Page 22

Annalise

S ometimes, I wonder if trouble specifically follows me through life to ensure that it is difficult. Nausea sweeps over me as we step into the grand hall of the ballroom. And although he is the center of my woes, my grip on this mystery beast’s arm tightens as we step inside. I suddenly miss the feel of the wind as terror creeps up my spine, and all I do is search for the king.

If he sees me like this or even catches a whiff of this beast on me, there will be hell to pay for the both of us. But this beast doesn’t seem fearful in the least. He seems at ease and unafraid. And as if sensing my own fear, he chuckles, pulling my attention.

“You were so brave out there in the face of true death. Why do you tremble by accompanying me into the ballroom?” he asks.

I keep my gaze focused on the room hoping that Cyrus is busy as he speaks to me. The beast immediately picks up my lack of response and pulls me around so that we are facing each other in the ballroom.

His gaze is sharp as he studies me, a small smile finding its way onto his lips.

“I have no intentions of harming you. What is it you are truly afraid of?” he asks.

“Annalise?”

I tense when the sound of a familiar voice pulls me from my fears, and I almost sag in relief when I see Felix coming toward us in all his terrifying glory. He easily outweighs the beast next to me as he approaches, his gaze shifting between us. If he feels any anger, he does a marvelous job of hiding it as he continues to approach, only acknowledging my presence.

“Annalise. You look stunning,” he says with a smile as he bows to me.

He rises, eyeing the beast next to me with a serious expression, his kindness all but gone.

“Your Majesty. I thought you weren’t to arrive for another two days,” he says.

It takes all of my willpower to remain calm and unbothered by Felix’s description of the beast next to me.

Your Majesty?

As far as I know, Cyrus is the only king of this region. I don’t know how many beasts lie beyond Cyrus’s reach, but according to the texts I read during my training, Avalor is not only the oldest but also the largest known beast empire. So, where could this beast possibly have come from? Wherever he’s from, he senses the underlying threat in Felix’s tone. And for the first time this evening, he moves out of my personal space.

His full attention is on Felix as he speaks.

“I pride myself on arriving early. It is necessary to see how the strangers I discovered on my shores truly live.” The king gently reaches for my hand, pulling it to his lips, his strange eyes glittering in excitement as he takes me in. “And I see the king lives marvelously on this side of the waters.”

My heart slams into my chest from his words. It’s no wonder his eyes are strange. He is a beast from the kingdom across the water—or rather, he’s the king. But that can’t be. There were no beasts there, and I went to painstaking lengths to ensure that. And I never saw this beast in my entire period across the water.

Before I can respond, Felix steps between us, pulling my hand from the beast. He steps between us, fully shielding me from the beast, intensifying his threatening demeanor.

“He is also very particular about those he allows to touch the woman he has chosen as his queen. Or do you not have etiquette where you hail from?” Felix glowers.

The beast quirks a brow at Felix before shifting his gaze to me behind him, his interest fully piqued.

“Well, then tell him not to worry. She was very… upfront about who was allowed to touch her,” he says with a grin. Silence passes between the beasts, and the longer it stretches, the heavier the air seems.

Finally, Felix speaks.

“Shall I notify the king of your arrival?” he asks the beast while holding his arm out for me.

I silently thank him as I place my hand in the crook of his arm. The training I had seems useless at this point as I try to remember the mannerisms I should have at this moment, but it’s difficult. Everything about this beast, from the way he speaks to the way his gaze pierces my soul, screams he is a danger and a threat. It reminds me of the way Cyrus made me feel when I first came across him before he welcomed me into his bed.

And I can tell by the way this beast looks at me that he wants the same thing now that Cyrus did then.

“It would be an honor to meet the beast who navigated my kingdom so stealthily only to take such a rare jewel back with him.” The beast looks at me, his smile deepening. “I definitely hope to see more of you in the coming weeks as well, Duchess.”

Felix doesn’t allow me a chance to respond as he pulls me through the crowd. His gaze is trained straight ahead as we make our way to the ballroom’s entrance.

“You just cannot stay out of trouble, can you?” Felix snaps as he snatches a champagne flute from a passing servant.

He shoves it into my hands. “Drink. All of it. Now.”

Felix’s tone leaves no room for argument so I quickly dow the sparkling beverage, its effect taking hold of me seconds later. Felix takes the empty glass from me just as we reach the edge of the ballroom. He turns to face me, trailing a finger over my face in the same pattern the beast king from across the sea did only moments ago.

He takes a step closer to me, his eyes narrowing as he lightly inhales my scent. He releases a huff of irritation, grumbling something about Cyrus’s sensitive sense of smell before addressing me directly.

“You are going to retire for the night. I will tell the king you fell ill,” he says, eyeing me in irritation.

I shake my head, trying to find the right words as the buzz from both drinks I had tonight takes hold of me.

“I can’t leave without telling the king. He will—”

“I knew that facade was too good to be true. You’re the same as you were the day we brought you to the estate,” he snaps.

He eyes me heavily before shaking his head. “Disappointing.”

Felix looks over the room in an attempt to reign in his irritation as he explains my situation to me.

“When the king comes and finds you, he will smell another beast on you in places that shouldn’t be. You and I both know what will happen in that case. So you must decide which you would rather be at the end of—Cyrus’s anger or his jealousy?” he asks.

I can’t respond as the alcohol clouds my brain, and Felix notices. He releases a breath of irritation and begins walking away, but I quickly grab his arm, his words piercing the alcoholic haze.

“Okay,” I murmur.

Felix studies me intensely for a moment before shifting his attention behind me. He gestures to a guard who immediately makes his way toward us, and Felix uses the time to continue reprimanding me.

“You are never to venture alone at an event like this. Do you not understand that?” he asks.

“No one told me I couldn’t get a breath of fresh air,” I say.

“No one should have to. It’s common sense. If someone were to try and kill you, they could have so easily on that balcony with no one there to protect you. You have been publicly favored as the next Queen. You carry a kingdom on your shoulders,” he says.

I remain silent this time, trying to take in his words for what they truly are. While I may be able to hold the facade of confidence and bravery, if a beast really wanted to, they could kill me. The mystery king’s presence on the balcony is further proof of that. Cyrus wasn’t even aware of his arrival. He could have had his way with me if he wanted, and I could have done nothing about it.

Felix is right.

Instead of my usual response, however, I give a new answer. “I will do better as the week progresses.”

Felix ignores me as he moves past me to command the guard. I silently watch him, my curiosity about how this beast interacts with society getting the better of me. He seems to hate me but comes to my rescue if it involves Cyrus’s best interest. He begrudgingly follows Cyrus’s commands even if he disagrees with the decision, further making me curious about the friendship they share for Felix to be so comfortable hiding the scent of another beast from him.

“Goodnight, Your Grace,” Felix calls over his shoulder as he re-enters the ballroom, not bothering to look in my direction.

The guard in front of me bows before holding his hand out in the direction we are to go.

“Your Grace,” he says as he remains with his head down.

I turn one last time to take in the ballroom, feeling a sense of regret wash over me. It was my first opportunity and I’ve already messed up. As I take in the beasts enjoying their night, my irritation flares. I see why Cyus was so desperate when trying to train me to be prepared for these creatures. They are territorial, even when something doesn’t belong to them. I’m sure the women I met in the ballroom were tame compared to what I could possibly go through in the future.

I turn away from the ballroom, begrudgingly following the guard in the direction of my wing. My thoughts run wild the longer we walk in silence as I think of the king who followed me here. Everything about him screams that he is a threat. His approach on the balcony, his cryptic words to me, and that he arrived days earlier than he was supposed to without notifying Cyrus. Even his words to me that he wouldn’t harm me felt like a joke in itself as if he was testing my reactions to him.

If he ends up being a threat to Cyrus’s kingdom, I will have done more than commit treason by taking the heir. I will have revealed a kingdom to an enemy and plunged them into another war, this time with an enemy who may be a threat.

I look up as the sound of more footsteps coming in our direction sounds off the walls. I say a silent prayer that more women haven’t caught me on my own and decided to harass me again. But my heart drops as I realize it’s much worse. Cyrus is coming from the direction of his study with a group of beasts I recognize as his council. They are speaking to him briskly, and he seems to be in deep thought with whatever they are saying.

I once again say a silent prayer that he won’t notice me, but I should have known better, as my prayers only get answered with ironic twists. The guard escorting me steps up, bowing to Cyrus as he approaches, pulling his attention.

“Your Majesty.”

Cyrus briefly glances in our direction, doing a double-take when he sees me. He suddenly stops, his full attention on me. All my training flies out the window as he studies me, and I know without him speaking, he’s picking up a foreign scent on me. I see it the moment he realizes it. His gaze narrows slightly, and his frown deepens as he steps away from his council.

“Leave us.”

His words ring with controlled anger, and any beast in the vicinity bows before scurrying away, clearly sensing the shift in Cyrus’s mood. Cyrus watches them disappear before turning his attention back to me. He comes to stand over me, not speaking as he looks at me. But he doesn’t have to. His eyes do all the speaking for him. They roam and linger, letting me know just how screwed I am.

“I…” I trail off when I realize my head isn’t clear enough even to have a conversation from the champagne.

“You…?” he says, his amusement nonexistent.

He leans in closer to me, his nose trailing over my cheek.

“Speak, Anna,” he says tersely.

I’m trembling now, unable to hold his gaze as he stands over me like a predator toying with his prey.

“I tried,” I whimper.

The champagne has me unable to do anything properly, and I lightly sway on my feet pulling Cyrus’s attention further. His gaze weighs on me as he takes in the effects of the champagne, including the warm blush across my cheeks. After a moment, he stands tall, looking around before placing his hand against the small of my back, leading me out of the hall.

Cyrus doesn’t take me to my room; he takes me to his study. And he is silent the entire way. By the time we enter, I am stumbling over my own feet as the terror mingles with the alcohol.

Cyrus closes the door behind him, still not speaking as he moves to pour himself a glass of golden liquid. And even though there’s a fire in the hearth, casting light and warmth over the study, I’m still shivering as his gaze falls on me. I force myself to stand tall, grasping at the last bit of straws, and Cyrus watches me in interest, bringing his glass to his lips as I speak.

“I… went to the balcony for some fresh air. And a beast touched me. I don’t know why he did, but I moved away as soon as he did, I swear,” I slur. My explanations sound like the bumblings of a child, and Cyrus remains silent, watching me.

“I did nothing wrong,” I say louder.

Cyrus raises a brow, a small laugh leaving his lips as he downs the rest of his glass, placing it on the end table as he comes to stand over me. He raises his hand, gently placing his knuckles against my cheek.

“Did he touch you like this?” he asks, his eyes following the movement.

“Or perhaps, like this,” he says, pushing my hair out of my face.

He leans into me, and I am no longer able to keep eye contact as his intimidation suffocates me. I breathe in a trembling breath, closing my eyes as he corners me.

“Was he this close to you, Anna? Lusting after you? After what I have already claimed?” he growls.

His hands close around my waist, lifting me up as he pushes me onto the top of his desk. I cry out as his hands rip the top of my dress with ease, exposing me to him. But he doesn’t stop as he roughly shoves my legs apart, moving the fabric of the dress aside.

My breathing is frantic as something seems to overtake him. Something that he can’t seem to control. His gaze narrows as he looks upon my naked form, his finger trailing under my chin. His lips cover mine passionately, forcing me to yelp in pain when he bites my bottom lip. I try and pull away, but he holds me close to him, his tongue trailing over the area of blood he drew.

“Wait, please!” I cry as he grabs my waist, pulling me into him.

His cock presses against my entrance, and I try my best to remain brave as I try and calm him down.

“Cyrus, please!”

He suddenly stills, his dark gaze intense as he focuses on me. I’m trembling under him, my heavy breathing filling the air.

“I am yours. I know I am yours. I will never be anyone else’s.” My eyes are wide as we stare at each other, and Cyrus laughs bitterly, his hand moving against my lower back as he roughly pulls me into him, penetrating me with one powerful thrust. I cry out, my nails digging into the wood of his desk.

His hand grips my throat, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Do not waste your breath telling me something I already know.”