Page 79 of Death of a Mortal

She crawled to the bars of her cell, and I saw her already-bruising eye and a trickle of blood running down her forehead.

Pure rage boiled in my chest. Those guards were now top of my kill list, second only to the king.

“I’m so sorry, I tried to get away.”

“Don’t you dare apologize. This is my fault. I should have known dinner was a setup. I should never have gone.” Never should have trusted the prince.

The sound of heavy footsteps stopped our conversation. The king’s silhouette as he approached heightened my rage to an almost painful level.

“You! Why would you do this?”

“Poor Naci, kicking and screaming about how unfair life is. You know you really have Varyn to thank for all of this.”

I sneered at the pain and anger, which the king noticed with a smile.

“Oh, you thought the crown prince loved you? Thought the heir to Ashenholt would fall for a mortal, did you? Ha! He used you. Had his fun but did his duty to the crown.”

“You call doing your bidding ‘duty’? I’d call it cowardice,Majesty.”

The anger growing inside me didn’t care if I insulted the king. It relished in the momentary shock on his face at my audacity.

“Funny you should bring that up. You see, the reason I’m here is to discuss a proposition with you.”

“Why would I ever agree to do anything for you?”

“Because I have what we call leverage, Naci. You do my bidding, and I won’t kill your sister. Refuse? Well, she dies. Simple as that.”

My whole body was shaking. I didn’t know this level of hatred was even possible to hold in one’s body without exploding from it.

The king just laughed. “See, I knew you’d come around.”

“And what is it you’re expecting of me?” I could barely form the words through my shaking voice.

“You’ll dance when I say dance. You’ll jump when I say jump. And if one of my nobles fancies a mortal ornament at his table or in his bed?” His smile darkened, etched with pure evil. “Well, you’ll be a good whore and do as he commands.”

I could taste bile coming up the back of my throat.

“And what dancing and jumping will you have me do?”

“I’m so glad you asked,puppet. As the daughter of its previous leader, you’ll denounce the rebellion, publicly support the crown, and implore mortals and rebels to stand down. Instead of a rally point for the remaining few, you’ll be the thing that unravels what’s left of them and this irksome, righteous cause.”

“Why does it matter if you’re just going to purge all the mortals anyway?”

He seemed surprised that I knew this detail of his plans for Ashenholt.

“So small-minded. Typical of a mortal… Politics is a long game. I can’t simply purge the continent. There would be uprisings from the more progressive continents, and I’d rather not split my armies to fight them all at once. No, this is just the first act to ensure mortal conformity and shut down any remaining thoughts of rebellion. And you’ll be the shining star of this act. Perhaps you need time to think about it. One of my guards has a thing for young girls. He could take a turn with your sister. Guards!”

Nella’s face lit up with fear.

“No! No, I’ll do it.”

“Naci, no! You can’t!”

I knew she was scared for me, but I had to do this, no matter the cost.

“You need me to be convincing, right? Guarantee Nella is safe from all harm. No one touches her. No one hurts her. Let her go back to the laundry room, and I’ll do your bidding. Guarantee this, and I’ll be convincing. But if anything happens to her, the deal’s off.”

The triumphant look on his face was beyond unsettling. “You have a deal. I give you my word as the reigning king.”