Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,85

for him to stop, but he continued, and the vibrations sent heat rushing through me, causing my body to work against me.

What the hell was he thinking? This wasn’t the time to beat his chest, not with armies waiting to clash together in a bloody battle. Yet, I had no disillusion that his rattle had meant to arch my spine, creating a throbbing pain that forced me to adjust on the saddle, attempting to clench my thighs.

He stopped when my horse reared up, trying to deposit me onto the ground. I patted its head, cooing to calm it. I peered down at Knox through my dark lashes as he walked toward the barrier, watching me as he silently approached, turning to glare at Asil at the last moment.

“I see you are aware of the little witch I have with me.” Asil stated, her cold, dead eyes slipping to me as I stared forward and away from Knox, feeling her questioning gaze moving between him and me. “King Karnavious, meet Aria. Isn’t she beautiful? My men think she’s exquisite.”

“That little witch isn’t here to protect you, though. Or is she? No, that’s right. Aria’s still hiding from me. Aren’t you?” His tone was low and deadly as it slithered through me, scratching at my heart.

I looked at Asil, and her eyes narrowed to angry slits. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I turned in the saddle, peering at Kinvara on the upper battlements. She hid behind another barrier of magic that shielded the witches from sight.

Kinvara shook her head, and I exhaled, righting myself on my horse, studying the army behind Knox. My sisters and Aurora worked the spell, but until I made more sacrifices, it wouldn’t uproot the magic we fought to remove.

A shiver of agitation rushed through me as I considered every way this could go. I mostly envisioned it going sideways and me on my knees as Knox’s plaything before today’s setting sun. That was the best-case scenario if shit went wrong.

My eyes closed, and I struggled to calm the war within me, exhaling the worry before I opened them, finding Knox studying me. He searched my face, lifting his stare to the battlements before settling it back on me.

“Something wrong, Aria?” he asked, and I swallowed, shaking my head.

“You know each other?” Asil asked icily, her eyes sliding between us with a calculating look burning in them.

It was the first flicker of life I’d seen within Asil all week, other than the madness that consumed her when she murdered an innocent soul.

“No. I have never met this man before today. I think I would remember him if I had,” I lied, staring right at Knox, who observed me through heated eyes. “I’m merely nervous, as I’ve never faced off against an army before.”

Knox chose that moment to remind me of how well we knew each other, replaying every wicked thing he’d ever done to my body in vivid detail within his mind.

I swallowed past the heat it created in my core, causing my body to tighten with need while he watched me. Once he was certain he had filled me with angst from his heated stare, he smirked roguishly, then narrowed his eyes to slits before sliding them toward Asil to answer her.

“Indeed, she would remember me. Most women fidget or get nervous when this many men move toward them. She senses defeat thickening in the air and knows soon she’ll be beneath me tonight. After all, battles, more often than naught, do lead to pillaging, and my favorite, plundering. Tell me, Aria, would you enjoy being plundered deeply?”

“Do not answer him, girl. He seeks to bait you with the promise of seduction. He enjoys witches beneath him, but most end up headless when he’s finished using them. State your terms, King Karnavious,” Asil demanded, lifting her nose in the air like Knox was beneath her.

“I want Aria Hecate on her knees with a promise of her surrender, and everyone else here dead,” Knox said without missing a beat.

I blinked at the fluidity of his request before sputtering, “Hell no, asshole.” I shook my head, even as a shiver of fear slid up my spine. His lips tipped into a smile, heat burning in his eyes as he watched me. In his mind, I was on my knees with my hands behind my back, doing devious things with my lips.

Bastard.

“I’m the lady of this keep, and only I can decline his terms, girl.” Her eyes studied