Page 17

Cyrus

I ’ve placed myself in a difficult position. I’ve always been confident as a ruler. I’ve never faltered in my duties and decisions, nor have I ever made one that I am unsure of—except for when Annalise arrived, of course. She’s the exception. She’s always the exception. She’s been that for me from the moment I allowed her to flee into the woods with her life. I should have killed her that day. But I was enamored by the human before me. My inner beast craved her and begged me not to end her right then and there.

Even still, I never let my need for her affect my duty as king. It never once crossed my mind to make her queen. At most, I would hide her away allowing her a life apart from the beast society. Even if she bore my children, I never planned to give any of them a title, let alone make them my heir. But the child she gave me holds the same power over me that Annalise does. My sense of logic is all but nonexistent when faced with both of them.

My gaze shifts to Annalise. She’s finally fallen asleep. Her features are soft as she dreams and I can’t help but place my fingers along her skin, reveling in the feel of her skin against mine. Her skin is much cooler than that of a beast’s. Her breathing is deeper, and her heart rate is naturally slower. Her looks rival any beast of the court easily. Her docile personality, however, will not.

Being human is already a disadvantage for her. Now that she understands what we truly are, her fear of beasts will be the end of any chance she has of becoming Queen. Ciel’s future doesn’t seem to be enough to curb her natural instincts. She can’t even stand in front of my beast form without fainting. Her ability to learn combat at our level is pathetic, and I don’t even know if she is compatible with my seal. I have yet to test it, as I know it was detrimental to her when she used it in the stronghold.

I release a frustrated breath, pushing her hair from her face.

She is weak, just like the rest of her kind. And as a beast—no, as the strongest beast, I shouldn’t even be looking in her direction. It’s in our nature to detest the weak. But I can’t do that to her, for some reason, even though everything about her screams weakness. The only thing she has going for herself is her intelligence. Her intelligence is what I’ve always admired and acknowledged. And Annalise is exceptional in that regard. It offsets her physical weakness. She knows when to remain silent and watches the world around her, planning the proper action to take for her benefit.

It’s a quality that would make her stand out as a noble. But with no strength, confidence, or blood of the beasts to back it up, I don’t know that she would survive a day without me by her side, especially with the newest developments. I need her to be ready, and she is not, which is why I should abandon this plan altogether.

But I do not want anyone else by my side. No one else pulls my attention like Annalise, and no one else can hold it. And when I even consider placing someone else by my side, all I can do is think of reasons why Annalise would be better.

“What am I going to do with you,” I murmur.

The door to Anna’s room opens, and Joan enters with fresh clothing for her. She pauses when she sees me, immediately bowing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here, Your Majesty,” she murmurs.

I wave her off, going back to watching Anna sleep.

“Just leave those here. I’ll take care of her when she awakens.”

Annalise

The darkness… It’s suffocating. The smoke is filled with death, and the sky is dark. My only thoughts are filled with the menacing growl that promises death in its wake…

I jolt awake, my eyes frantically falling over the room in a panic. It takes a moment for my heart and head to catch up with one another. I am not in danger. I am in bed. I am not in a meadow. I am at the estate. And I am not near that monster. I slowly sit up in bed, pressing my palm against my forehead in hopes of staunching the throbbing headache that plagues me as I think of Cyrus shifting into that terrifying creature of death.

A choked sob leaves my lips as I think of Ciel. This is what Ciel is destined for. This is what he can do and will be someday. And this is why Cyrus was so angry with me for taking him. Not only was it selfish, but it was truly foolish. I could have caused the death of millions, including Cyrus’s own. I may have harmed Ciel without even knowing because of this. This is why Cyrus gets so angry when I speak as if Ciel is human. This is why Felix laughed when I said he was half. If what Cyrus says is true, and Ciel is powerful enough to access that side of him, he can transform just like his father. And that makes him less than human.

It makes him a beast.

The door to the room opens, pulling my attention. I expect Joan to walk in, but my blood runs cold when I see it is Cyrus. He’s holding a porcelain basin filled with water and a cloth in his hands. His eyes silently meet mine as he enters, not faltering in his steps. My discomfort increases the closer he gets to me, my body trembling involuntarily. I let this beast touch me… impregnate me. And now, he sits next to my bed, watching me with an unreadable expression.

“I guess you truly knew nothing of the beasts and what we are,” he says.

He gently wrings water from the cloth, placing it gently against my forehead. Just him being this close makes me close my eyes in fear. The intimidating aura I always felt around him suddenly makes sense. My mind shifts to the day the human king tortured Cyrus’s father. His form was shifting, but I never properly saw it. The human king himself risked everyone’s lives that day. Cyrus’s father either held back or was just that weak from being bled constantly. Either way, humans were fools to provoke these monsters. They should have been content with whatever way we were living before this war worsened our position in their society. Cyrus releases a breath, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“You need not fear me, Annalise. My intentions are not to kill you. Not any longer,” he says, watching me.

The air feels impossible to breathe in as the weight of his words holds new meaning. Each time he seemed to be fighting for control, he was truly trying to hold back the monster that lurked beneath to prevent himself from killing me. His rage was so heavy that he couldn’t keep his inner beast at bay. I suddenly feel nauseous as I think of that day in his tent. His beast form was coming to the surface, and if not for Dimitri, he would have killed me. It all makes sense now why he left me with Felix and avoided me. I was dancing with death and had no idea how close it was to taking me.

“Your father hindered you by keeping the truth of the world from you… Both of them. But you are no longer their responsibility. You are mine,” Cyrus says. He places his finger under my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his.

His dark gaze roams over me, and I find myself entranced by the depth within them. The deep swirl of color and the slight shift of his pupil all make sense now. I’m looking at the creature that resides within him.

Cyrus suddenly smiles.

“I guess, in your case, ignorance really was blissful. You haven’t stopped shaking since I stepped into the room. Are you going to be this way when you stand before the nobles of my society?” he asks.

I shake my head in disbelief, pulling away from him.

“After everything, it is still your intention to introduce me to your society?” I ask.

Cyrus’s smile drops.

“Of course.”

I look away, for once letting my guard down and my true feelings free.

“Why? I am not prepared, and I am not ready. I do not compare to your kind, and you said so yourself that my strength is… clearly laughable,” I say bitterly.

When I look at Cyrus, he’s watching me with a guarded expression, giving me no indication of whether or not I should continue to speak, but I do.

“Why are you forcing me somewhere I clearly do not belong, Your Majesty? I am just a slave… I am lower than your servants. Why do you insist on risking everything for the likes of me?” I ask.

Cyrus watches me intensely, forcing me to wonder if it was a mistake to voice my opinion. But his actions do not make sense. If he knew all along the vast difference between the two of us, why has he gone through so much trouble to have me, find me, bring me back, and let my son become his successor?

Cyrus laughs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I thought you would be overjoyed a human could land themselves in such a position. Now you question it because you are frightened of what my society is?” he asks.

“I never cared about humans’ place in this society. I never wanted any of this. My plan in life was to marry and run away from this war across the sea, where the beasts would never reach. It was never my plan to come across you again,“ I say desperately.

Instead of anger, Cyrus’s amusement seems to grow.

“Well… how cruel fate is to continually place you in a position you do not wish to be in,” he says.

Silence overcomes us, but I can feel Cyrus’s eyes on me. It is something that makes my flesh crawl even more so now that I know what he is. I think back to his words, asking me if I knew how the war ended, and I force myself to look at him.

“So that is how ended the war… you just… consumed them? Your enemy?” I ask.

“Yes. Do you now see why our culture is built the way it is? I alone can wipe out anyone who is not a part of my kingdom,” Cyrus says.

“I don’t understand how I fit into this. I cannot shift, and I cannot even fight. You’re going to—”

“You fit into this because it is my will. It is what I want, and my word is law.”

I look down at my trembling fingers, pulling them close to me. I close my eyes, ready to take whatever consequence comes from my speaking my mind.

“But I do not want this. Does that not count? Can’t you just let me and Ciel go?” I ask.

Cyrus laughs, closing any space between us. His eyes tremble and shift slightly, forcing my heart to spike immediately out of reaction.

“Of course not.”

Cyrus doesn’t give me the opportunity to react. He presses his hand against my chest, pushing me back into the bed, his gaze challenging me. My chest heaves in fear, but Cyrus seems to enjoy that. He smiles before placing his lips over mine, capturing me. His kiss is overpowering, forcing my body on high alert. It knows the beast that has closed the distance between us is a threat, and now my brain knows exactly what kind of threat is fueling my terror.

I let out a gasp, and Cyrus uses the opportunity to push his tongue past my lips, capturing my own. My body reacts to the feel of his hands against the thin night dress as he squeezes gently, rubbing his thumb over my beaded nipple. My inner walls come alive, clenching as my body readies itself for him. I hate the reaction my body gives him, but I have no control over it. Cyrus has made every part of me ready to obey him without reason.

Cyrus crawls over me, deepening the kiss as his free hand glides up my thigh, pulling it around his waist. The hard press of his erection against my pussy causes me to tremble, pulling his attention.

“Don’t worry, I will be gentle,” he murmurs.

He places his lips against my throat, giving me featherlight kisses, making his way down to my collarbone. His tongue swirls over the area, sending a chill across my flesh. To my shock, he comes back up, placing a kiss on my cheek.

“Anna. Look at me,” he says softly.

Realizing my eyes are closed, I slowly open them, looking him in the eyes. He smiles down at me, pushing my hair out of my face.

“You will be queen, Anna…” He dips, suckling at my throat before speaking again. “The beasts of the world will envy you… They will wonder why I chose you above any beast…”

A moan escapes my lips as his hand dips between my legs, a growl of approval rumbling from his chest to find me wet for him. He sits up, watching my expression as he pushes his finger inside of me, pulling out only to add more, extending my pleasure. I place my hands against his arms to steady myself, my mouth opening as pleasure ripples over me. His smile widens as he watches my expression shift, my pleasure building.

“Strangely enough, when I see you like this… all mine… I know exactly why,” he says.

“Ah!” I cry out as the seal on my side heats up just as Cyrus positions himself at my entrance, his eyes focusing on mine as he slowly enters me, stretching me to accommodate him. He never looks away; he seems entranced by me, but I can only focus on the heat from his seal. I let out a gasp as he fully sheaths himself, placing my hands against his chest.

“Wait,” I cry out in a panic, but he continues his thrusts, his expression darkening. Pleasure and pain find their way into my body. I am unable to tell at this point one from the other, but Cyrus seems enamored, caught in a trance.

“Was it not your demand? Only you, I recall you saying,” he says with a smile.

He emphasizes his words, thrusting again. “I warned you that I only had a shred of restraint. And now that you have broken that for both of my forms, I cannot stop when it comes to you. I will not.”

Cyrus leans into me once again, his lips covering the sensitive skin near my throat, and I can only look at the ceiling in terror as he speaks.

“Prepare yourself. You will become Queen. And you will learn what it means to be mine .”