I sensed there was more he could say, but he didn’t, so I asked, “Do you hate her? For what she made you?”
“No. I quite like what I am,” he said.
We were quiet for a few moments, and then he spoke. “I spent a long time searching for you. When I saw you in the woods, it took everything in my power not to bite you then.”
“Why didn’t you?”
It seemed like the easiest thing. He would have avoided all my hate, all my anger and resentment.
“I would have, but Dis is a cruel goddess to bargain with. You had to choose me, love me.” He paused. “I do not think she believed you ever would.”
There was something ominous about how he spoke. I halted my exploration of his skin and met his gaze.
“Is she why you began your conquest of the Nine Houses?” I asked. “Do you conquer for Dis?”
“I conquer for myself,” he said. “And Dis can do nothing without me, because I am her weapon.”
“But you do not wish to be her weapon,” I said.
Adrian did not speak.
I rose, straddling him, his hands grasping my thighs. “If these divine beings are so powerful, why do they not come to earth and vanquish their enemies? Why do they play with mortals and monsters?”
“They have no power on earth, save what they can do through us,” Adrian said, his hands drifting to my waist.
“Can a goddess be killed?” I whispered.
“That is blasphemy,” he said, though his eyes flashed at the prospect.
“Are you pretending to be pious?” I teased, just as he once had.
I bent and kissed him, then took him inside me again.
*
It was late in the morning when I returned to my chamber to wait for Violeta and Vesna’s arrival. I needed to bathe and dress, and I would like to spend some time with my father before the coronation began. I was still not pleased with him, but he would only be here for a short while before returning to Lara, and I did not want to regret this time.
I came around a bend in the hallway and halted, finding Killian outside my door.
“Killian, what are you doing?”
“I came to see if you were all right after last night,” he said. “But it seems you are just fine. Did you seek comfort in your husband’s arms?”
I stiffened at his comment. “That is none of your business.”
“Of course not, Your Majesty.” His tone was biting, and I flexed my fingers into a fist. One day, he would feel the sting of my blade, I was certain of it.
“You should leave,” I said, moving past him, but as my hand touched the handle, he spoke.
“You once hated them as much as I did. What changed?”
“I learned the truth,” I said.
“You have been brainwashed.”
His words made me pause, and I turned to him fully, taking one step closer.
“That has always been your issue, Killian. You think I do not know my own mind. Mark my words, it will cost you dearly one day.”
I took a step back, and then I entered my room, locking the door behind me.
Violeta and Vesna arrived only a short time later, and we began preparations for the coronation. I started with a bath, and as the jasmine dropped into my water, memories of the nights I’d spent with Adrian in the pool rose to the surface of my mind. I thought of Ana then. Of my first day in the castle when Violeta had dropped the oil into my water.
Lady Ana Maria said it would relax you.
But it had not been for relaxing at all. She had used it to trigger my memories.
Ana, my best friend, I thought. There were no memories yet, just the knowledge of how close we had been.
An hour later, I was ready. Vesna had pinned half my hair up and let the rest fall in shining waves over my shoulders. After, Violeta helped me into my dress, which was designed by Adrian. It was black, fitted from the bodice to my hips, where it flared into a full skirt. Appliqués in a darker shade of black curled like shadow in strategic places, around my breasts, my hips, and the hem. The neckline was cut low and a collar necklace only drew more attention. A simple pair of earrings glittered in the darkness of my hair like stars in the inky sky, and as I stared at myself in the mirror, I felt awake for the first time.
I was ready to be queen.
I was ready to conquer.
Just then, the door opened, and I turned to find that Ana had arrived. While I knew I had seen her most days since I’d arrived in Revekka, there was another part of me that felt as though it had been forever, and for the part of my soul that knew her, it really had been.
“Are you all right?” she asked.