Page 37

Annalise

“ A nna, please…”

The voice breaks through the heavy haze that has come over me. It feels like I’ve been sitting under a waterfall for hours, trying to withstand the weight, the pressure, and the noise. But now, I can finally breathe again.

My body is jostled, making me furrow my brow as discomfort washes over me. I fight the nausea that hits me, wanting to drift back into my slumber, but the jostling becomes insistent.

My eyes fly open as a heavy wave of nausea hits me. I ignore the heavy vertigo that slams into me, crawling away from the pile of furs I was asleep in as everything leaves my stomach. My retching is violent, and to my shock, it isn’t food that I’ve thrown up. It’s thick, black, liquid.

I cough, wiping my mouth as I feel a cold sweat overcome me. My skin is clammy, and my body is sweating and shivering simultaneously as I look around my foreign surroundings. We’re in the forest and there’s a small fire burning next to the pile of furs and blankets I was lying on.

Joan sits beside the pile, a look of relief on her face as she takes me in. Her throat seems to have been healed physically, but if her voice is the one calling to me in my sleep, it still has damage.

“What…what happened?” I whisper, my voice cracked from lack of use.

Joan looks away, and I follow her gaze to a camp not too far away.

“We’ve been taken into their custody,” she says.

My eyes widen as I stumble back to where she is, collapsing in front of her. It’s all I can do to keep my composure.

“But Cyrus, he…” I trail off, not knowing what else to say. It was Cyrus who saved us in that cavern. I can’t imagine him losing to anyone, least of all the beast who threatened our lives.

“The king lives…but he is very weak,” she says softly.

I slowly wobble to my feet in an attempt to go to the camp.

“I have to see him—”

Joan grips my arm, looking at me with a saddened expression.

“You are not to set foot in that camp, Anna. He will finish what he started if you do,” she says.

I shake my head, looking back to the camp. “Who?”

“The one who attacked us,” she says.

“But…” I trail off as tears of frustration burn my eyes. “I don’t understand. How am I alive then? Why am I here?” I ask.

Joan shrugs.

“The general remains by His Majesty’s side. The twins and Neve have been allowed recovery within the camp, but that is all I know for now. Everything is in limbo until His Majesty awakens,” she says.

I slowly sink to the ground, my attention shifting back to the camp. I can’t begin to wrap my mind around what’s happening. Only yesterday, all that mattered was my revenge. And now, it feels trivial that I ever thought Elias was a threat when these beasts existed.

“Why have they come here?” I ask.

Joan shifts, moving to the other side of the fire as she grabs a satchel of water, handing it to me. She waits until I am drinking to speak, but I find it hard to focus on what she’s saying as my thirst takes over.

“These beasts have a connection with the former queen. They came because this side of the world has drifted into what they deem as chaos and allowed too many hybrids to exist,” she says.

It’s strange that what I am finally has a name. All this time, Elias and Cyrus were both baffled by my existence, claiming that I was something in between. And according to these beasts, I am something that shouldn’t exist.

“Do they know about Ciel?” I whisper, my fear making it difficult to breathe.

Joan shakes her head. “I do not think so. We haven’t moved for the past two days. There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency any longer. Only waiting.”

“Two days?” I repeat in disbelief.

Joan nods.

“You almost didn’t make it,” she whispers.

I release a breath, standing.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“To see Cyrus,” I say, making my way out of my small makeshift camp. The air away from the fire is cool, and I revel in the slight chill that covers my body as I try to approach the camp.

I cry out as Joan pulls me back.

“Are you not listening? He will kill you if you set foot in that camp,” she says desperately. I narrow my gaze, calling on Cyrus’s seal to give me the strength to pull my arm from her grip…but I feel nothing.

No rush of power. Not even a little.

“What?” I whisper.

Joan slowly releases me, watching me carefully. My fingers tremble as I lower them to the hem of my shirt, lifting it slightly. The seal is still there, but for some reason, I can’t access it.

“What—”

“You are a perversion of nature. You should not be allowed to live, let alone walk around with such power freely,” she says, her eyes finally meeting mine as she relays what the beast must have said.

“What did he do?” I ask, my voice trembling.

“Your life is dependent on the king. You must be patient for now. You can’t possibly understand what we are up against. None of us do,” she says.

Tears spill past my cheeks, and my legs weaken. It feels like the air has been ripped from me and no matter how much I breathe, I will never be able to get in enough air. And so, my pants turn to quiet cries as I sink to the forest floor with Joan to comfort me.

Cyrus

A cacophony of scents and sounds assaults my senses as I jolt awake. I sit up so fast that my chest throbs in pain, and I cringe, groaning as a pair of hands attempt to steady me. A snarl rips from my throat, but I quickly regain my composure when I see it’s Felix. Relief washes over me from a familiar face, but it’s short-lived as I remember our situation.

Or rather, the situation we were in before I fell unconscious.

“Where is she?” I say.

“She’s alive. She’s right on the edge of the camp,” Felix says.

I glare at him in confusion. “The edge?”

“Yes, the edge. Where mongrels like her belong.” Cyprian steps into the tent, irritation on his expression as he takes me in.

He shifts his attention to Felix, silently ordering him to leave, but he doesn’t move, further angering Cyprian.

“It’s fine, Felix,” I say quickly.

Felix slowly rises, bowing to me before leaving the tent, ignoring Cyprian’s presence.

“This is the thanks I get for sparing you? Disrespect from a lesser being?” he says as he sits near the bed. I note that I am in a large tent that must belong to this beast, as there are chests and weapons present.

“I want to see Annalise now ,“ I say.

“You are in no position to be giving demands, Your Majesty. You have been very irresponsible during your short reign as king. You should be thanking me for sparing her life. If you were not my sister’s son, I never would have done such a thing,” he says.

He speaks of my mother fondly. And yet, my mother never mentioned her life before my father.

“Your kindness is noted,” I say. “We will leave at first light.”

“Leave? I think you’ve mistaken my intentions. I did not allow her to live purely based on my own mercy. But to ensure you stay in line, nephew,” he says.

I narrow my gaze, not liking the direction he is going.

“You are not taking her,” I say, ignoring the pain flaring within me as I sit up straighter.

“Calm yourself. I have no intention of taking her. It is you that I want. Your life here hasn’t been completely wasted. Hell, for a second, I thought you were really going to kill me. You belong with us, among your own. And as long as you cooperate, her life will be spared,” he says.

“You can’t be serious. Do you really think I’d leave her behind? My kingdom—”

“You did for months, Cyrus. Do not forget we are here because of the destruction you caused,” he says.

“Do not forget I left to find her ,“ I snap, earning a frown.

I can’t pin this beast or his personality. He’s emotionless when speaking about Annalise and annoyed when referring to any beasts in my kingdom. And though he speaks of my mother in a positive light, there is something eerie behind his gaze, signifying he is not telling me the entire story.

“I am not one of you anyway. Not fully. My father was a ‘lesser’ as you so eloquently love to put it,” I say.

Now, he laughs.

“Is that what you think? That you are one of these beasts who cling to your robes for protection? You are a rarity, Cyrus. Your blood is pure—uncorrupted by the blood of your father. Your inner beast has diluted any weakness your father put in you. Had you been weak, your mother’s blood would have killed you,” he says.

I don’t respond, and Cyprian takes it as his cue to continue.

“I have done what you asked. I have healed your…infatuation. And I have spared your followers. Now you must repay your debt and return with me,” he says.

“Why? What do you want from me? I obviously fall short of your ways. I will only be a hindrance to you,” I say.

“You amuse me with your silver tongue. Or maybe it is your naivete that drives the words from your mouth. But to answer your question, what I want is simple: to right a wrong. Seeing you waste your potential among these lesser beings sickens me. You must learn to live among your own,” he says.

“I will not abandon my kingdom,” I say louder.

“You already have. When you claimed this wasteland, you abandoned your true kingdom. You are a prince. You are an heir to a much more magnificent throne your mother did not want. And you have spent too much of your life pretending to be one of these lessers, cramming your true self so far down that I am sure what happened across the waters isn’t the first time you’ve done something like that. I’m sure it was difficult for you to become…cordial again after such a large scale of destruction,” he says.

I ignore his prod, reaffirming my decision. “My mother forfeited her throne, and I shall do the same,” I say.

Patience disappears from Cyprian’s face, his eyes sharpening as he fights for control. He leans forward in his seat as he speaks.

“Do you love that mongrel that sits outside of my camp?” he asks. “Or is she just an infatuation you can overcome within a few months?”

I bite my tongue. I don’t dare answer or reveal the life Anna and I have had together—how all of this has become apparent because of her. But Cyprian takes my answer from the silence, knowing his plan worked. And that he has me.

“I will kill her. And I won’t bat an eye as I do it. Her life depends on you.” Cyprian stands, making his way to the entrance of the tent.

I am once again helpless as he gives his demands. Even if I took Anna, I can’t leave Ciel alone. And I can’t protect him somewhere else. So, I take a gamble on Cyprian’s respect for bloodlines.

“Wait,” I call to him.

He stops walking, looking at me.

“I have a son. I cannot leave my son,” I say.

Cyprian’s stoic facade breaks as he laughs in disbelief.

“With the hybrid?” he asks.

“Her name is Annalise,“ I say in irritation.

It bothers me how he refuses to refer to her as anything that would give her an identity. And just as I suspect, he waves his hand, dismissing her existence.

“Is he like you? Or is he like her?” he asks.

It takes everything in me not to lose control on him as he stands over me, matching my gaze.

“Me,” I say.

“Then we will have to send for him, yes?” he asks.

“He needs his mother. She cannot remain behind,” I say.

Cyprian glares at me. “You really are pushing me.”

“Then leave me here so that I can remain with my family—”

“We are your family! We are your blood. We are your flesh. You are alone here, surrounded by halflings and hybrids, things that are beneath you,” he shouts.

I hide my shock from his sudden outburst. His hate runs deeper than he’s let on, and I see the desperation for me to return. Though I don’t know why when he only learned of my existence during our fight.

“Your mind has been poisoned just like my sisters,” he spits.

I scoff, pulling his attention.

“You know nothing about me. Or my past. And if you continue to resort to threats, then I will only see you as an enemy that I must eradicate sooner than later,” I say.

“Big words from a beast who thanked me for my kindness earlier,” he says.

I clench my fists, ready to fight if necessary, but once again, his mood shifts as he comes to a decision.

“Fine. Since you are so attached, the mongrel can accompany you,” he says.

“And what about my kingdom—”

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, you should focus on yourself…Your Majesty.”