Happily Ever Crowned Read online

  Maximus didn’t give me time to process the insanity or make a move on my own. Instead, he fisted my hair and yanked me up off the ground, sending a twinge of pain down my spine. He forced me forward to stand beside my husband, his grip unyielding.

  I kept my mouth shut, refusing to say a word. No, not even that. I didn’t know what to say. All I desired was to scream and kill.

  “You see what I’m dealing with? Defiance to the utter end.” My husband shook his head in annoyance, raised his hand in the air, and clipped me in the face.

  “Hello,” I forced out, my head ringing from his assault.

  Adrik looked me up and down, his dark eyes bored into my curves displayed prominently in the dress I had chosen. I inwardly cursed my choice. I should have worn a black sack. “That’s just how I like them. More fun to break.” Adrik tilted his head toward my stomach. “I assume we’re to use protection?”

  “And spoil the fun for you? No, I believe you’ll find me to be far more accommodating. Maximus?”

  The guard holding me produced a device from his pocket that looked akin to a gun. He pressed it against my shoulder and fired a button. A pain erupted in my shoulder.

  “Ow!” I jerked away from him and glared. I wasn’t a toy to be passed around like this. I was a queen! “What the hell was that?”

  “Contraception,” my husband announced from beside me. “You’re very likely barren, if the last six months are any indication, but I can’t risk you conceiving a bastard. After you’re satisfactorily trained, I’ll try for another heir. If that fails, well...” He allowed the threat to linger between us, his gaze wicked. Then he threw me like a rag doll to Adrik’s feet. “She’s all yours.”

  “Shall I escort you to your room?” Maximus asked. His stature told me he would be a worthy opponent, his ebony eyes warning me not to try.

  I smiled. “Not yet.”

  Valora blinked, her confusion palpable. What are you thinking, little bird? I wondered. Do you think I’m going to go easy on you? Now, in front of all these people? No, sweetheart. No.

  I circled my prey, contemplating what to do to her first. She sat absolutely still on the ground, oblivious to the blood of dead warriors seeping into her gown. Or perhaps immune to it. But her heart gave a slight pang each time I took a step, her breath hitching in her throat as I drew out the dance of her fate.

  Necros arched an auburn brow as if to urge me to begin.

  And I would.

  Soon.

  I crouched before her, bringing us to eye level with one another. “Do you know what your performance lacked earlier, little one?”

  Silence swam around us, our audience awaiting her reply. Of which she gave none, her chin jutting out in a stubborn line that intrigued my instincts. It seemed the queen wanted to play. Good.

  Her husband raised his fist as if to correct the behavior himself, but I held up a hand. “Allow me, My Lord.” I had a show to put on, one I hoped would gain me his favor and allow me some much-needed alone time with his wife. “It’s rude to ignore a direct question, Valora.”

  Gorgeous light blue eyes met my own, her pupils flaring the tiniest bit to display her irritation. Mmm, she didn’t like this at all. Not that I blamed her. What would it take to prompt her rebellion? To provoke her enough to kill her own husband?

  “Get it over with,” she demanded. “Fuck me, if that’s your choice. Use me. Do whatever it is you please, My Prince.”

  Such fire and hatred. All for someone she hardly knew. I couldn’t help my resulting smile. “Enthusiasm,” I informed her softly, tilting my head to the side. “That’s the answer, sweetheart.”

  Her lips flattened. “This game bores me.”

  I chuckled, adoring this feisty side of her. “Does it? Shall we make it more interesting?” I slid my hand into my pocket, palming the blade I’d just used to take out half a dozen immortal men—for her. “Kneel.”

  The king wanted a demonstration, so I would provide one unlike any he could have anticipated.

  Valora did as requested without flinching, her gaze taking on a distant quality similar to the one she’d given her husband when he forced his seed down her pretty little throat. I went to my knees as well, my height giving me a not-so-subtle advantage over her, and used the hilt of my knife against her chin to force her focus upward.

  “Your clear distaste of the moment ruins the experience,” I murmured, sliding the weapon between my fingers to press the sharper side to the base of her throat, and glanced up at Necros. “No rules?” He’d stated it once before, but I wanted to hear him say it again. More for those observing the lesson. I knew most of these men. If they thought they could take Valora however they wanted, she wouldn’t survive the week.

  Necros stroked his beard, his attention falling to the sharp edge resting against Valora’s skin. She didn’t even flinch as I drew the weapon downward to rest between her cleavage.

  Beautifully submissive.

  “No permanent damage,” Necros finally said. “She might be barren, but I want her alive.”

  Of course you do, I thought. He wanted her power, same as I did. “So only leave wounds that will heal under immortality?” Again the question was for the benefit of our audience. It would be such a shame to harm someone so gorgeous.

  Necros nodded. “Blood is fine. You can even break bone. But only if she can recover without a scar. If I can’t breed her, I might as well use her body for other means.”

  Another benefit of having her trained, I supposed.

  Not that I agreed with any of this.

  But I had to play along to get what I needed—her heart.

  “Understood,” I murmured, tracing the tip of my dagger down her corseted top. Her breathing remained steady as she floated in some faraway place, her imagination overtaking her reality. Alas, I couldn’t allow her to stay there. I needed her focus and compliance to achieve my goal. “I want to teach you something, Valora,” I said, my weapon nearing her belly button. “An important lesson on participation.”

  She gasped as I sliced through her bodice in one swift flick of my wrist. The fabric parted over her torso, revealing creamy skin and a pair of tits that left our audience growling in approval. Rather than admire my prize, I held her gaze and watched as her pupils engulfed the circumference of her pale irises.

  Finally she showed signs of some emotion.

  Fear.

  Shock.

  Confusion.

  “Better,” I praised, sliding the weapon lower, to her skirts, while ignoring the low murmurs and growls littering the air. Valora commanded me now. Her expression. Her body. The heat wafting up from her exposed skin. “Focus on me. On my touch. On the way I make you feel.”

  Silky fabrics slipped across my skin as I found a part in her dress that introduced me to her bare thigh. My opposite hand caught her hip to keep her upright, secretly lending her my strength under the guise of control.

  No panties.

  Just a freshly shaved mound and a feminine heat that wasn’t nearly wet enough. “Spread your legs,” I encouraged her softly, my hand already pushing them apart as I spoke.

  She swallowed.

  Her breath hitched.

  And another gasp parted her full lips.

  “Is it cold?” I asked, the hilt of my blade gliding effortlessly through her slick folds. To those watching, they wouldn’t know how I touched her, would likely think the worst, and that was entirely the point. “Answer me, Valora.” I needed her cooperation for this to work. If Necros thought for a second that I might go easy on her, he’d take me off this degrading task and I’d have to approach this plan from an entirely different angle.

  “It’s—”

  I pressed the handle upward into her dampening sex, eliciting a yelp from her throat. It was well timed and earned a few chuckles from the audience, but her blown-out pupils captivated my focus.

  “Still waiting for a reply,” I taunted. “Is it cold?”

  “N-no,” she stammered, her upper b
ody swaying as my thumb brushed her clit.

  “Grab my shoulders,” I commanded, not wanting to risk her falling when I had such a lethal object between her thighs. The blade might be pointed downward, but it was sharp and wouldn’t take much to damage her tender skin.

  Valora didn’t hesitate, her nails gripping me for support. I pressed the little bundle of nerves again, eliciting a visible shiver across her exposed skin.

  “You’re doing so well,” I told her, applying more pressure and guiding the handle just a little deeper into her.

  She bit her lip, sweat beading her brow. “I don’t… What are you…? Why?”

  “I’m teaching you how to respond, little one. How to participate and enjoy your purpose.” I pressed down on her sensitive nub and set a pace with the weapon, carefully fucking her with the hilt. It took skill on my part, just enough to keep me grounded and in control while Valora lost touch with reality and succumbed to my will.

  Sound drowned out around us, my entire existence focused on her reddening cheeks and heavy-lidded gaze. I hadn’t expected her to fall beneath the spell of my seduction so easily. But the woman was a natural, her supple form curling into mine, her arousal thickening the air.

  “It feels…” The words were hardly audible, a breath against my lips. “I…”

  “Give in to it,” I urged her, my mouth tracing hers without kissing, my thumb drawing sensuous circles against her, the handle of my knife penetrating her in the most sinful of ways. “Succumb, Valora.”

  She blinked, her gaze heavy, her tongue snaking out to dampen her plump lower lip.

  The bastard king had clearly never introduced Valora to pleasure or ecstasy. That was how I’d so easily managed to enrapture her in this haze of violence. It should have left her cold and unattainable, but she responded beautifully to my blade. I almost wanted to thank Necros for making this so simple.

  But Valora held me captive with her soft mewls and lust-flared pupils.

  She’d completely forgotten her place.

  Lost herself to the sensations.

  “Are you going to come for me, Valora?” I whispered, my mouth dropping to her ear. “Fly, little bird. Fly hard and fast.”

  Her moan sang through my system, her nails gripping me tightly as she fell apart before me in the most beautiful display of pleasure I’d ever witnessed. My mask of indifference almost fell. Almost. But I remembered our surroundings at exactly the right moment, my lips curling into the epitome of evil I knew the king would appreciate.

  “Mmm, that’s how you participate, Valora,” I said, my tone just loud enough for others to overhear. “With passion.” I slid my palm from her hip to her lower back, catching her as she continued to convulse from the aftershocks of her orgasm. “And you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

  Her exhale feathered over my mouth, her mind not yet catching up with the moment. “I… Yes.”

  I hated what I had to say, hated how I had to shatter such a beautiful moment. But this performance required a finale, one that would win the king’s approval and grant me what I required—his tenuous respect.

  “Of course you did.” I withdrew my knife and brought the handle up to her lips. “Lick.”

  She didn’t hesitate, still lost to the wondrous world of ecstasy that her husband had failed to introduce her to. I coated her tongue and mouth with her juices, allowing everyone to see just how much Valora enjoyed my brand of fucking.

  “Your wife is a beautiful whore,” I told the king, despising myself for the role I had to play. “She might pretend not to like it, but we can all see the truth now.” I drove my handle into her mouth with those words, forcing her to accept it the way her cunt had and glanced up at her smirking husband. “I think I’ll take you up on that room now.”

  Necros chuckled and waved a hand. “Of course. I think you’ve more than proven your skill in handling her. And I’ll admit, I rather enjoyed the show.” His lewd gaze danced over a now-cowering Valora, her shame written across her features and in the horrified glimmer of her eyes.

  Yes, she’d completely forgotten our audience.

  And my words had snapped her back faster than a bullet piercing the air.

  What she didn’t know was that the entire show had been for her benefit. I wanted the rules established for those who possessed no regard for humanity, and I required the king’s trust with her. His invitation suggested a one-week trial. Hardly good enough for my intentions. Hopefully, tonight’s little ruse would earn me more time.

  I withdrew my weapon and slid it into the sheath lining my pocket. Then stood and held out my hand. “Shall we, little whore?”

  She flinched at the new nickname, while the others guffawed. Pricks. All of them. Not that I felt all that much better from speaking their language.

  I consoled myself with images of Caluçon burning to the ground.

  Too bad it required harming an innocent in the process.

  Shoving that negative consideration down, I cocked a brow at the still-kneeling queen. “Valora?” I prompted, needing her to comply. The king would expect punishment, and I really didn’t want to have to degrade her more than I already had.

  She visibly shook herself and stood without accepting my help up off the ground, her pride returning with a vengeance.

  I fought a smile, pleased to see that a little public shaming wasn’t enough to break her, and grabbed her elbow before she could think to march off without me.

  “My Liege,” I said, bowing my head in false reverence to the king. “It is an honor to serve.”

  He grinned. “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.” His gaze shifted to an opening door, where one of his minions stood with a horde of waiting females. “Gentlemen, your gifts for participating in my games have arrived. Adrik, should you require any leftovers when you’re done with my wife, you know where to find us.”

  “Your hospitality is unworldly, King Necros.” I allowed my lips to curl. “If your wife performs as poorly as she did earlier, then you will definitely be seeing me again.”

  He laughed, his attention on an approaching pair of blondes. “Welcome to my daily life, Prince of Noxia.” He held open his arms. “There’s a reason I don’t share a bed with my wife.”

  Valora was frozen beside me, her arm brittle beneath my palm. I allowed my thumb to graze her inner elbow, just a slight touch of comfort. “I’ll take my leave now and provide a report in the morning.”

  Necros didn’t bother with a reply, his lips already otherwise engaged. Valora took in the sight with horror-stricken eyes, something I helped to hide by yanking her into my side.

  She said nothing.

  Did nothing.

  Barely even breathed.

  Just followed along at my side like a robot as Maximus led us to a lavish bedroom meant for guests. He explained the furnishings in a few brief sentences, stating it would be my residence while on the property until I desired to leave or the king dismissed us of our duty.

  I engaged in the necessary chatter, expressing my gratitude and giving him a fresh smile as he bid us a pleasurable evening. Then I locked the door behind him and turned to find Valora standing as still as a statue beside the colossal bed. Her corset remained ripped in half, her nipples erect in the cold air, her expression one of death.

  For someone so powerful, she sure did shut down easily.

  My jacket lay over the arm of a nearby chair, causing my lips to twitch. Someone had brought it from the table, which meant it had very likely been inspected. They would have found a standard lighter, a cigar, and a copy of tonight’s invitation. All items easily overlooked by the untrained eye.

  I flicked the lighter, putting on a show of testing the flames while tinkering with the button on the bottom. The noise cancellation device disguised as a cigar would activate immediately, allowing us to speak freely without interference. But I suspected a camera still lurked in the room, capturing our time together for the king to review later.

  I also had a plan for that.


  The invitation had been altered, the cardstock thick enough to hide the frequency jammer lined between the paper.

  Demon technology. Efficient. Powerful. And so fucking useful.

  I slid the card out as if to read it and placed it beside the cigar, then lit another flame to activate the trigger inside the cardstock.

  A tiny green light beneath the fire told me I’d accomplished my mission.

  The king would be able to watch the film, but the image would be fuzzy and the sound would be in and out. Perfect for my intentions.

  Now to heat up the frozen queen.

  Prince Adrik was dangerous. I already knew that, but his earlier touch drove the point home.

  My body felt alien to me. Sensations I’d never experienced swirled beneath my skin, and a slick wetness coated the insides of my thighs. The residual quakes in my lower half were vastly different from the pain I would normally be wishing away right now.

  Prince Adrik had willed my body to perform strange things before the assembled audience.

  And worse, I had enjoyed it.

  An orgasm. At least, that was what I thought had occurred. I’d felt consumed, light-headed, as if floating away on a cloud of utter bliss. Someone once called it the little death. I now understood the phrase because, in the moment, I’d almost felt free.

  And a twisted part of me desired to experience it again.

  No. I shook myself of the thoughts. It couldn’t happen again. The vulnerability was something I couldn’t afford to feel around one of my husband’s allies. Especially one destined to do wicked things to my body.

  This whole situation was preposterous. I wasn’t a whore but a queen, and I would recover my position and pride and place.

  “Remove your clothes,” Adrik demanded, cutting into my thoughts.

  I turned to face him, defiant. My head held high, although my legs shook like brightly colored autumn leaves dancing in a furious storm.

  “I gave you an order,” he said, prowling closer.

  “I’m queen here. I do not take orders from you.”