The court of Virex was silent when I entered.
The silence wasn't the polite kind—it was the kind that crawled under one's skin and tightened around one's neck like a rope.
Thousands of eyes turned toward me as the gigantic obsidian doors groaned shut behind us.
Behind him.
Kael Draven walked at my side, unhurried, composed, as though the room and everyone in it already belonged to him-well they did.
His steps alone seemed to make the air around him pave a path specifically for him. Nobles in dark finery lowered their heads. Even Generals stiffened.
The priest clasped his hands in prayer, eyes flicking toward me with equal parts fear and curiosity.
This was the court of the Dark King.
And evidently, I was its latest scandal.
"Walk slowly," Kael murmured, not looking at me.
"I'm not a decoration," I hissed under my breath.
His hand tightened around my arm—not painfully, but enough to remind me of the bond humming beneath my skin.
Enough to remind me of who was in charge.
The mark at my collarbone pulsed warmly, reacting to his proximity like a living thing.
"You are my queen," he replied calmly. "And they will see you as such."
"I didn't agree to this."
"No," he said. "But the curse did."
We reached the center of the throne room. Kael turned, guiding me—no, positioning me—beside the black stone throne carved with ancient symbols and claw-like arms.
I resisted the urge to pull away. Any sign of weakness here would be detected faster than the speed of light.
A nobleman stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral though he couldn't mask the hesitation on his face.
"Your Majesty," he said, bowing. "We were… unaware you intended to bring a bride."
Murmurs rippled through the court causing a minor uproar.
Kael rested one hand on the arm of the throne, the other still holding me in place.
"That is because I did not intend to," he said coolly.
The noble stiffened. "Then—"
"The curse chose her."
The room reacted instantly.
Surprise. Fear. Awe.
Whispers broke out like wildfire.
The curse…
The bond is real…
She's mortal…
I lifted my chin, refusing to shrink under their
gaze. If they expected a trembling sacrifice, they should be ready to be disappointed.
A woman in crimson stepped forward next, her smile sharp enough to cut off her fragile skin.
"Forgive my curiosity, Lord Draven," she said. "But how does a foreign girl survive a curse that has killed lots of our kind before her?"
Kael's gaze flicked to me.
Slow. Measuring.
"She survived," he said, "so now she belongs to me and that's all that matters Kiara."
The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver straight down my spine.
"I don't belong to anyone," I snapped before I could stop myself.
The court froze.
Kael turned to me slowly.
For a terrifying heartbeat, I thought I had made a fatal mistake, one that would be the end of me.
Then he smiled.
Not kindly.
Not gently.
"You are wearing my mark," he said quietly.
"Standing in my court. Protected by my power."
His fingers brushed the bond at my collarbone, and heat flared through me, sharp and encapsulating.
"You belong to me," he finished. "Whether you accept it or not."
The woman in crimson laughed softly. "How romantic."
Kael's gaze snapped to her. The laughter died instantly.
"Leave us," he ordered the court.
No one hesitated.
Within moments, the throne room was empty—except for the two of us and the shadows creeping back into the corners like obedient serfs.
I wrenched my arm free. "You humiliated me."
"I warned you," he replied. "This world feasts on the weak."
"I'm not weak."
"No," he said, studying me. "You're reckless."
I folded my arms. "You enjoy this. My fear. Your control."
He stepped closer. Too close.
"I enjoy survival," he said. "And you will learn it."
"And by the way I do enjoy seeing the fear creep into your eyes"
Before I could respond, a sharp pain hit me in the chest.
I gasped, staggering forward as the bond flared violently, light searing across my skin, my body felt as though it was ready to melt.
Kael caught me instantly, his arms locking around me as shadows burst outward, cracking the stone beneath our feet.
"Don't fight it," he growled. "You'll tear yourself apart."
"Then make it stop!" I cried.
His jaw tightened. "I can't."
The pain eased slowly, leaving me breathless and shaking.
Kael didn't let go.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. His hold was steady, grounding, infuriatingly and surprisingly protective.
"You feel it when I'm threatened," he said quietly. "The curse binds our lives and souls together. Pain. Fear. Desire. Everything."
I stiffened at the second to the last word.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It will someday."
He released me at last, stepping back as though reminding himself to keep his distance from me.
"There are those here who will try to use you," he continued. "To hurt me. To control the curse and eventually me."
"I'm sure I can take perfect care of myself, thank you."
A dangerous glint crossed his eyes. "If you could, you wouldn't be here."
Anger flared. "You think I'm helpless."
"I think," he said softly, "that you are powerful but untrained. And that makes you a perfect target."
A knock echoed at the chamber doors.
"Enter," Kael called.
A guard stepped inside, pale. "Your Majesty… an assassin was found in the western wing. Dead."
Kael's expression didn't change. Mine did.
"Dead?" I repeated. "How so?"
The guard hesitated. "The shadows… they tore him apart."
Silence fell.
Kael looked at me.
Slowly.
"You didn't touch anyone," he said.
I shook my head, heart racing.
"Then the curse is escalating," he murmured. "It's reacting to danger near you."
A chill crawled up my spine.
"So people will die," I whispered, "just for being near me?"
"If they threaten you," Kael corrected. "Yes."
"That's monstrous."
"Yes," he agreed without shame.
I stared at him, at the darkness that clung to him like a second skin. "And what happens," I asked quietly, "when you become the threat?"
For the first time since I met him, Kael hesitated.
The moment passed quickly—but I saw it.
"If I become the threat," he said at long last, "then you will be powerful enough to kill me."
My breath caught.
"You'd let me?"
"I'd trust you," he replied.
The words settled heavily between us, weighing us down.
Outside, thunder rolled over the palace, shaking the windows.
Kael turned away. "You will dine with me tonight," he said. "And tomorrow, we begin teaching you how to survive this court."
I watched him go, my heart a tangled mess of fear, anger… and something muchore darker.
Because the devil didn't just want to keep me alive.
He was preparing me.
And I had the terrifying feeling that soon—
I wouldn't need his protection anymore.
Instead he'd be needing protection against me.