Little Saint Bride [Death and the Maiden, #1]

Chapter Thirty Two: And Back Again

Media is how I reckon Nerissa's eyes look throughout the majority of this chapter...

(and she probably usually looks that pissed off in general.)

The ground rumbles beneath our feet, and the earth around us quakes. 

'No,' I say.

The Elysian King smiles, casting a knowing glance at our audience. Someone leans in to whisper in his ear, and he nods appreciatively. Their raucous laughter bubbles in my ears like sour champagne. His arrogance burns my skin, condescending and cold, and I'm sick-- Jefferson would say sick to death-- of it.

'No.' This time, my voice is quieter, but with a note of finality. I'm not saying no because I give up, that's what I want them to know.

Still, Chronus pays no heed. He turns to signal for more refreshment, parched by our head to head, but I step in front of the obliging servant.

'No.' 

And the room rumbles this time, louder again. The servant stands still, glass ready to pass, and his mouth popping at my audacity.

At last, Chronus takes notice, even just to swat me away.

'I won, you fool,' he says, waving a dismissive hand. 'If you weren't in love with my brother you wouldn't have gotten here.'

His words make me glance instinctively towards the man in question, my husband. Hadrian's gaze is heavy across the room. I can't make out its meaning, but I know that it means a lot; I'm either being devoured by his gaze, or I'm about to be devoured by his temper.

I tear away my eyes from his, lifting my chin to level Chronus's. 

'No,' I say once more, 'that's not true.'

The King's eyes narrow. Mentally, I swallow hard; he's a guy that doesn't like being beaten, let alone showed up.

I'm about to do both.

And I'm about to enjoy it.

'My feelings, as you correctly point out, are for your brother,' I take a predatory step, 'but it was not my feelings, but my actions which decided how this bet panned out. I chose to act on my feelings-- nobody chose that for me.'

Chronus sets his jaw. I see the logic forming behind my argument within his vicious eyes, the cogs of his mind trying to spin and turn the tables once more. 

'I win your bet, you misogynistic bastard,' I say, and now I address the room. 'If you are truly the ruler of Elysium, you will honour our bet. Otherwise, how will your subjects trust you when I tell them how flippantly you decide our fates? How will they obey your rules, when you can't obey your own?'

Shuffling throughout the room causes a rising stir. Murmuring starts again, unabated by Chronus' chilling stare. The servant, still stood by Chronus, closes his mouth and looks at me properly for the first time. As though, instead of a girl, he's seeing a heroine. 

Chronus shakes his head, stumbling. 'But without my brother...'

'I met and loved your brother before our bet,' I say coldly. Another rumble echoes down the halls-- I wonder if more guests are arriving, or if it's reinforcements for this big threat we pose Chronus. 

Chronus tries once again to catch Hadrian's eye, but his brother is still staring at me, lost for words. Together, the two make a very gormless pair. 

'Release me,' I say, and the ground rumbles again.

In that instant, Chronus's eyes meet mine. His eyes are dark, blank and pitiful, and I realise then that there's something envious about the way he looks at me.