Page 9

Elias

S he is driving me to madness. Everything I do, I have no control over. It’s as if my body is reverting back to its most primal form to claim this woman who belongs to another. And that’s what drives me crazy the most—knowing that as long as that seal remains on her side, Cyrus will always have a hold over her. He calls to her even in the mindless state she lives in right now. It makes me want to hunt him down and kill him myself.

I chuckle bitterly to myself.

It’s a far cry from the way he saw her when I showed up in his kingdom. He may have been defensive when it came to her naturally because of what he is. But I could see the hate in his gaze at times when he saw her for what she was.

A human.

Since I’ve brought her back, I see that she is anything but that. I don’t know exactly what she is, but her questions the other day got me thinking more than I should. The hunters bred her into existence to give them an edge against beasts using the power of trinkets that our kind taught them to create. They have unknowingly created a hybrid of sorts, and I can’t help but wonder if a result of that breeding makes me feel this way. It makes it impossible to ignore her, even when she is nowhere in sight.

I shake my head.

Cyrus never felt that way with her, though. While he desired her, he had no qualms about sending her away for trying to protect a human. And up until he found her in my kingdom, he had lived a long time without her presence, and it didn’t drive him to madness.

So why is it driving me?

I’ve never felt such a strong pull to a woman before. Could it be the defiance I still see lingering in her gaze even though she claims she has none? Could it be how easily she gave in, robbing me of the challenge? Or could it be how sensual she is without trying?

Arousal hits me as I think of the small moments when we are alone. The way she looks up at me with innocence in her gaze, fluttering those lashes in terror or breathing so deeply before she licks her full lips. She’s a tease without trying, drawing my lust everywhere she goes.

I release an irritated breath, turning to look at the map on the wall. My battle plan was well thought out. I’ve been gathering slaves from the surrounding villages and fortifying my defenses should Cyrus decide to attack while I’m expanding my kingdom. I was confident in this plan upon my return. But as I stare at it now, it doesn’t feel like enough.

Not when I know what lies beyond this land.

Cyrus’s kingdom is far vaster than my own. Even the capital his palace resides in is unlike anything I had ever seen. It makes me angry to think that my forefathers wanted us to push down that kind of power. We could live like gods; instead, we live a humble existence, hiding from humans as if they are a threat when they are not. I have proven that. I have taken every province surrounding my palace and was able to create weapons en masse because of it.

My mind shifts to Annalise’s words.

“If what you desire is to be the first to conquer me, why not them as well?”

I chuckle aloud at the words mentioned so innocently. But why not? What good is conquering weak humans outside of my palace only to have to defend a kingdom I am trying to create when weapons like Annalise exist across the ocean, just waiting to be conquered? And from the rule of a beast who has exiled them from life?

Why wait for Cyrus to attack? I have already proven I can outwit him. I did so successfully by infiltrating his massive kingdom and taking the woman he was so smitten with. I’ve always been revered for my mental fortitude. It is what made taking Annalise so easy–being able to drive a wedge between them deep enough, even after meeting Cyrus only a handful of times.

I laugh to myself as I look at the map with a layout of Cyrus’s kingdom. I had scouts there ever since Annalise disappeared initially, sending me a lay of the land. And I know that if Cyrus were to attack, he only has limited options for the route he can take to reach my kingdom.

If he attacks, his kingdom will be vulnerable. And if he doesn’t, I will have the perfect weapon to use against him.

His precious Annalise.

It’s a win-win.

I run my hand over my map, shoving every pawn and flag from it as a new plan forms in my mind. Once I reach Cyrus’s kingdom, I will focus on adding to my military by gathering hybrids like Annalise and using them for the battle. It is evident from my last visit Cyrus doesn’t see their potential. He hasn’t realized it yet.

My desire for Annalise finally makes sense to me. She is the key to bringing me a new world, to unlocking a new era for my reign. I just didn’t realize I had all the pieces to make it possible until now. My skin prickles in anticipation as a new sense of euphoria washes over me at the possibilities.

I have a war to prepare for.

Annalise

Something has changed. Elias has been absent over the past few days, and the palace has been busy. I am partially grateful for his absence, as it has given me time to better come up with ways to convince him of my plan. It has also given me more time to memorize the map in his study should he give in to the plan I’ve been incepting into him. But I am also irritated as he has given me no more chances to pull him deeper into my snare.

But proof that my manipulations are working has finally manifested itself. For the first time since waking up, I have been allowed a bath alone. No servants are present to watch me. I am alone with only the warm water to keep me at peace.

As I lift my hand out of the water, the loud trickle echoes over the room. The scar that runs along my arm has plagued my dreams, both sleeping and awake. I am always falling, but I don’t know where or why. Elias let it slip that he was aware of the drop, but he hasn’t revealed if he was the one behind it. Anytime I ask how he found me, he gets angry all over again.

The fall isn’t the only thing that plagues my dreams, however. I dream of more than the white-haired man now. I dream of a blonde-haired boy with a warm smile. I dream of a woman who is warm yet firm in the way she interacts with me. I dream of a man who I hope to avoid at all costs, and as of last night, I dreamt of a baby.

My body is as desperate as I am to get out of this situation. But my mind refuses to allow any of it to make sense. And after the beast healer’s explanation, I no longer have to wonder why. It isn’t a matter of willpower. It’s a matter of the state of my body. I won’t be regaining my memories beyond dreams and flashes of visions. I have to strengthen myself somehow, but I don’t know how possible that is if seeing a healer every three days still hasn’t made progress.

But I can’t give up. I can’t let Elias break me.

I tense as the doors open, quickly lowering my hand as Elias comes strolling in. His dark hair is held out of his face as he studies me, an expression that, for once, isn’t filled with lust.

I quickly shift to stand, but he stops me, kneeling next to the tub instead. His eerily colored eyes study me, moving to the marking on my ribs beneath the rippling water before shifting back to me.

“We’ve had a slight change of plans,” he says, studying me.

His hand dips beneath the water, falling to trace the symbol. I’ve learned he does this to test my reaction. When it is not active on its own, it is somehow connected to me, the heat rising when I am fearful. But I’ve learned to control it, making Elias less weary of it.

“We are going to war. And you are going to join me,” he says.

I hide my true reaction, feigning confusion.

“I don’t understand, Your Majesty,” I say softly.

Elias smiles, the sight chilling as his hand moves to my arm, lifting it above the water.

“I’ve realized that all I will ever accomplish is as much as my forefathers were able to, as long as my dreams remain as small as my kingdom. But I am capable of so much more, as were my forefathers. You are living proof of that.”

I flinch as his grip tightens around my wrist.

“The other day, you asked me about who you were before the accident,” he says.

“You were a woman wracked with anger and rage, and you used that emotion to try and kill me,” he says.

My eyes widen, my heart rate spiking as I can no longer hide my emotions as he speaks about my past, studying my hand.

“You see, Anna, you were once a threat. You loathed me with your every being because I took something from you—something very important. And you used that little curse on your ribs there to summon strength, almost killing me in the process,” he says.

I release a gasp as glimpses of my fall once again assault me.

“But I bested you. And I dragged you by your hair to the nearest balcony. And I dropped you out of the side of the palace. You plummeted, breaking every bone in your body, and when I found you at the bottom, your skull was cracked open with blood dripping over every rock within a few feet of you. And not the front of your skull where that lovely scar lies, but right back here.” Elias emphasizes his words by threading his fingers through my hair, his nails dragging over my scalp.

I’m trembling as he reveals to me the source of my memory loss, and as I look at him, I try and chant to myself again as I usually do.

Elias won’t break me.

His hand remains in my hair, tracing a line as he studies me.

“I tell you this because I want you to know what kind of beast I am. I want you to know that if you do not do as I say, and you ruin my plans for greatness, you won’t survive my wrath a second time around. I will ensure it.”