Tears of Raven

45

The shadow prince stood lifting Raven up by the arms. She felt his nails dig in her skin and she cringed but didn't pull away. She wasn't sure he actually realized what he was doing.

"Go to your room and lock yourself up." The prince demanded but he wasn't even glaring at her once.

When he understood she wasn't going away, he lowered his eyes and looked at her.

"I told-"
"I heard you."

"My My." The soave voice of the king ringed in the whole room calling for Raven. She was a poor sailor and he was her siren chant. She reluctantly turned. He looked absolutely ravishing. Not even the first time he had crushed her party he had dared to look this good. He wasn't wearing his military uniform this time. He had on a double chest jacket and a mantel made of white swans' feathers over one of his shoulders.

He was wearing his half mask. Raven recalled he didn't feel comfortable in public without it and her chest tightened.

His white hair was pinned up in half a ponytail and good his eyes.

Raven had to rip her glare away and attempted to breathe. He was so beautiful it pained her physically.

"I heard there was an auction here, why the terrified faces? Someone dead?"

The shadow prince pulled her closer and stepped forward.

"You're not welcome here. This is a private matter."

The king laughed icily and his attention shifted toward the prince. Raven noticed that he did all he could not to lay eyes on her and she didn't know how to take it. a part of her was content, because every time she stared at him all she could see was the dragon under his body, dead.

"It didn't seem private to me. It was well discussed by my neighbors. You know," Zed's glare found the king. "People were starting to wonder if it was simply a matter of money instead of progress."

The king's cheek flick but he stood perfectly still.

He stepped in front of the prince, towering over him and Raven smelled him.

"So which one is it? do you need money for the wedding, shadow prince?" and he did the most disrespectful thing Raven had ever seen him see. He lowered so they could be on the same level. "Or is it for the war you so much love?"

The prince bared his teeth and his arm flashed on Raven's side dragging her behind him.

"What do you want, ruined king?"

Zed straightened unclasping his hands from behind his back and walked over the small table in front of the royals and clapping his hands, two large bag fell breaking it. one tipped over and a rain of diamonds came rolling out of it.

"isn't it obvious? I came to buy every single slave you own."

It was Raven's turn to dig her nails into the prince's skin as she gasped. She searched for his eyes, he kept looking everywhere else.

"What? This isn't enough?" another clap, another two begs of diamonds appeared. Raven could practically see the king drooling over it.

"Your highness, it's a very generous offer." The king begun but Raven stopped listening when his hand caught a strand of his silver hair and pushed it back nonchalantly.

"This is way more of what they are worth."

"More?" Rave caught the growl hidden at the end of the word. he was getting mad? "And how much is a person's life worth to you exactly? Cursed king?"