Happily Ever Crowned Read online

  Patience, Valora, he whispered. We have to do this right.

  And what did that mean, anyway?

  I knew he wanted revenge. Understood why. But he wasn’t the one being degraded like some fuck doll.

  “Valora,” Necros snapped, his ire sending a chill down my spine.

  Adrik wasn’t the only one in the room. His court was present.

  Oops.

  “Apologies, My Lord.” I curtsied to him before taking my seat.

  Gareth captured my gaze below, his hunger a palpable presence that had my heart racing. The eye at the top of his triangle-shaped gaze winked at me as one of his three hands stroked the whip laced through the belt of his trousers.

  Hell’s fire, I hope he doesn’t have three… I swallowed, unable to finish.

  He doesn’t. Adrik almost sounded amused. It was an emotion we did not share.

  I really hope you have a plan, I thought at Adrik. Or that man is going to shred the skin from my body tonight. I’d witnessed it before during a previous punishment. He was just as sick and twisted as Lavios.

  Trust me, Adrik murmured.

  I nearly replied, I do, but held the words in my heart.

  I couldn’t trust anyone except Zaya. My only friend. The one I considered family.

  “Now that my queen has finally arrived,” Necros said, his irritation a lash against my spirit.

  “Apologies,” I whispered, bowing my head slightly in the manner I knew he preferred.

  It seemed to work, because he released me of his raven-eyed glare and stood, anger pulsating through his body.

  As if he had the right to be angry.

  He was the one who fed off my powers like a damn incubus, leaving me powerless at birth.

  He was the one who wed me just to access those gifts again once they manifested to completion.

  He was the one who married me over a lie—to save a kingdom to which I owed no hint of gratitude to.

  Calm down, Valora, Adrik demanded. Your power is brightening your gaze.

  I narrowed said gaze at him. Calm down? To what purpose? I thought back at him.

  You’re not ready yet, he reminded me.

  I nearly growled. As much as I adored the new power humming through my veins, I couldn’t control it. And right now, I desired nothing more than to burn this audacious room to the ground.

  Do I have enough power for that yet? I mused.

  No, Adrik replied. Not yet.

  Whether he meant to not yet try or that I didn’t yet possess the power, I wasn’t sure. We were supposed to start sparring and practicing my control soon. I supposed I could endure a few more days of this life. I’d survived the last twenty-one years, after all.

  “We have a traitor in our midst,” Necros announced, causing my lips to part and a gasp to fall of its own accord.

  Oh, sh—

  Breathe, Valora, Adrik urged, the words sounding as if he’d forced them between clenched teeth.

  I ignored him.

  A deep pit of terror crawled over my insides, unleashing a fire through my veins born of the urgent need to protect myself.

  He knows.

  “Traitor?” I repeated, goose bumps pebbling across the surface of my skin.

  Necros ignored me, his focus on Gareth. “Seize him.”

  The guards were on him in an instant, divesting the three-eyed demon of his weapons in a swift move before throwing him to the floor below the thrones. A spear pointed hard into his back, another at his head.

  “N-Necros?” the shocked demon spluttered.

  “Murderer,” my husband spat, his voice low and menacing. “You will address me as My Lord.”

  “M-my Lord,” Gareth whispered. “What am I accused of doing?”

  Oh, no…

  Just breathe, Valora, Adrik echoed.

  Necros stalked down the steps and stepped on Gareth’s hand. Bones shifted and cracked as he repositioned the weight of his leather shoe, causing the demon to roar in pain.

  “I know you and Lavios had your differences,” Necros said conversationally. “But I never expected such treachery among my ranks. Not from those I consider my most loyal.” He slammed his boot down on another of Gareth’s hands, causing me to flinch at the harsh cacophony of snapping bones.

  Valora. Adrik’s voice was an unwanted stroke against my senses. Don’t watch.

  My gaze flicked to Adrik’s bored expression. He had a knife in his hand and was using it to clean his nails. The picture of nonchalance as Gareth’s screams rent the air.

  But I killed Lavios, I whispered.

  I know.

  You framed Gareth. I realized that already, of course, but the words were only now forming. Adrik neither confirmed nor denied it, but he didn’t need to. I already knew. This is wrong.

  I couldn’t allow this to happen.

  Not to an innocent man.

  “Necros, please stop...” The plea left my lips, my mind not catching up with reason.

  Necros spun around and glared at me for interrupting his tirade. “Excuse me?”

  “Are…” I swallowed, the thick lump in my throat threatening to burst. “A-are you certain he’s guilty?”

  “Are you questioning my authority, wife?” he asked, the lethal softness of his tone holding a whisper of warning.

  “N-no, My Lord,” I stammered. “I-I’m just… I wondered, is all.”

  “At the evidence?” he prompted.

  I swallowed again. “Y-yes.”

  His pupils flared, his nostrils following suit. “I am the judge, jury, and executioner in this kingdom. If I say he’s guilty, he’s guilty.”

  “Yes, My Lord,” I whispered, flinching as he smashed Gareth’s third hand without looking at him.

  “Does anyone else question my will?” he roared, addressing the crowd.

  A chorus of silence served as a reply.

  And those sinister eyes fell on me once more. “You’ll pay for this interruption later. And I’ll make sure you know who is in charge by the end of it before I force you to beg for more.”

  My throat constricted.

  All I could do was nod.

  Say no more, Adrik seethed in my mind.

  My energy dissipated, no longer able to even reply to him.

  What more could I do? My fate was already sealed. As it seemed Gareth’s was as well.

  A guard handed Necros the demon’s infamous whip. My husband wrapped his large hands around the handle and brought it down hard onto Gareth’s back. The former lieutenant writhed in agony as Necros did it again and again and again, ripping the fabric from the male’s body and drawing forth rivers of blue blood.

  This is my future, I realized, horrified. When he finds out what I’ve done, what I’m capable of doing…

  Adrik murmured a reply, but the rushing sound of my own blood blocked him from my mind.

  Stop it, stop it, I recited in my head, flooded with guilt.

  I couldn’t admit what I’d done.

  Didn’t desire to take Gareth’s place, not when I knew he deserved this and so much more. He’d destroyed so many, adored raping women, and certainly had a horrible night planned for me. That knowledge was the comfort I had to hold on to.

  He deserves this. The voice was my own. Or maybe it belonged to Adrik. At this point, I no longer knew.

  Blood had painted my vision a dark shade of blue which didn’t match the surroundings.

  Lucifer, he’s destroying him. And yet Gareth still lived.

  Necros threw the whip away and circled his hand around the demon’s throat. Gareth was lifted up off the floor, the remainder of his clothes ripped from his body by magic shooting from my husband’s other hand.

  That was the power everyone feared.

  Was it actually my own? I didn’t know.

  No, Adrik said Necros had consumed and used it all.

  Unless… Unless he was wrong.

  Necros glanced up at me, his expression cruel. I tried not to give him a reaction, but the tilt of his
lips said he caught the misery rioting inside me.

  Is this actually meant to be my own punishment? Does he know I killed Lavios?

  His gaze gave nothing away, as only darkness existed there—no white sclera, just black all over.

  Gareth’s screams of anguish grew louder as Necros used his magic to peel small strips of the demon’s skin off his body.

  Oh, I truly hoped that wasn’t a gift he inherited from me. Please tell me I can’t do that.

  Adrik didn’t reply.

  Or maybe he did.

  I was too entranced, too mortified, to focus on anything other than the reveal of Gareth’s muscles and bones.

  Blue gore dripped onto the marble floor, smearing across the sable-colored tiles.

  “Please.” I didn’t know how much more I could watch. “Just kill him.”

  Necros growled, and I swore I heard Adrik curse.

  My eyes began to blur, the stench of torture too much.

  But Necros only continued, two small balls of energy forming on his palm as he sent them into Gareth’s body. Somehow the demon remained conscious, a testament to the immortality of his breed.

  And oh, that meant I could suffer the same sort of agony…

  I shuddered at the thought.

  My stomach churned.

  Adrik remained unaffected, his expression a mask of boredom.

  Jives sat beside him, pale, but watching intently.

  And the others all gaped in a mix of awe and excitement.

  They’re all entertained. This entire kingdom fucking thrived on the torment of others.

  Gareth was a former lieutenant, someone who, just earlier this week, carried an esteem revered by his brethren. And now they watched his demise with expressions of enjoyment.

  So damn wrong. I stood and made my way to the door, finished with this macabre scene.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Valora?” Necros demanded as two guards cut off my exit.

  “I don’t want to watch this,” I said, a note of vehemence in my tone. You are all sick!

  “You think you have a choice?” Necros’s lips curled into a menacing smile, and the two guards pushed me back, closer to Gareth. The acrid air of death was suffocating this close, blood mixing with urine and feces. Fuck, his bodily functions were no longer in his control.

  Necros flicked his fingers, and Gareth’s toes started to separate from his body. His fingers were next. My husband was taking him apart piece by piece. His magic destroying the demon until there was nothing left.

  I can’t...

  Gareth’s hands severed at the wrist, sending me running. I formed a fist and sent it flying into the face of the guard holding me and sprinted from the room.

  My heels clacked against the marble floor as I forced myself back to the only place I felt safe in this whole palace.

  My quarters.

  Tears streamed down my face as I went, my resolve slipping into a puddle at my feet.

  I couldn’t do this anymore.

  I didn’t want to feel.

  I just wanted to drift through everything happening to me in a bubble of no emotion.

  When I reached my bedroom, I found two guards already pulling Zaya from my bed. How they beat me back, I didn’t know. But I flung myself toward her, screaming.

  No!

  Adrik’s soul wrapped around my own, halting me midstep.

  How?

  Why?

  “Let me go!” I screamed, and the guards looked at me as if I’d gone mad.

  You need to calm down, Valora. We can still do this. Necros was just putting on a show; that’s all. And we both know Gareth deserved what happened to him. This is all part of your husband’s penchant for games.

  “Release me!” I demanded again, and the guards stepped back from me with their brows furrowed.

  Then they dropped Zaya to fall to their knees.

  A dark shadow loomed behind me, blocking the doorway.

  I knew who it was even though I still couldn’t move.

  My husband.

  He stepped around me, his eyes still fully black, and his fury exuded from every pore in his body.

  “Why is she still here?” he demanded, looking at Zaya. “I thought she was taken care of with her parents?”

  My blood ran cold. Her parents?

  “Sorry, My Lord. I’ll follow up to find out why it wasn’t done.” The guard who spoke blurred in my vision, my mind failing to process what was happening.

  “Good. Now leave us. And take that thing with you,” he ordered.

  That thing was my best friend.

  The only one in this palace I could trust.

  And still I couldn’t move, Adrik’s will holding my own.

  He whispered something important, but Necros’s fist against my temple destroyed my ability to hear.

  And another hit to my head snapped Adrik’s hold and sent me to the ground.

  My vision faded into shades of black as a nightmarish realization rolled through my thoughts...

  There’s no defeating Necros.

  He’s too strong.

  He’ll rule forever.

  Valora had cut me off for three fucking days. Every time I tried to peek into her head, I sensed nothing. Just a shade of black, barely blinking with life.

  It took all manner of discipline not to do something about it.

  But it was too soon. I couldn’t take on Necros yet, especially with her in what felt like a comatose state.

  Whatever depraved insanity Necros has done to her… My hands fisted with my desire to punch the wall. Again.

  “Fuck,” I growled, pacing my guest quarters.

  I’d already slipped through the passageways to her rooms, but grunts from Necros kept me from entering.

  Because I would have killed him.

  Or tried to, anyway.

  I palmed the back of my neck and blew out a breath. Necros was a lot of things, but weak, unfortunately, was not among those traits.

  Taking him on while emotionally enraged would backfire.

  I’d lose.

  And Valora, well, she’d suffer, too. More than whatever he was doing to her right now.

  I needed a sparring partner to work out some of this pent-up aggression with before I did something stupid. If only Grigory had stayed after—

  The door to my chambers flew open, Necros standing on the threshold. He didn’t even knock. Nor did he seem unrepentant as he tossed Valora into my room. “Sorry for the leftovers, Adrik. You can have her for the next few days. Maybe even the week. Just let me know if you tire of her, because Lucifer knows I have.” He glowered at her mop of dark hair, hiding a face I knew would be covered in bruises.

  A myriad of replies taunted my tongue. Most of them curt. A few threats. Instead, I shrugged and forced a nonchalant tone. “I’ll find a way to amuse myself.”

  “Attaboy,” the king replied, grinning. “I like you.”

  Feeling isn’t mutual, asshole. “And I appreciate your hospitality,” I returned, somewhat meaning that. I had enjoyed wandering the palace I considered to be mine.

  “Good.” He gave a nod and left as abruptly as he’d arrived.

  I supposed it was a compliment that he’d dropped her off here himself.

  But I suspected it was more him wanting to catch me off guard. It implied that he knew I was in my room, which could be perceived as a reminder that this was his domain. Little did he realize I allowed him to know my whereabouts, especially the last two days as I awaited my time with Valora.

  “Get up,” I said harshly, aware that Necros stood just outside the door. His dark aura always left a residual stain on my senses, and it blasted heavily at me now.

  The sick bastard wanted to hear what I intended to do.

  I’d altered the cameras in this room and the surrounding hallways over the last week, slowly changing the areas they surveyed and putting them on loops that his security team failed to notice. The audio recorders had all been altered with white noise, an
d I’d set a variety of traps throughout the room to alert me if anyone messed with my things.

  So far, so good.

  Which didn’t surprise me. Necros’s guards suffered from the misconception that no one in their right mind would challenge their king.

  I crouched before Valora’s still form, longing for the connection to her mind, and threaded my fingers through her hair to gently tug her head back.

  Her eyes, while open, stared at nothing.

  “I see.” I sighed loudly for our audience outside the door. “Well, you’re worthless to me for the night.” I shifted out of my jacket, wrapped it around my hand, and drove my fist into the floor, creating a dull thud the king would assume was a kick to her soft body. “Don’t even think of pissing all over my floor.” I spat to the side, stood, put my jacket back on, and made a show of stomping off toward the exit.

  When I flung the door open, it was to the sound of Necros’s departing chuckle, his back disappearing around the corner.

  I leaned against the frame, waiting to see if he returned.

  After five minutes of silence, I quietly slid back inside and twisted the new deadbolts I’d installed over the weekend.

  No one would disturb us without warning.

  This time when I crouched before Valora, I ran my fingers through her hair and examined the blemishes marring her beautiful face. She’d retreated into the deepest recesses of her mind to avoid whatever wickedness Necros had inflicted upon her.

  “Oh, little bird,” I murmured, gathering her into my arms and carrying her to my bathroom. “Let’s repair those broken wings, shall we?”

  She didn’t reply, didn’t even blink, so lost inside her head.

  I sat her on the counter by the sink, assured she wouldn’t fall, and fixed her a bath. “Yes, Necros, I do enjoy your accommodations,” I murmured, finding the ingredients I needed to create a healing aroma of sorts. Then I gathered a handful of ointments I’d brought from Noxia, most of which were infused with vampire blood.

  My shadow essence would cure her as well, but I needed her to function enough to swallow for that to work. And she was nowhere near that level.

  Valora remained catatonic as I undressed her, and she didn’t flinch beneath my examination of her wounds. Necros had bitten her, sliced her, beaten her, likely all in an effort to garner a reaction that she clearly didn’t give.