father. He sent all his men out and burned down the homes and lands of anyone who even had a vine of it growing. Recks died that day, whereas I lived.
“Have they?”
I glare at Mazon.
He glares right back.
Elzira
The cold, which is my gift, is also my curse. Most days, I hate that it consumes me to the point of near death. It’s punishing. I hate it. So when I wake to warmth, I cling to it. I wrap my arm around the solid heat and bury my face against the masculine scent of it.
“She lives,” a familiar voice teases, deep and husky, as he runs his fingers through my hair. “Long live the queen.”
I attempt to summon my cold to my fingertips to give him a zap on his bare, muscular chest. Instead, I weaken further. Sickness roils in my stomach. I clench my eyes closed, fighting past the wave of dizziness.
“When your father died, who was your advisor?” Ryke asks.
“I advised myself.”
“That doesn’t surprise me in the least,” he says with a chuckle that moves the bed. “But surely you sought some council. At fifteen, you were not all-knowing on the ways of being a queen.”
I think back to the days when Cavon, just three years my senior, held me together when I was falling apart. For a few years there, our lines of queen and soldier were blurred to that of friends. But the moment I saw something more than friendship glimmering in his green eyes, I knew it was time for a hasty retreat. I’m a queen. Queens don’t get distracted by handsome boys who want to save them. No, they lead those handsome boys into battle, knowing they’re at their back ready to fight to the death for them.
“Cavon, I suppose. It was natural as his father was my father’s most trusted man.”
“Green?” he scoffs. “He’s awfully territorial of you, so that makes sense.”
“He wanted more,” I admit. “Of course, he never spoke those words. I just knew.”
“Did you want more?”
I turn my head to look up at him. His amber eyes are intense as they bore into me.
“A queen doesn’t yearn for girly things like love. A queen yearns for power.”
His brow lifts. “A queen could have both.”
“Not with someone like Cavon,” I mutter.
He breaks into a wide smile. “But with a king she could.”
Swatting at his chest, I scoff. “You just love to taunt, don’t you? Do you wake up each morning asking yourself how you can terrorize those around you, Volc?”
“It’s a part of my breakfast routine,” he teases. “Speaking of which. You’ve missed lunch. Supper will be here soon.”
My stomach tightens at the mention of food. “I’m not hungry.”
“I’m not really concerned with what you do and don’t want, snowflake. I’ve accosted you and you’re my prisoner. That means, while you’re in my custody, I will make you do whatever I see fit.” He slides a palm to my bottom, squeezing the flesh as he heats me through my dress. “I have plans for later if you’re craving something a little more filling after supper.”
I sit up on my elbow and glower at him. “What do you want from me, Ryke? Your games are tiring.”
“I want to marry your sister, right? Isn’t that what I proposed?” He lifts a brow and his amber eyes gleam with mischief.
“Do you really?” I demand.
“She’s a bit of a tart,” he says absently. “Although I have a thing for the sour ones.” He pinches my cheek, earning a growl from me. His bellowing laughter steals a small smile from me.
“My sister deserves love,” I tell him. “Can you give her that?”
His features grow stormy. “No. I could never love her. I’m sorry.”
I blink back tears. “You couldn’t even lie to me? Send me to my death knowing my sister will be well-loved and cared for? You’re a sadistic monster.”
“Your sister was always a transaction for me. A token to access the Hidden Lands. This was always about my ultimate destination—the ultimate war. I am not only the Truth Seeker, I am a truth speaker.”
“Then tell me the truth,” I beg. “What do you want from me?”
His warm palm cradles my cheek. He drops his gaze to my lips, causing a sweat to break out over my skin. “I want…” His words trail off as he runs his thumb across my bottom lip. “I want what I came for.”
“My sister?”
“Access to the Hidden Lands.”
Why doesn’t he just cut my throat and barge through our lands, taking what