Wicked King by Ana Calin

Author:Ana Calin [Calin, Ana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fairies and folklore, fantasy romance, mythology, fae romance
Publisher: Ana Calin
Published: 2020-09-24T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER V

Cerys

Warm light kisses my eyelids, and soon I register muffled voices outside. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, trying to fire up my brain, the soft, warm pillows still enticing me. Nazarean meows as if he just woke up, too, stretching his front paws and lifting his black tail in the air.

When did Xerxes even leave? I remember him telling me not to worry, that he’d get out of here before anyone discovered us. Then nothing. Blank. High realms, how long have I slept?

I put on slippers and head slowly towards the voices. Every step is a vivid reminder of my encounter with Xerxes, because I’m deliciously sore inside.

But as I emerge into the main room the sight of Kariem sends jolts of shock through me. I step back, reaching for the doorframe for balance. The shrieking dark substance that he used to pin me down to the bathtub hits my memory in flashes. I only register Marayke, Draven and the guards marginally.

“Cerys, you’re up.” Marayke heads over with a worried look on her face, grabbing my arm and my waist to guide me towards the group, but I resist. I point to Kareim.

“What is he still doing here? You know what he tried to do yesterday? He tried to rape me!”

“First of all, what happened between us didn’t happen yesterday,” he says, facing me in full. He even juts out his chin as if he were the wronged one. Cursed realms, how I want to slash the other side of his face with my own fingernails. Nazarean prowls between my feet, hissing in approval of the thought. “You’ve slept for two days straight after Xerxes brought you back to our suite.”

“We still don’t know for a fact it was Xerxes,” Marayke intervenes. Her tone is tense, telling me this is some kind of trial.

“He barged in on us and did this to me, Marayke,” Kareim says angrily, pulling down his collar to expose the ugly bruises on his neck. “When I came to, she wasn’t there anymore, but these were.” He tears more of his garment open to show the slashes on his chest. Nazarean hisses—it was him.

“You assaulted me!” I cry.

“The welcome committee had sent me to bring you downstairs at the banquet. They demanded that you attend.”

“What?” Outrage sends pressure buzzing through my ears. “How can you...? What the fuck is this?” I yank myself from Marayke’s grip, turning to her. “Do you know anything about this?”

“We were all downstairs at the banquet, but only Kareim sat close to the welcome committee. It is possible that they sent him for you. As for me, I, really, I wanted to wake you up myself when the servants announced we should get ready for the banquet but I, I just, I couldn’t bring myself to. You were exhausted, you’d fallen asleep in a reclining chair in the small room. I just didn’t want to disturb you unless I absolutely had to.”

“You were so exhausted

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