“Stop this first—”
“Silence,” he hissed, his fingers curling around my jaw as his will snapped out, wrapping around me and sinking deep, seizing control. “We will return to your quarters, and do so in silence.”
A silent scream of fury thundered in my head as I glared at him. I started to push against the compulsion, fueled by rage and ancient instinct—
Golden swirls erupted across his chest as a faint mist seeped out from somewhere under him. “Do not even think it.”
The embers continued to swell, goading me to do more than just think it. They wanted me to act upon the rage and power building inside me.
“Your Majesty?” Phanos interrupted.
“What?” Kolis bit out, his gaze never leaving mine.
“I assume Court has ended for the evening,” he said as, from the sides of my vision, I saw others peeling away from the shadows of the alcoves, some in states of disarray, their clothing wrinkled and hair tangled as they crowded around Veses and Kyn. “But I need to speak with you.”
The mist faded around Kolis. “I have something I must take care of first. Then, I will return.”
“Of course,” Phanos remarked, his tone indecipherable. “I’ll be waiting.”
Chest rising and falling rapidly, I seethed as Kolis released my chin and took my hand. He guided me toward the doors we’d entered through, Kyn’s laugh echoing in the Hall.
“What did I tell you?”
Kolis towered over me as we stood in the cage, his nostrils flared. I couldn’t answer. His compulsion still had me in its grip.
But I didn’t think he wanted an answer.
“I warned you not to question me, and within the hour, you not only did so again, but also in a very public manner.” Golden swirls raced across his face at dizzying speed. “I warned you not to use the essence, and you did so twice in the same span of time.”
Damn it.
He had felt it.
“I can see it even now.” He grasped the sides of my face, tilting my head back. “The essence that does not belong to you, fueling your stubbornness. Your temper. I deserve neither of those things from you.”
I would’ve laughed if I could have.
“I defended you against Veses’ insults, and you proceeded to interfere with her punishment,” he said, angling his body to the side. Beyond him, I saw Callum. He paced silently. “And this is how you repay me? With disobedience and ungratefulness?”
My gods, he was…he was demented.
“You repay me by siding with the woman who would have my cock in her mouth in five seconds if I allowed it?” His eyes were wide. “Have you no honor?”
I could not believe what I was hearing.
The fury faded from his features, from his voice. His eyes slammed shut. “Why did you have to disobey me? Not once. Not twice. But three times.” A shudder ran through him. “I had such high hopes for today. Plans.”
So fucking demented.
“I wanted to show you all I was capable of.” His voice dropped, his eyes opening. The glow behind his pupils was almost too bright to look upon. “I wanted to show you what I’m risking for you.”
What he was risking…？ My gods, there were no words, even if I could speak.
“But now, today ends like this.” He breathed in deeply through his nose, releasing the sides of my face. “You…you are my soul, but I am your King. You need to learn that you cannot question me, and you cannot use those embers.”
A trickle of fear broke through my anger. Not for me, but for Ash. For Rhain. Kolis had told me what he’d do if I disobeyed, and I’d done it—without even thinking about the consequences.
Kolis stepped back. The compulsion lifted, unlocking my jaw as my shoulders slumped. “You will be punished.”
I lifted my head. Callum had stopped pacing. “And?”
“And then we will see.” His eyes…they shone. “We will see if further action needs to be taken.”
Before I could speak or process the tears I saw gathering in his eyes, chains rattled.
My head swung toward the sound. They unclasped from the bedposts and slithered across the floor like serpents. A knot lodged in my chest as I tensed.
It happened so quickly.
Shackles clamped around my wrists, yanking my arms up. The chains wrapped around the ceiling of the cage, near the cluster of diamonds. My arms were pulled tight, stretching the muscles. A shout of surprise left me as my body rose, lifting until only the tips of my toes touched the floor. Cool metal clamped down on my ankles, anchoring me into position with my arms and legs spread.
Kolis stared at me, his face pale. “I want to hate you for making me do this,” he rasped. “But I can only love you.”
“This is love?” I gasped, already beginning to feel the burn in my arms.
“You disobeyed me repeatedly, yet you live. No one else would. So, yes. This is love,” he said hoarsely as a thin line of crimson streaked down his cheek.
Kolis wept.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“I almost feel bad for you.”
Opening my eyes, I didn’t bother lifting my head or responding to the golden-haired Revenant. It would take too much energy and focus away from trying not to scream, which I’d been doing since Kolis left with crimson tears streaking his face.
I wasn’t sure what was more messed up: everything else about Kolis or the fact that he could choose to hurt someone and then cry about it.
“You have to be in so much pain,” Callum went on.
“I’ve never felt better.”
“That is such an obvious lie.”
What was evident was his unnecessary observation. The burn of my stretched muscles had disappeared. My arms were numb now. I couldn’t even feel my hands anymore, but the stress of being suspended with only the tips of my toes holding my weight had moved into my shoulders. They felt as if they were on fire.
I had no idea how long I’d been hanging here. Had to be hours at this point. Callum no longer remaining quiet made it feel so much longer. When it was silent, I’d contented myself with thinking about all the ways I would cause Kolis unimaginable pain.
I’d discovered I had a vast imagination.
“If you were actually my sister?”
Gods, not this again.
“I wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”
“So, if you believed I was your sister, you would think this is wrong?” I asked.
Callum stood just a few feet from the cage. “Of course.”
A harsh laugh left me, causing the pain in my shoulders to flare. “The fact that you need to believe you’re related to someone to see the wrongness in this tells me that every poor thought I’ve had of you is more than justified.”
“You would think that because you do not know me.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Because you are not my sister.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, too damn exhausted to attempt to convince him otherwise.
Callum was quiet for several blissful minutes. “You were right.” He paused. “About what was happening in the Council Hall.”
Wearily, I lifted my head. My neck muscles cramped as my gaze fixed on the Revenant.
His chin was lowered, gaze focused on the floor. “That particular type of punishment is wrong.” His shoulders tensed. “It’s below Kolis. He’s better than that.”