Page 180 of Savage Throne
Moni’s ladies-in-waiting nodded.
And just when I thought Moni was fully enraptured with the dancers too, she leaned my way and whispered. “Whatever happens, I’ll follow your lead.”
My heart warmed, yet I moved her way and let the corner of my lips slip along the delicate curve her ear. “That’s not what we said. What’s your actual job?”
Several people clapped.
The dancers must have executed some spectacular move.
With a wide regal smile, Moni clapped too as if she were paying attention and then whispered back, “My job is to stay with Duck and Chen, but—”
“No buts.”
She tilted her head slightly. “I can do more.”
“You can’t and we’re not taking any risks.” I moved my lips over her ear again and breathed her in. “While my father may have convinced the world that you’re a monster, I’mnotconvinced.”
She pulled back and stared defiantly into my eyes. “Then, you should replay that footage again.”
Mmmm.
My cock jerked.
I like ‘Kickass Moni.’ I can’t wait to play with her in bed.
Her words hung in the air between us, sharp and defiant, but it was her eyes that caught me off guard.
They weren’t just the deep, brown endless pools I knew so well—they had changed. Beneath their surface was a newly rising promise of death, a dark determination that sent a shiver of both pride and worry through me.
Moni wasn’t the same woman she’d been before my father had dragged her into his nightmare. That soft, warm light I’d fallen in love with was still there, flickering like a fragile ember. But now, it was wrapped in a wildfire.
I let myself stare at her for a moment longer than I should have, taking in the slight lift of her chin, the set of her jaw.
She was breathtaking, this queen forged in the flames of hell itself.
But her fire alone wouldn’t be enough to burn him down tonight.
“Stick with Chen and Duck.”
She pursed her lips and went back to watching the dancers.
Thank you, Moni. I just need you safe and far away from him when we fight.
The orchestra’s strings went into a frenzy. The flutes fluttered with the percussion’s thunderous heartbeat.
Everyone else had their views on the dancers while my father’s and my eyes locked on each other.
The air between us crackled like a live wire.
Are you ready to die tonight, old man?
To test him, I shot my hand up fast to my wine glass.
His gaze flicked to my hand, and I saw it—the faintest twitch of his lips, the crack in his armor.
You’re unraveling. Good.
Nonchalantly,I lifted the glass to my lips, savoring the weight of it in my hand. The dark liquid inside swirled like liquid silk, reflecting the indigo glow of the chandeliers above.
