Page 5

Annalise

“ M iss Annalise.” A servant bows to me as I walk past her, making my way to the courtyard where Elias waits for me. Each servant greets me like I am someone important, but that’s all they do as they secretly watch me for their king.

Things have begun shifting drastically since Elias’s return.

Slaves now accompany the servants that once roamed the halls. Elias has taken every province surrounding his kingdom, using the villagers for labor. He is preparing for something or possibly someone. But with what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine anyone being a threat to Elias.

Once I reach the courtyard the guards briefly glance in my direction before allowing me to enter the same space as the king. They, too, have cautious expressions on their faces when they see me, possibly knowing who I was before this as well.

“Your Majesty,” I say as I round the table he’s seated at. Elias looks up at me, a smile curving over his lips as he takes me in. The king would be beautiful if not for how terrifying his features seem. His dark hair is pulled out of his face in a low ponytail, and as he smiles, dimples appear in the bottom corners of his mouth. But for some reason, my mind won’t let me take in these features with appreciation, as it knows there is something inhuman about them.

“Annalise, you look stunning,” he says as he stands to greet me. I lower my eyes out of instinct, unable to look into his. They’re unnerving, and I have yet to grow used to him. He laughs at my reaction as he guides me to take a seat.

“I’m pleased to see you have once again returned safely, Your Majesty,” I say softly.

Elias pours me a cup of tea as he speaks. “I will always return safely. Right now isn’t the time to be worried. It’s the time to prepare. I am only claiming lands and harvesting bodies for what’s to come,” he says.

I try to hide that I am dissecting his words to me. By that sentence alone, he has confirmed that the people he is enslaving are not a threat and that he is preparing for something. An actual war, possibly.

“To come?” I ask, studying him.

“Yes,” he says as his smile deepens.

Elias doesn’t elaborate as he places the cup of tea in front of me. The second my eyes lay on the steaming cup, my body tenses. I cannot control my reaction as my breathing becomes shallow, and my heart beats erratically in my chest. My fingers twist in my lap as I continue to stare at the cup, heat forming in my body from the strange symbol as I try to remain calm. But I can’t. I am frightened.

“Annalise.”

I look up with wide eyes into Elias’s eyes. My breathing is panicked as he studies me. He knows something—he’s testing me again.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me,” I say quickly.

Instead of anger, Elias smiles, bringing his cup to his lips.

“Just breathe,” he says, taking a sip of his drink. I force myself to breathe, relief flooding through me as my nerves calm with the flow of my breaths.

Elias watches me as I come down from my panic, and I can tell by his demeanor that he was expecting this. He still doesn’t trust me. He places his cup down, leaning closer to my space as he pushes the cup toward me, his expression frightening as he does so.

“Drink,” he says.

I notice my fingers are trembling as I reach for the cup, bringing it to my lips. And as I do, my breathing hitches in my chest, and I drop the cup, standing. I cannot register the speed which Elias moves as his hand shoots out, gripping my face with inhuman strength. His grip alone causes my jaw to ache as he pulls me flush with him, his eyes sharpening as he speaks to me threateningly.

“I know you’re in there somewhere, Annalise,” he hisses.

I gasp from the heat of the symbol on my side as it intensifies to the point of discomfort.

“If you do decide to come back…you will find no mercy from me,” Elias says.

He releases me, and I stumble back, leaning against the table for support as I look at the inhuman creature before me. It feels impossible to keep my composure, especially now that he has threatened me.

Elias’s expression shifts, and he laughs, making his way past me.

“Come. Let us go see the healer.”

I’m still trembling as the healer places her hands against my naked back. Warmth seeps from her palm, entering my body, but I can’t enjoy it. Not with Elias standing over me, watching my every move. His arms are crossed over his chest as he looks down at me, deciding within himself what to do about me. It’s obvious he’s warring with himself. And it is obvious he cannot be trusted. I must start thinking of ways to escape before it is too late.

“How is she?” he asks, looking past me to the healer.

“There’s a lot of damage, Your Majesty. I can only do so much. She’ll have to continue with regular healing sessions if she has any chance of returning to full strength,” she says.

Elias frowns, his eyes roaming over me.

“Full strength,” he murmurs to himself.

He then straightens against the wall. “Leave us.”

The healer steps away from me, bowing before leaving me alone with the king. And I almost reach for her, begging her to stay. Elias’s reaction in the courtyard was not only confusing but alarming. I’ve mentioned several times that I have no interest in recovering my memories, but this is the first time he’s physically reacted like that. He must have seen or noticed something in me that reminded him of my past self. But as I have no recollection of myself, I don’t know how to avoid doing it again, making my situation more dangerous with each passing day.

“Your Majesty, if I did anything to offend you or make you feel that you can’t trust me, it was unintentional,” I murmur, pulling my robe over my shoulders. I keep my eyes down as I continue to speak, but his looming presence is unbearable as he stands over me.

“I swear, I have no intention of recovering who I was. I have no interest in betraying you after everything you’ve done for me—” I’m interrupted by his laugh.

I look up in shock, and he’s looking down at me with a wicked expression as he chuckles at my expense.

“You were such a challenge. You had a fire in you that I couldn’t control. But look at you now. You’re weak with no sense of self. I enjoy it, actually. And I hate that I can’t bring myself to fully trust it,” he says.

I flinch as he places his palm against my cheek, his thumb rubbing lightly against my skin as he studies me. His eyes shift to my robe, pushing it off my shoulder and exposing me to him. His eyes lower as his fingers drift to the symbol that turns my veins black as it warms itself against my skin.

He runs his finger over it, and I tense when his nail digs into my flesh. My eyes are wide, and I open my mouth as a squeak of pain leaves me. Elias uses the opportunity to dip his thumb into my mouth, pressing it against my tongue. It’s unnatural how sharp his nails are and how easily he digs into my flesh, holding me captive with his glare.

“Even as that mark calls out to you, you have no idea what to do with it,” he murmurs. He finally pulls his fingers from my flesh, and I hunch slightly, my hand flying to the skin to stop the bleeding. Elias brings his bloodied finger to his lips, his eyes once again sharpening as he tastes my blood.

He smiles, closing his eyes for a brief moment before looking at me. Elias pulls his thumb from my lips, taking the same hand slowly down my naked body. My eyes widen as he finds my folds, his fingers lingering over the intimate area. Out of instinct, I grab his arm, trembling atop the table. His smile widens, and he pulls his hand from between my legs, standing to his full height. He shifts his attention to the bloody mark on my ribs that he placed, pleased with his newest test.

“I look forward to our new future together.”

I jolt awake, swallowing the scream threatening to leave my lips. My body is covered in sweat as I quickly jump out of bed, running to the window to pull it open. The night breeze is chilly and feels amazing as it caresses my skin, washing away the anxiousness of my dreams.

He appeared again—the man with white hair.

I’ve seen him a handful of times in my dreams. I can never make out his face, leading me to believe he was just a dream. But he grows more vivid each night, his actions making my stomach churn in horror.

If he is someone from my past, how did I ever manage to escape him? How did I end up behind these walls with Elias, who I don’t seem to have a positive past with either?

I inhale a trembling breath, turning away from the window to quickly light a lamp before making my way to the mirror as my curiosity gets the better of me. I inhale a trembling breath, pushing my hair away from my face to take in the scar that sits at my hairline. It’s been a wonder of mine how my delicate body could sport so many scars from past injuries. At the back of my mind, I always thought it was Elias who placed the scars there, especially since his temper has been rearing its head. But I’m beginning to wonder if this man who plagues my dreams has anything to do with it.

I quickly lift my nightgown, my eyes drifting to the marking on my ribs. It’s fully healed, the marking looking as if Elias never dug it out of my flesh in the first place. I don’t understand how this wound healed so quickly, and yet the rest of my body hasn’t fully recovered from whatever caused my memory loss in the first place.

My mind drifts to the most recent dream of the man with white hair.

The vision is blurry, but I see him across the river. I don’t know him, but I know to fear him. I know that once he discovers my existence, I am dead. And he does. He lifts his gaze and attacks the moment he discovers me. Yet I am not the one who is killed. It’s the man next to me. His head is severed from its body, leaving me alone with the man with white hair.

My heart throbs painfully in my chest as my terror rises to unspeakable levels, and I get a clear vision of something else.

His eyes.

His eyes are dark blue, the center always sharpened as if threatening me without having to say a word. For some reason, the sight of his eyes frightens me much more than Elias’s. The vision alone of him terrifies me.

I release a gasp, stumbling away from the mirror. I trip over my own feet, collapsing in my panic. The noise is just enough for the servant sitting outside my door to enter with a worried expression.

“Are you alright—”

“Get out!” I screech as I lower my nightgown.

Usually, I would be careful about alarming the servants. Especially since I am highly aware Elias is using them to spy on me. But I can’t control myself at the moment. Just seeing her eyes—knowing she isn’t human enhances my panic. My fear is like a weight holding me down against my will. The servant, however, doesn’t leave. She gently reaches for me, and her touch pushes me over the edge.

“I said, get out!” I scream. A wave of heat explodes over my body, and I no longer have control of myself as the world around me shifts. The servant screams as her body is thrown across the room, crashing into the wall. I hear the resounding crack of her bones breaking, and I scramble up from the floor.

“I-I didn’t mean it!” I cry as I kneel next to her. She’s moaning in pain, rolling on the floor, and I notice her shoulder looks broken.

I hold my trembling fingers up in fear, confusion washing over me. I flinch as the heat intensifies, and scorching pain licks every inch of my flesh, just as the guards storm my room with their weapons drawn. But it’s too late as the world tilts, and the pain forces me to pass out.