Page 5

Annalise

I t never occurred to me just how far inland I had traveled since departing that ship over a year ago. To keep me and Ciel safe, I was always on the move. I only ever traveled to small towns, seeing as Ciel’s physical traits turned out to be like his father’s. It was too risky to travel to the largely populated areas. If too many people noticed him it would have made things much more difficult than they needed to be, and it would have made finding us that much easier. It is why I never let Ciel come with me to the market. I always hid him away at home.

Unlike my way of getting here, Cyrus didn’t use the main port that most humans come in on. He used a cliffside area off the coast, anchoring his ship further out at sea as smaller boats brought them ashore. He was very cautious in his arrival and with the way he moved through this land. It took us days just to reach the coast where his ship waited. We avoided towns and the main road along the way, only ever setting up camp to rest for the night.

The trip back to Cyrus’s kingdom has been torture in itself. Cyrus has avoided me altogether, something I am grateful for after what I saw in that tent. Cyrus was different. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was as if death itself was forming on his skin. And although Cyrus has kept his distance, it’s been torture not knowing where Ciel is— not even seeing or hearing him as we traveled. Cyrus must have sent him ahead without allowing me to let him know I am okay. Had I known that morning would be the last time I would hold my son, I would have held him much longer. I would have memorized his face and touch… his smell.

I tense as the sound of the door unlocks, creaking open. I don’t have to look up to know it’s Dimitri who stands at the door. Cyrus has kept Dimitri at my side this entire trip, adding to my misery. The more I see how Dimitri has been welcomed into Cyrus’s graces and this society, the angrier I get. He hunted Ciel and me down to please the king, sullying everything we’ve ever shared in the past.

“Annalise,” Dimitri says my name gently, making my anger flare. But I don’t have the energy to express that anger. For the duration of the travel on the ship, Cyrus has kept me locked in these quarters alone. The window did little for my mental state, and I was never allowed on deck. I feel weak. Mentally and Physically.

“Annalise, we have arrived,” Dimitri says.

I suck in a trembling breath, remaining where I am seated. It didn’t occur to me just how screwed I am until now. Cyrus has brought me back to his domain. He has taken my child from me, and any affection he held for me in the past has shifted into hatred.

“Anna, come on. You have to be strong now. At least for your son. Cyrus won’t keep you apart forever—“

“Don’t ever speak of my son,” I whisper.

I finally lift my gaze to look at Dimitri, trembling from the rage that I feel. Dimitri releases a breath as he reaches for the chains that have remained around my wrists since the day they caught me. He doesn’t say another word as he pulls hard enough for me to have to follow him out of the room and to the deck above.

I flinch away from the sunlight as we ascend from below. The sound of life assaults my senses, as do the intense rays of the sun. I blink rapidly to clear my vision, taking in the docks. My eyes widen at their pristine magnificence. This is nothing like the dock the humans used to sneak out of Cyrus’s kingdom.

The streets are cobblestone and clean, and the houses on the docks are beige with red-tiled roofs. The beasts who move about the area smile as they greet one another and interact with the colorful market stalls. Some beasts even sit at tables outside of shops, enjoying their food with a view of the docks and the ships that come and go, including Cyrus’s.

The sound of cheers pulls my attention to the beast who controls all of this. Cyrus waves politely to the beasts who notice him, bowing as he climbs atop his waiting horse. A handful of his guards surround him, mounting their horses as well as Cyrus greets the surrounding beasts.

It’s shocking to see him interact with commoners. I had never seen it during my time in the palace, as Cyrus was always surrounded by nobles. But he is kind and patient as he greets them, and they are more than excited to be in the presence of such a terrifying creature.

Cyrus doesn’t look back as he exits the port with his men in tow, leaving Dimitri and me behind. I note that this port is foreign to me. Even the surrounding architecture is different from Cyrus’s kingdom. But Dimitri seems at ease, a grin on his lips as he takes in the area with familiarity.

“We are in Eresi. Felix is the Duke of this land. Cyrus instructed me to bring you to the estate. You’ll be staying with us for now,” Dimitri says, confirming my suspicions.

Cyrus has no intention of taking me back to the palace. I feel a sense of relief but also fear. Things have obviously changed in my time away. I can’t help but wonder what changes have befallen Cyrus’s kingdom because of me. It also makes me wonder what Ciel’s place will be in all of this. Cyrus insistently refers to him as the heir. So will he be at Felix’s? Or did he send him to the palace?

I’m pulled out of my thoughts as Dimitri unlocks the chains around my wrists. They collapse at our feet in a loud crash, and I rub my aching joints out of instinct.

“I trust you know you won’t ever see him again if you run. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be.”

The trip to the estate is tense and silent. Dimitri and I both know where we stand in each other’s lives, and I have nothing more to say to him, nor does he to me. In my eyes, he is now another mindless follower of Cyrus’s, and in his eyes, I betrayed him by leaving. We will never see eye to eye on that, and Cyrus knows it. It is why he trusts me with Dimitri. He doesn’t question his loyalty, and that, for me, is a red flag to never trust Dimitri again.

Felix’s estate is more magnificent than I remember. I was unconscious when brought in, and I left at the back, never seeing the front of this place for what it is. The massive structure that looms over the acres of land he owns is intimidating. It stretches far beyond my peripheral, extending to what I know are more separate housing structures in the back.

The staff move about the estate as we pass through the large gate, barely glancing in our direction. But I do notice the ones who are in close proximity greet Dimitri with respect and familiarity. He really has prospered in his new life, even if it is at the expense of a beast as sadistic as Felix.

As we approach the front, I notice there are beasts waiting. One of which is Felix himself. I fight the shudder threatening me as I take him in. I was lucky in my time away to be surrounded by humans. It made forgetting how terrifying being in the presence of a beast like Felix is. His expression is lax as Dimitri approaches, but once his dark gaze lands on me, amusement cracks his features.

Dimitri slides from his horse, and I follow suit, remaining at a distance as he greets Felix. Felix towers over Dimitri, watching him carefully as he bows.

“Cyrus tells me you did well,” he says, lightly ruffling Dimitri’s hair.

Dimitri smiles softly from the action. My heart beats faster, my skin seeming on fire as I watch his happiness at my expense. I am weak, dirty, and exhausted. All of which are attributed to Dimitri helping Cyrus find me. My gaze narrows as rage consumes me, and Felix looks in my direction.

“And so she returns,” he says, coming to stand over me. “The woman who doomed her kind to hell,” he chuckles.

“Felix.” Cyrus’s voice falls over us, instantly quelling all animosity. Felix continues to watch me for a second longer, stepping back to allow Cyrus’s approach.

I look up only briefly to see Cyrus approaching me with a fresh set of clothing and his hair pulled into a high top knot as he looks at me with a narrowed gaze. I have so many questions that I want to scream out at him, but I can’t. Not with so many beasts present. And especially not with his last threat to me lingering in my mind.

“I hope you found everything to your liking, Your Majesty. It is an honor to host you at this time,” Felix says with a mischievous grin. He’s indirectly speaking to me. Cyrus is staying here at the estate with me. I have no safety net that I did when I was in the palace. It’s just going to be me and him all hours of the day. And Felix, being the cruel beast that he is, wanted to see my face when that information was revealed to me.

“Go with them,” Cyrus says to me as two servants approach. He doesn’t look at me as he turns to speak to Felix, and I follow the servants into the immaculate estate.

Contrary to my belief, I wasn’t brought to a cell or locked into a room. I was brought to a waiting bath. I haven’t had a warm bath in such a long time. After a certain point, heating the water became too much of a hassle, especially towards the end of my difficult pregnancy. I just gave up on luxuries. And I forgot how amazing heated water felt. It soothes my aching muscles and bruises and somehow relaxes me even though I am in the worst position I could have ever imagined for myself.

The gilded doors leading to the bathroom open, and Cyrus comes into the room, his eyes falling on me instantly. I quickly stand, shifting to move out of the tub to bow, when he holds his hand up, stopping me. His eyes shift, drifting over my body, lingering around my stomach. His footsteps falter as he comes to approach me, his eyes never leaving the place he has discovered.

“Your Majesty, I—“

“Hush,” he says.

I flinch as his hands come near me, my eyes opening when I feel his thumb running gently over the lightened patches of skin that linger near the edges of my waist. It’s the first time his touch has been gentle since our reunion.

Cyrus takes a deep breath, looking at me.

“It was difficult, wasn’t it?” he asks.

“Yes,” I whisper softly, knowing he’s asking about my pregnancy.

My pregnancy with Ciel was very challenging. The pain and exhaustion I felt carrying him is something I don’t want to have to endure again. My midwife was even shocked at his growth rate, along with the numerous complications he caused. There were times when I thought I was going to suffocate in my sleep. And at other times, I could barely stand because of how weak I felt.

But I never regretted the decision to go through with my pregnancy.

When I decided to run away, I meant to leave everything in my past behind, including Ciel, without ever having felt his kick. But when the day came for me to make the decision, I couldn’t go through with it. In my mind, he was innocent in all of this. And I was going to raise him, never allowing him to know where he came from, just as my father raised me.

I thought I was going to die when I delivered him. But when he was here, and I was finally able to meet and hold him for the first time, I knew it was all worth it. From the moment his eyes met mine, I felt like the most important thing to him as he was to me. He was my only peace from my past. It’s what inspired his name.

Ciel. My heaven on Earth.

Cyrus chuckles humorlessly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“You’re a very lucky human. He could have killed you while still in the womb. I was nowhere near to relieve his power. And he fed on you like a leech. I’m sure your recovery took longer than most,” he says.

I don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how right he is. His hand gently cups my cheek as he studies me, his deep blue gaze pulling me in.

“What would possess you to give birth to something you knew nothing about? Did you have a death wish?” he asks.

I don’t respond, releasing a breath when he finally breaks my gaze.

“Once he reached the age of four, he would have killed you. Not on purpose, but because you don’t have the physical capabilities to prevent the power of a beast from erupting from his very pores. He would have wiped out that waste and been consumed by his beast side,” Cyrus finishes.

My blood runs cold from his words. But I don’t let him know that he is frightening me with my own son. He is right. I know nothing of beasts. Even the power he’s speaking of that Ciel may have doesn’t register. But I know now is not the time to ask. I can’t give him more ammunition to keep my son from me.

Cyrus’s hand trails across my stomach to where his seal sits on my ribs. The marking warms to his touch, the veins surrounding it turning black briefly. I release a gasp, but Cyrus steps away from me, and the seal falls dormant once again.

Once Cyrus moves away from me, I lower myself back into the tub, grateful for the cover from his gaze.

“You should be executed for what you’ve done,” Cyrus says as he pulls a chair from the vanity. He moves it close to the tub, sitting next to me, his eyes roaming over me. He is much more menacing than he was in the past. In the past, he seemed in a constant state of amusement, never really serious in his daily wanderings. But now, he has matured. He has been forced into his role as king indefinitely, as his father’s death was confirmed.

Cyrus scoffs, pulling my attention.

“Do you remember the night you served me and my guests? You knocked over a wine glass and broke the decanter,” he says.

I keep my eyes down as I respond.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I murmur.

“It was the first time I acknowledged my desire for you. Something about you called to me. It was so intense that I knew it could get dangerous having you around. So I was pleased when you made that mistake, giving me the perfect opportunity to kill the dimwitted human who had been brought into my kingdom. It wasn’t until nights later, when you revealed what you did with my robe, that I realized you weren’t dim at all. In fact, you were very intelligent.”

Cyrus shifts, and I look up to see him fighting for control as he watches me.

“Unfortunately, now you have landed yourself in a situation only a fool would,” he says. With each word he speaks, I find myself sinking lower into the water, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

“You have doomed your race, you have nothing to offer your son, and you have pissed off the only beast in this kingdom who can keep you alive. You are on very thin ice, Annalise. The only thing keeping you alive at this very moment is the child you gave birth to. So I suggest you do your best to avoid pissing me off before that is no longer enough.”