Nikolai.
A breath of relief left me. He’s alive.
But my hands didn’t stop. They slid behind my back and unclasped my bra.
I forced my hands to stop.
But they didn’t.
The bra straps slid down my arms and I cried silently as I stood there, unable to cover myself up.
Nikolai growled loudly, so loud that I felt the power in every cell of my body.
The throne shook. The podium shook. The ground everyone stood on shook.
Everyone fell silent. Deathly silent. No one even dared to move.
Next, I removed my panties.
Nik ran towards me.
Xillian raised his hand and my throat constricted and I felt all the air pulled out of my body. My heart squeezed and my lungs burned. I collapsed on the ground, taking in large gasps of air but still feeling breathless.
“One more step and she’s dead.” Xillian snarled. “Stand back. Shift.”
Nik stopped. He shifted to his skin and took a step back. He glanced at Papa before he looked at Xillian again. “Let them go.”
“I gave Javier a way out. He could either leave alone or take a hundred silver coated lashes and leave with his daughter. Guess what he chose? I now have Javier, the King of Water kneeling in front of me.” Xillian laughed and then so did his people.
“He didn’t complete his hundred lashes. And he’s already half dead.” He kicked Papa in the middle of his chest and Papa fell down on his back, coughing blood.
As useless as ever, I stood and watched.
“I won’t give you an out.” He hissed. “The both of you insulted me in front of everyone. I will do the same. I want the King of Mozog and Fire at my feet. Kneel.” Xillian hissed.
Nikolai let out a growl and one by one, I saw thousands men in armour run towards us in background.
“Leave no Ovzdusian alive,” Nikolai growled out his command and in the next second, I saw one warrior behead a woman.
Who were they?
And them chaos erupted. People were running. They were fighting. The entire army was brutal in killing anyone who came their way. Man, woman and child. All upon Nik’s orders. And then suddenly dust started floating in the air and I lost the view of Nikolai.
I knew it was Xillian’s doing.
“Not a single sound out of your mouth, bitch.” Xillian hissed, picked my up and threw me over his shoulder before he began running. I couldn’t do anything but lay limp and mute. All I could do was cry silently. Somehow hoping that Nik will find me once again.
Xillian took me into the palace through a maze of hallways before we landed in the throne room.
He tossed me on the floor and looked at me with pissed off eyes. His scary gaze sent a shiver down my spine.
“Make me the fucking King of Jivan! Right fucking now!” He thundered.
I didn’t know what to do. How to do it.
“Your mate is killing my people! This is the least you could do!” He scowled.
My mouth remained shut despite me having many vile insults to throw. Those ‘people’ weren’t people. They were monsters! What kind of people laugh and cheer and rejoice as their king debases and tortures and tries to rape a woman? What kind of people are those? What kind of mentality did they have? What kind of people enjoyed it? What kind of people encouraged it?
“Make me the King!” He grabbed my hair and pulled me to my feet as he snarled in my face.
I spat in his face.
It was the least I could do.
It earned me another slap that made my head crash on the marble floor. I touched my head and felt blood. My head spun. It hurt.
Totally worth it.
And then suddenly his nostrils flared and he took a deep breath. Red colour pooled in his eyes and I knew his vampire side was more present now. He grabbed my neck and pulled me up, my face in line with his and my feet in the air. My fear grew.
Nikolai. Where are you?
“Your blood. It’s golden.” He whispered in wonder. “It smells… divine.” And then something clicked in his eyes. Like he knew the answer. The answer to become the King.
His fangs extended and he opened his mouth with a snarl and bit into my shoulder. An ear piercing scream ripped out of my throat when he started sucking my blood like his life was dependent on it. Even the collar couldn’t stop me from doing that.
It hurt. Oh Goddess did it hurt. I felt like my body was on fire. The irony. I can’t burn but him drinking my blood made me feel like I was burning. I tried so hard to move and push him away, to use my powers… to do something… but I couldn’t.
Because of the fucking collar.
And the pain in my head from where I had taken a hit, and from where he had bitten into my flesh was blinding.