Crown of Fire (Book 3 in the Crown Trilogy)

Three

I ignore him and focus on Zek. "Please don't hurt him. I'll do whatever you want if you spare his life."

Zek stands and strolls to the edge of the dais. He runs his fingers over the stone hanging from his neck. The raw, green crystal is beautiful against his golden skin, sparkling with power. And reminding everyone in this throne room that he has the ultimate say over us all. "You would prefer I send Kyron your head instead?" he asks.

I bite down on my lips to keep from snapping back and reach behind me for Ulric's fingers. We are walking a fine line. One misstep and Zek can force his order to kill Ulric, and I can do little to stop him. Zek moves closer, and Ulric goes ridded at my back. I squeeze his hand, silently begging him to trust me. When Zek reaches us, he pinches my chin and lifts my gaze to his. He guides my head side to side, like he is considering where he can display it.

"Your head benefits me more on your shoulders, but I'm a fair king. Make me a better offer for his life. Give me something that will drive your parah mad and make him reckless, and perhaps your friend will live another day in my fields."

I shake as I try not to recoil from his touch and soften my voice. "You can take anything you want from me; just promise me you won't hurt Ulric."

"Anything?"

"Elle, don't do this," my friend hisses in my ear.

Exuding bravery I don't feel, I step closer to Zek. "Anything. All I ask is you give him a chance to heal before sending him to the fields again."

"Such high demands from a woman who has lost everything. Even so, it's an attractive offer," he says, skimming his gaze over my body. He lingers on the juncture between my legs, and I swallow down the bile rising in my throat. My skin crawls with the thought of his hands on me, but I don't resend my offer. He is right; I had lost everything until this moment. The second Ulric was dragged through the doors, I gained a piece of my life back. I'll do whatever it takes to protect him.

A cruel smile takes residence on Zek's face. "You have a deal."

Ulric whispers his disapproval laced with shock. He tugs on my hand, urging me to run. I clench his fingers tighter and stand my ground. So much has been ripped from my life. I've spent weeks feeling empty and alone. I refuse to allow Zek the chance to take another damn thing from me.

"Pin her to the ground," Zek orders.

Nikko closes in on me, and Ulric thrashes against the guards. They pull him away, and the air leaves his lungs as the crack of a whip meets his skin. Ulric slouches forward, gasping for breath. Survival instinct replaces my courage, and I search for an escape, but it's futile. I won't back out of my bargain, no matter how much I fear what happens next. This is how I save Ulric, how I earn him one more day to survive.

I don't fight as Nikko pulls me to the ground. He kneels above my head and grabs my hands, pinning them to the floor. My panic mounts as Zek falls to his knees and lifts my leg. He glides his fingers along my calf. Unable to control myself, I kick him in the chest, throwing him off balance. His wings spring from his back, catching him before his ass meets the ground.

Zek laughs, purely amused by my anger. "I can always count on you to put up a good fight. That's what makes this so much fun." He holds his fingers up, spreading them wide as his flesh gives way to talons.

Dread consumes me, paralyzing me. Those same sharp talons pierced through Micah's chest. They clung to me as Zek in his hawk form flew me away from everyone I care for. They have ripped away so much, and I have no reason to believe this time will be any different. Bone chilling terror creeps up my spine as Zek slides the fabric of my skirt away from my thigh, pooling it between my legs.

The Allaji are not shy about their sexual escapades. They fuck when and where they please. Not a day goes by where I'm not subjected to their throes of passion. But their lack of control when it comes to pleasure is not without rules. The Allaji hold firm to their belief that all involved must be consenting adults. They do not tolerate it any other way and the punishment is death. The king won't cross that line in front of his entire court, will he?

Zek moves over me, using one arm to prop his body over mine. He holds my gaze for what feels like an eternity. I stop breathing, waiting for the horror he will unleash on me. The fear he finds in my expression makes his lips quirk into a sinister smile.

"I think it is time to give back to the Pliris king what belongs to him," he whispers, his breath warm against my face. I scream as Zek drags his sharp claw down the outside of my leg. "You wouldn't want him at a disadvantage against me on the battlefield, right? Because we are going to war, Raelle. He will start it, and I will end it victorious."

Piercing pain plunges into my outer thigh, and my back bows from the ground. Zek sinks his talons in deep, tearing through my flesh. My mouth is agape with a silent scream as he digs inside my leg. His claws scrape against my bone, and my vision blurs. I beg my body to shut down, to put me out of my misery, but it stunned by the pain. I'm suspended in complete anguish; the excruciating pain is my beginning and end. It fills my lungs, consumes my thoughts, and sets the erratic beat of my heart.

As if I exist outside of my body, I watch Zek lift his hand and open his blood-soaked fingers. An opalescent stone bathed in crimson rests in his palm. He turns it over, and I stare at the raised ten-petaled flower in the center—the Eporri. My agony fades into the background as soul-crushing loss takes its place. The Eporri has always been a part of me. The constant hum of power is as familiar as my skin. Zek might as well have removed my flesh from my bones because I'm incomplete...unrecognizable without the Eporri. He has ripped away a vital piece of my body.

The king cleans the stone with my skirt and stands. He tosses the Eporri in the air and catches it as if riffling through someone's body is a common occurrence. "How angry do you think your parah will be when he realizes I tore this from your leg?"

My head lulls to the side while my body melts into the floor. "Kyron will burn you alive for this," I say, my weak voice carrying through the quiet throne room.

"I can't wait for him to try," Zek says, dismissing my threat with a flick of his wrist and giving his attention to a guard with sleek black hair and matching wings. "Make sure this gets to Pliris' king."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he says, turning on his heels with the Eporri in hand.

All Zek's snide statements merge in my mind until a clear picture comes into view. I jerk my hands from Nikko's grip and whimper in pain from sitting up. The skin on my outer thigh is shredded, leaking blood onto the floor. I push down the bile inching up my throat and turn my attention to Zek. "You won't provoke him into breaking the treaty. He understands what's at stake and is too strategic to fall for a trap."

Zek crouches in front of me, and I turn my face away from him. "Don't underestimate the lengths someone will go to get what they want. He's coming for you, Raelle. The moment he steps foot in my kingdom with the intent of taking what's mine," he pinches my chin and forces my eyes to meet his, "I'll declare it an act of war. The terms of the treaty will be void, and Pliris will be mine for the taking. We will have the bodies to work the fields and new fertile ground to feed every Allaji."

I want to yell that he is wrong, that Kyron would never risk our people, but I can't. If roles were reversed and Kyron sat in my place while I was in his, nothing in this world would stop me from getting to him. The sacrifices I would make for my Parah are endless. As soon as that stone reaches Kyron, the treaty that protects our people is good as broken. I only hope I can find a way to stop Kyron before he thrusts us into war.