The Spider Queen

Chapter 5

I wouldn't break.

Litharia rushed into the room and all but shoved me toward the door, screaming. But I couldn't hear, not behind my heart, thundering in my ears, and my thoughts swarming around like a flock of angry wasps.

I wouldn't break.

My knees felt like cotton, making me wobble with each uneven step I made, following Litharia. My chest squeezed painfully, and my stomach twisted into a tight knot. I could barely breathe, with the air fighting its way into my lungs, but it found no space there to fill. My head swam, vision going blurry every other moment.

I would not break!

The hall leading to the chapel had only two guards standing near the double doors. Once they saw us, they pushed them aside, letting the excited murmur and the clanking of champagne glasses reach my deaf ears. It brought me out of my stupor, and I froze on the threshold of the celebration hall. My gaze ran the room, tripping over all the unfamiliar faces of nobels, staring at me like at a circus animal. The voices died down as all eyes landed on me. My skin prickled, and my muscles spasmed with the ferocious need to run. Run as fast and far away from here as my legs could carry. But I couldn't. I was trapped.

I would not...

Litharia gently pushed me in the back, forcing me into motion. I made one step forward and stopped again. My eyes kept skimming the room, searching faces, studying the layout, and hoping for a way out. But there was none. Lioriel had made sure of that, I was certain.

Flower arrangements and colorful decorations on the walls and ceiling made it seem like a happy occasion. People dispersed in the room, drinking and chatting, enjoying themselves, and waiting for the spectacle. A blood-red carpet stretched on the floor, cutting the room in half like a bleeding slash made by the sharpest knife. The crowd split in two, forming a corridor for me to walk up to the dais.

When my eyes landed on Lioriel, standing there, smiling, a spiky ball of nerves scratched at my throat. My hands started to shake, the chains on my arms clanking quietly as fear encircled my neck in a deadly vise. Even from where I was, I could see the menace Lioriel held in the stretch of his lips, a promise of pain. He outstretched his hand in my direction, even though I was too far to take it. The message was clear—there was nowhere to run now, only forward, only to him.

I swallowed hard, ignoring the crawling feeling on my skin from the hundreds of eyes scrutinizing every part of me. Litharia tried to shove me again, but before she could do that, I moved ahead, my heart sinking lower with each step. I could practically hear the grinding of metal hinges of my cage door, locking me in. As I neared Lioriel, his smile twisted into a cocky smirk, and when I ignored his hand and climbed the dais by myself, he quietly grabbed my wrist and forced my hand up to his face. I swirled in place, jerked by the movement. His eyes bore into mine, disgustingly lively and almost shining with barely hidden glee. He landed a kiss on the back of my hand, not breaking eye contact, making sure I felt each cell of his skin touching mine. My arms broke into goosebumps, and his smirk deepened.

"You look absolutely stunning, my love," he said loud enough for the crowd to hear. I heard some loud exhales and a few coos that made my stomach turn. His gaze traveled my body then, leaving poisonous burns along its wake. Lioriel lowered our joined hands and leaned to my ear, his hot breath tingling baby hears at my temple. "The dress suits you well."

White-hot anger exploded in my chest, stifling my previous fear. I met his laughing gaze as he straightened, enjoying every small reaction he could get out of me. "You didn't get the size right. It's tight in the chest."

He huffed out a soundless laugh, his eyes turning into half-moons. "I'll do better next time once I get a better look at you later tonight."

My blood chilled, and I instantly regretted biting back at him. His words brought back Litharia's advisory about the consummation ceremony. My throat closed off, and the muscles in my legs clenched tight as if trying to ward him off right this second. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I didn't bother hiding any of my feelings from him. Lioriel's smile turned mischievous, and he winked at me before turning to face the altar.