said, sharing her location with a mental image.

In just seconds, his massive, muscular frame appeared, racing as fast as possible through the darkness. She thanked the gods that his color matched the night as arrows flew at him, not that they could have hit him anyway—they were out of range now.

“Come, get on!” she ordered her mother over the wind, helping her onto the beast.

Despite her fear of riding, her mother didn’t hesitate, mounting the beast with Rose’s help. She didn’t need her siren to sense her mother’s anxiety as her body stiffened.

“Onyx won’t let you fall,” Rose reassured her as she sat in front. “Just grip with your bare legs and hold on to me.”

Her mother barely nodded, shakily wrapping her arms around Rose’s waist.

To the cliffs, she said , guiding Onyx.

A thunderous rumble clapped overhead. From the far corner of her eye, the royal guard scrambled to chase them, but Onyx, with his mighty eight legs, had already put a good distance between them.

Within a few minutes, the small party appeared.

All twelve councilmen, along with a plentiful number of guards, were present.

Tristan stood a short distance away from Roman and Xavier, who were standing near the cliff’s edge.

The torches barely shed any light as the wind thrashed, threatening to extinguish the flames.

The sight made Rose urge Onyx to go faster, repressing her siren’s bloodthirst to slaughter them all.

As if her mother had read her mind, she said, “Don’t overplay your cards, Rosalie. I don’t know what you’re planning, but there are too many to fight. Trust me, you don’t want to be responsible for their deaths,” she warned, speaking over the rushing wind.

Rose tightened her grip on Onyx’s mane. She had to handle this with care. If she didn’t… she didn’t want to think about it.

The execution proceedings halted as Onyx’s powerful body burst onto the scene.

The council members and nearby guards quickly parted the way, steering clear of Onyx’s formidable hooves, which stomped into the heart of the gathering.

Only Tristan kept his feet planted, fixing a glare at her. He didn’t look surprised.

Rose’s gaze darted between Roman and Xavier, both bound and standing just a few feet from the cliff’s edge, where the jagged rocks below waited to greet them. Their mouths were both silenced by a gag.

As soon as she saw Roman, her heart exited her chest, rolling off the cliffside.

Half of Roman’s handsome face had been marred with black and blue bruises in their short time apart.

The white of his right eye was blood red, and his bottom lip was swollen and split.

He fought not to flinch as he put weight on his left leg.

She checked Xavier, too, who, thank the gods, looked unharmed.

Her eyes blazed with a wicked fire. They had beaten him. They had beaten him until he could barely stand, undoubtedly pressuring him to reveal where the talisman was.

Despite all this, Roman remained fierce, looking at her like he was going to kill and kiss her at the same time.

Her rage boiled like hell’s fury. Rose knew what she had to do. Even if it killed her, she would do it.

For Roman.

Five guards lifted their bows and aimed at her heart, but she ignored them. Her eyes honed in on Tristan, who was watching her, waiting for her reaction. His face was savagely cold, devoid of any and all remorse.

Her voice was as sharp as a needle. “Tell them to lower their weapons.”

“I told you to stay out of this,” Tristan said.

Rose’s feet hit the ground, stalking toward him. The guards surrounding Tristan blocked her path, but she paid them no attention as she stopped in front of them.

“I need to speak with you.” She crushed her arms to her sides to prevent her sword from swinging.

“There is nothing you can do or say that will alter what is about to happen,” Lord Martin interjected snidely.

She didn’t even spare a look in his direction.

“Let her through,” Tristan ordered.

The guards parted for her, lowering their arrows.

Rose approached him with care, keeping her siren’s rage under control. She attempted to reason with him one final time. “You’re making a mistake. Roman didn’t take the talisman. We need to be finding who truly did.”

Tristan budge. “You think I want this? He stole the key and the talisman to make me look like a fool. Both of them tried to kill me, and still, you defend them.” His eyes turned dark. “Well, now they both will see that choices have consequences.”

Tristan began to turn away, but she grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her.

The guards strained their bows at her again.

“I’ll let you have me,” Rose said in haste.

Tristan’s eyes finally lit from within, like she’d dangled a piece of meat in front of a starved animal.

She took her opportunity, stepping closer. “I’ll let you have every single part of me. I won’t fight you. I’ll kiss you back. I’ll give you all of me. Just let them go.”

Tristan didn’t waste the opportunity. He closed the gap between their bodies. “Give me your word,” he demanded.

A crack of thunder rumbled through the air. Louder. Closer.

She could feel Roman’s fury a few feet behind Tristan as he violently shook his head. He and Xavier lunged forward, but the guards restrained them.

“I promise I won’t leave,” she whispered, ignoring the ugly parasite eating at her insides.

“Prove it,” Tristan demanded, his eyes flickering down at her lips.

She knew what he wanted.

Rose closed her eyes, shutting out Roman and Xavier’s screaming waves of rage as she lifted her lips to meet his. She even slid her hand into his hair for good measure. Acid burned up her throat.

As hard as she tried to throw up a wall, she couldn’t shut Roman out. His soul-crushing presence in her mind was far too powerful. Painful. Crippling. It was as if each of her ribs had broken one by one and caved inward, puncturing her lungs.

She pulled away. Tristan’s eyes had become possessive, lustful, and powerful. “Again,” he demanded.

Rose had never hated herself more.

She brought her lips back up to his again. This time, his lips devoured her mouth. His hands snaked around her waist and up into her hair.

Roman’s pain amplified.

After Tristan was satisfied, his hand slid down into hers. Mine , he proclaimed.

“Stand down,” Tristan ordered the guards with the bow and arrows.

Oxygen was finally allowed back into her lungs.

“No!” Lord Martin cried out. “She’s playing with you! They are guilty. Don’t let this siren seduce you.”

“I’m the king.” Tristan’s dark voice overpowered Lord Martin’s by miles.

“And I say stand down.” He turned to his brothers.

“For Rose’s sake, I’ll allow you to live.

Instead of being killed, you’ll both be stripped of your titles and banished from Cathan.

If you ever set foot in this province again, or if I even hear so much of a whisper of your return, I will not hesitate to put you both back on this ledge. ”

Enraged murmurs flooded the high council, opposing in an uproar.

“You cannot let this go unpunished,” Lord Barron said, taking a small step forward.

Rose’s heart faltered. Out of all the high councilmen, she’d hoped he would be the one who would claim mercy.

“The talisman is still missing,” Lord Barron continued. “We cannot let them go. We’ll never see it again.”

“They’ll be escorted out of Cathan. We’ll make sure they have nothing in their possession.

I’m not claiming their innocence. I’m merely changing their sentence, which, as you all know, is well within my rights as king.

It’s decided.” Tristan turned to address the guards.

“Take them to the border.” Without another word, Tristan began to lead her back to the castle, her hand still in his.

She looked at Roman one last time before being torn from him forever. She considered begging Tristan to let her say goodbye, but if she went to him… she didn’t know if she could go through with it.

So, instead, Rose’s glistening eyes met Roman’s bloody ones. She nearly choked as she committed him to memory, as if she hadn’t already. She cursed the darkness, wishing she could see the golden spark in his eyes. To heal him.

But above all, she wished she could rip out her own heart and lay it at his feet. To let him know that even though she would be sharing a bed with Tristan, her heart would still belong to Roman. Let it serve as evidence of his name etched on her heart. Forever marked.

There would not be a day, a minute, a second that she wouldn’t think of him.

Roman shook his head in denial. He lunged for her again, but his injured leg collapsed beneath him. He tried to say something, but his gag made it no more than muffled protests.

Tristan dragged her along as Roman thrashed like a caged animal. Three more guards had to join the other two just to restrain him. One of them sucker punched him in the gut, forcing him to his knees. She bit back a sob.

Don’t fight it. Let me go, she pleaded.

A sudden movement caught her eye.

Lord Barron marched up to a soldier and snatched the bow and arrow from his hands. Without hesitation, he drew back his arm and aimed the arrow straight at his target.

“ Roman! ” she screamed into the wind.

Her warning came too late. The arrow traveled with such a fierce ferocity that he wouldn’t be able to escape its path.

But the arrow never reached him. Another body flew out in front of it, blocking its way and it hit?—

Rose’s mother.

“ No! ” she screamed, escaping Tristan’s grasp and immediately running to her mother’s side.

Lord Barron nocked another arrow, ready to shoot another.

“Seize him!” Tristan shouted the order, withdrawing his sword.

The guards rushed to restrain Lord Barron.

Rose was hardly paying attention. She flung herself down beside her mother, sprawled on the ground.

It had hit her shoulder. She gently pulled her mother’s head into her lap, cradling her as she examined the wound.

She pulled the arrow out immediately, pressing her hand down to stop the bleeding.

But something wasn’t right. She was bleeding badly, even for an arrow wound.

Her mother was already gasping for air, shaking.

Her body grew hot as her pupils dilated.

Rose gazed at the arrow lying next to her with fear. Gripping it with her bloodied hands, almost too slippery to grip, she wiped it with her cloak, recognizing the poison on its tip.

Dragonshade .

Her heart hardened into stone. Her eyes shot up, searching for Lord Barron, but he was nowhere to be found.

Behind her, Roman struggled. “Rose!” he shouted, freeing himself from the gag. “He’s getting away!”

At last, she saw Lord Barron’s fleeing figure heading towards the woods.

This was her chance. She couldn’t lose him. There was too much at stake.

Rose looked hesitantly down at her mother.

“Go,” her mother insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

She didn’t have much time. She had to make a choice.

“Keep pressure on this. I’ll come back for you,” she promised.

Her mother waved her off. “Yes, yes, I know. They won’t let me die. Now go. Go! ”

Rose stood with the arrow still in hand and sprinted like the wind.

“No! Rose, don’t!” Tristan yelled after her. “Don’t put yourself in danger!”

She ignored the calls behind her, sprinting with inhuman speed. Leaving the party behind, she bolted for the woods where Lord Barron had vanished. Onyx was already on his way, galloping beside her until she managed to mount him mid-run, adrenaline pumping overtime.

Because, by the sky and sea gods, she was going to kill the bastard.