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IT’S COOL NOT GROWING OLD. I LIKE BEING THE ETERNAL STUD. —Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries, Season 1, Episode 4
They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.
For some reason, my lovers cease to give me expensive presents once I turn down their proposals. Alas.
“Has Chrysantha found a husband, then?” Father knows very well the law forbids me to marry until my older sister does. There is an order to things.
And you? You’re going to send me to the palace with the next wave of women to see the king, because if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s getting men to propose to me.” I flash the diamond on my finger in his direction.
My lovers all feel the need to give me nice things. Very expensive things. It’s been a fun game. Learning their secrets. Seducing them. Getting them to shower me with gifts. But to be honest? I’m bored with it. I have a new game in mind. I’m going to woo the king.
I will kill the Shadow King and take his kingdom for myself. Only this time, I won’t have to bury the body. I’ll find a convenient scapegoat and leave the Shadow King for someone to discover. The world will need to know that I’m the last royal left. Their queen.
Father’s lips press into a thin line. He doesn’t like being told what to do, least of all by me, his youngest child. Perhaps if Mother were still alive, he’d be more gentle and kind, but illness took her when I was eleven.
They say the Shadow King has some sort of power, but no one knows what it is. Some say he can command the shadows to do his bidding, that he can use them to kill—choke the life out of his enemies. Others say they’re a shield. That no blade can pierce his skin. And even others say that the shadows speak to him, whispering the thoughts of those all around.
Another grin stretches across the king’s lips, and I can’t help but admire how much more handsome he becomes with the movement.
The king, who has never publicly danced with anyone since his coronation, asked me to dance. And then he left without another word.
When a man sees something that several other men want, he can’t help but want it, too.
Passion leads to fierce heartbreak, Rhoda. You might think twice about how badly you wish for it.”
“I didn’t mean the chocolate. When I see something I want, I reach for it without hesitation.”
“What are you reaching for now?” I ask. He takes only a moment to think. “The world,” he says simply. “I want to own all of it. For every city to bear my coat of arms and for every person throughout the continent to know my name and recognize my reign.”
“I have no intention of taking a wife or making heirs. I have an empire to build and traitors to root out of my very court. What I need is for the council to stop hounding me, and if I were to have the appearance of courting someone, they would do just that. “You are here, Lady Stathos, because I’m looking for a friend. Someone who isn’t seeking to be a queen, as you are not. Someone who isn’t afraid to tell me what they are thinking, no matter if they think I will dislike it. And our friendship will also have the benefit of appeasing the council. “You are beautiful,” he continues. “But not so
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“What makes you think I don’t want to be queen?” I ask. “If you had, you would have gotten in line with the rest of the girls. You wouldn’t try to insult me every chance you get.”
A faint smile still lingers on his lips. “My name is Kallias. Kallias Maheras.” “Kallias,” I say, letting the syllables drift off my tongue: kuh-LIE-us. I have been entrusted with the name of a king. Now I need him to give me his heart.
“Have you already told everyone our news?” “No, sire.” He holds out an arm in my direction while addressing the room. “I’m courting Lady Stathos.” His gaze flits meaningfully to the next table over, where his councilors are seated.
That’s when I notice that two empty chairs rest to the left and right of the king. No one is permitted to sit within two seats of him. Except me. The spot to his immediate right is presented to me,
We’re much closer than the law’s five feet, but if Kallias is permitting it, I’m not about to complain. Besides, the most delicious scent of lavender and mint and musk fills my senses at the close proximity. The Shadow King smells delicious.
“You are being courted by the king. That fact alone makes you the most popular girl in the world.”
I handled Hektor as I have handled everything else in my life: alone and with the utmost thoroughness.
I have received countless jewels and precious stones from my lovers, but this— Nestled in black velvet is a necklace unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The rubies have been cut into the shapes of petals, spreading outward into a blooming rose the size of a tightly closed fist. Black steel frames each gem, giving a beautiful border to the petals, allowing each jewel to stand out.
He swallows the bite in his mouth. “Alessandra Stathos, that’s positively despicable.” He says the words like they’re the highest compliment he can give me. “You are an absolute gem, do you know that?” My whole body warms at the praise.
“The poets say a virtuous woman’s worth is above rubies. I should think the king values you more than all the precious gems in the world combined. I know I would if you were mine.”
The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.
“If I were to touch someone skin to skin when I’m not in my shadow form, my ability would go away whenever I’m in their presence. I would be corporeal anytime they were around. I would be susceptible to death and pain and all else. My father lived to be over three hundred years old. A long and lonely life until he decided to marry my mother. Then he was mortal. She was the anchor keeping him grounded. And anyone could assassinate him while my mother was near. “And they did,” he finishes.
“You were right, Alessandra. Last night. All of those things you said. I’ve been afraid to truly live. Being with you outside of closely observed mealtimes makes me vulnerable. If someone learns my secret, if we were to accidentally touch—I could be killed. “But that’s no way to live. I may not be allowed to ever have someone physically close to me. But that doesn’t mean I can’t let you in. I … like you, and I hope that you could like me, too.”
But I’ve found that during all our conversations, I haven’t had to pretend. When I say things, it’s because I truly feel and think that way. I may be trying to win the heart of a king, but … I’m still being myself. That’s never happened before
“This is one of the few outfits I haven’t worn yet. I was angry at you and didn’t want to wear your favorite color.” “But then you wore it anyway?” “I thought it might make you angrier when you were forced to watch me leave with all my things.” He smiles. “It would have.”
“I don’t wear this sword just for looks,” he adds. “I do know how to use it. Rest assured, the only dangerous thing out here is me.”
“Oh, Alessandra. If only I’d known you sooner. I would never ignore you.” “Such a gallant king.”
“Have you ever been in love?” “No,” he says. “Not ever. What’s it like?” “Horrible.”
“What are you looking at?” “That should be obvious. Perhaps you’d like to ask me what I’m thinking instead?” His eyes are liquid fire, and I wonder just how dangerous it might be to ask that very question.
“I’m thinking,” he answers, “that you are quite beautiful, and every man at this table wishes he were me right now.”
“I lied. You’re the most stunning thing to ever set foot in my palace.”
“I want to keep you all to myself.”
I shouldn’t be surprised at all that a king would be selfish, demanding, even cruel at times. But he is other things as well. He is intelligent, handsome, and giving. And he is not entirely unchangeable. He is changing his ways already for me.
If you wish to make a happy match, I think you should do the same. Don’t be afraid of who you are. Say what you wish. Be who you wish. Don’t try to be someone else.
“I can’t touch another human, but my abilities aren’t affected by animals. Demodocus is the only companion I can have. Some days, I even spoil him and let him in the bed.”
“Do you like music?” “I think I would like your music.”
“A ball gown, actually. I was inspired by your mother’s roses.” I look up at the blossoms in question. “We must throw a ball, then, so you may show it off once it is finished.”
He takes one glance at me on the ground, at the red outline of a handprint on my cheek, before turning back to the assassin. “You’ll die for that,” Kallias says, his voice a deep rumble.
“You placed yourself between the attacker and me.” I did? I hadn’t been thinking. I’d just acted. “Thank you,” he says. “But do not ever put your life on the line for mine. I can heal. You cannot.”
“You saved my life by distracting the assassin and giving me time to heal. And I have never feared so much for your safety. You’ll be sleeping right next to me now.”
“That door at the end of the room leads to the washroom. And this one”—he points to a door I hadn’t noticed near the bed—“leads to my chambers.”
“No. If my face is heated, it is from the fury I feel toward you.”
“Alessandra, I do not tease you. It is only Orrin’s attempt at poetry that amuses me. You are worthy of all the poets’ notice, but that”—he points to the shredded pieces on the ground—“is not worthy of you.”
But something bothers me about the council’s insistence on an heir from Kallias. Wouldn’t they know exactly how his powers work? And if so, wouldn’t they want him to avoid touching anyone? Unless they are indeed the ones trying to have him killed. I’m beginning to think Kallias’s fears are perfectly warranted.
