Page 17 of The Serpent Prince

“I hate you.”

“You’re not unique in that feeling, my darling,” he replied with a dark smirk. Then he went back to watching absently out the window as they exited the dense forest. They seemed to be nearing more civilized parts of the kingdom, as Imani noticed a village up ahead.

“Endearments fall easily from your mouth,” she gritted out. “Now, if you don’t tell me what you want, I’m jumping out of here whether we’re moving or not.”

The faint pull that she had not acknowledged tugged at her again. Ignoring it would have been easier if she hadn’t looked into his mismatched eyes right then. But with his piercing gaze set on her, there was no mistaking it came from him—Imani affected him.

Imani had seen this new, vulnerable part of Kiran a few times before. First, with the blood burning, and then yesterday as she awoke from almost dying. The elf prince grew more complex by the day. How many other untold stories were hiding behind that impossibly beautiful face?

Despite the faint emotions spilling from him, he was still a fortress of calm—almost dangerously so.

Indeed, Imani might be getting better at reading the prince, and it made her heart soar.

“Best behavior today, Imani,” he warned, his soft voice making a warm pool in her belly. He sighed. “I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely truthful with you.”

“About what?” Her voice was tight and even, although she felt like shouting.

“You won’t be working for me. Not entirely. My brother and I are offering you up to my father as a gift. He’s quite interested in your kind.”

Imani’s blood turned cold.

It dawned on her that while the king hated Kiran, she remembered Esa saying he had an obsession with female elves. Norn in particular.

With a quiet growl of rage, she shut her eyes and clasped her fist around her wand inside her pocket. “I would rather die than be forced to breed with anyone.”

With his own hands clenched in his lap, Kiran looked as if he agreed. She looked for any signs of amusement in his eyes, but found none. This was serious.

He continued, “It’s hard to say what my father will have you do exactly. He’s … mercurial. But no matter what he asks of you, you must do it, Imani. I need you alive for our agreement, and while I would have loved to have hidden you until that time came, you’re far safer exposed to him than not. He will keep you alive.”

“And if I refuse and let the binding do its work?”

“I’m ordering you not to.”

Imani felt an invisible tug around her neck. “Why are you doing this to me? Why did I compete in the assessments when you’ve been planning to blackmail me since the first day you saw me on the balcony?”

“I already told you I found Tanyl’s irritation at you being chosen … amusing. Besides, a little extra leverage never hurt.” He paused. “Whether you believe me or not, I never planned to give you over to him until recently.”

“What changed?” Imani wanted to punch him.

“It became advantageous for me to do so.”

“So, I get to be handed over to serve the whims of your mad king of a father?”

“My father wanting a high-bred female Norn in our family isn’t a secret, but it isn’t just for breeding. He needs one for alliances. The elves in my kingdom are … difficult. They clash with the shifters on almost everything, and lately, there’ve been uprisings. He’ll find something else for you to do for him … for now.”

“Why doesn’t he find a nice female Drow elf for an alliance then?”

“Because he’s trying to make a point. A bigger point about uniting the kingdoms—a goal of his—which is why a high-bred Norn is ideal.”

“So the rumors are true?”

“Those were never really rumors. Everyone knew we’d try to take back the Northern Kingdom at some point. And we need all the elves in Niflheim to help us do it.”

“That’s where I come in?”

“Something like that,” was all he said.

“What will he do with me? I don’t even belong to your court.”