Page 75 of The Sunbound Princess
He sucked in a breath. “I’m not afraid.”
“Yes, you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t allow the sorcerer to put his boot on your neck.” I raised my voice, pleasure curling through me when contempt dripped from every syllable. “What kind of king bows to another? You’re not fit to rule, Corvus, and you know it.”
Red flooded his face. Jumping to his feet, he smashed his goblet on the table. “My blood is more noble than yours, my line more ancient. I?—”
“Nobility doesn’t come from blood,” I said. The Dokimasi’s heat surged in my chest. “It comes from the heart.”
“Touching,” Viraxes said. He motioned to the platform behind me. “Get on with it. Unless you prefer I summon the guards?”
Dain and Nikolas stood like two pillars on either side of me. Fury rolled off them in waves. Any second, they would do something stupid like rush Viraxes and get themselves killed.
I pulled the gown over my head and tossed it to the floor.
Corvus’s eyes widened, then narrowed to slits. He looked away, his discomfort palpable.
Viraxes stared openly, a mix of lust and calculation in his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched in what might have been surprise…or amusement. He hadn’t anticipated calm compliance. Now that he had it, he obviously didn’t know what to do with it.
Cool air kissed my skin, but the Dokimasi warmed me from within. Its fire swelled, heat peeking over the horizon of my heart. Rays of it fluttered down my body like a cloak falling into place. Tendrils of heat wrapped around my limbs like armor. At the edges of my vision, Dain and Nikolas looked at me sharply, wonder and confusion flowing off them.
I could hardly blame them when I shared the same emotions. The magic spread—then it roared, heat sizzling to my fingertips, my toes, the crown of my head. The power pushed at my chest. It pounded at me from all sides, as if the sunstone lay just under my feet. But that was impossible. If Viraxes possessed the stone, he wouldn’t have bothered with me.
I offered my hand to Dain. He took it without hesitation, magic sparking between our palms. When I turned to Nikolas, his hand already waited. The moment our fingers touched, magic leapt between us like lightning called to the ground.
I looked at Corvus, and I didn’t have to fake my smile. “You want to watch us fuck? Gladly. And when you do, know that fucking them feels a thousand times better than it ever did with you.”
Rage contorted his handsome features into something twisted and ugly. Although, maybe he’d always been ugly. I’d just never truly seen him before.
“You bitch!” he snarled. “You can’t speak to me that way!” He swung toward Viraxes, who still reclined on his lounger. Spittle flew from Corvus’s lips as he thrust a finger at me. “Punish her. I know you’re capable of it.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Viraxes’s face. “I’ve done enough for you, Corvus. If you want her punished, do it yourself.”
Corvus stared at the sorcerer. Then he turned back to me. Dain squeezed my hand. Nikolas took a half-step forward, clearly prepared for Corvus to attack. But suddenly, Corvusappeared to calm. The mottled red faded from his face, and a vicious smile played around his mouth.
“You think you’re strong,” Corvus said, malevolence lacing his words. “Standing there like some righteous queen when you’re nothing but a spoiled child playing with her new toys.” His tone went silky, sliding under my skin like a well-sharpened blade. “Your father was the same—a frivolous fool who cared more for lances and spectacle than running his own kingdom.”
Dread settled over me, but I kept my expression neutral. Let him talk. Let him reveal himself.
“Thessador was weak,” Corvus continued. “Someone had to save the Summer Court from his incompetence. Someone had to make the hard choices his Council was too spineless to make.”
“What choices?” I asked quietly. The answer loomed in my mind, but I needed to hear him say it.
His smile widened. “That final joust in the Serpent Steppes was such a tragic accident. And so unexpected. How could a knight as renowned as your father fall to another? All those centuries perfecting the joust, and he left himself open to that lance.” Corvus leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “Itook care of things when no one else would. You dare call me a coward when it was I who crossed the Covenant and journeyed to this tower.Inegotiated with the Sorcerer of Solbarren to purchase a lance guaranteed to find its mark.”
Blood pounded in my ears. I’d been so blind. But no longer. The Dokimasi expanded inside me, a ball of heat and fire ready to spring to my command. But not just yet.Wait, it whispered. There was a time for everything. I knew that now. The sun rose on its own schedule. And sometimes, it slept.
“You killed him,” I said.
Corvus lifted his chin. “I saved Summer,” he corrected. “Thessador’s weakness would have destroyed us eventually. The other kingdoms mock us. They think we’re soft and consumedwith seeking pleasure. But no more. At last, the Summer Court will finally have a king worthy of it. A king who will use the sunstone’s power as it was meant to be used.”
In a flash, I saw the world as Corvus would have it. He would rule as a tyrant, using the sunstone to serve his vanity. He’d already killed one king. He’d allied himself with Viraxes. He thought I was too weak to stop him.
“Thank you,” I said.
He blinked, a frown appearing between his eyes. “What?”
“For admitting what you are. It might be the first truthful thing you’ve done. You believed my father was weak, and you were right. An honorable man would have challenged him. But you’re not honorable, so you stole what you were too powerless to take.”
Corvus’s expression darkened. “You know nothing about power. True kings don’t ask for crowns. They take them.”
