"That doesn't alter the reality that you forced yourself on her. Whether the magic made her willing or not doesn't matter in the end." And I would kill him for it. If not now, then later.
I shifted Amaya to my left hand and tried to ignore the warm slickness covering her hilt. The pain was getting stronger, a monster ready to consume. I clenched what remained of my fingers on my shattered hand, but it did little to stem the tide of blood.
He made a "who cares" motion with his free hand. "It has been done. She will bear my child, no matter what happens to me. The decision you have to make is whether she actually gets to live or die."
"And why the hell would you impregnate her if all you intended to do is kill her?"
"Come now, let's not play dumb, Risa. She is captive to your good behavior. And, of course, she is not the only one I have seeded." His smile was all arrogance. "The Raziq may have stolen many things from me, but they did not take my potency."
I wished they fucking had. "So does your dark sorceress know she's about to become a mom?"
"You always did catch on to the inconsequential things faster than most," he murmured, looking amused. "But no, she does not. It is not necessary. Besides, she has not entirely upheld her part of our agreement, so I see no problem in not entirely upholding mine."
"That's a decidedly risky game to play when dealing with a sorceress as powerful as Lauren Macintyre." But maybe she'd kill him and save the rest of us the trouble.
"Yes, but there is also great pleasure to be found in playing such games."
I resisted the urge to glance at his body and see for myself just how much delight he was taking in this game. "So what's next?"
"Why, you find the keys; then we both go to retrieve them, of course."
"Of course." Dizziness swept me. I licked my lips and tried to ignore the trembling that was beginning to hit my muscles. "But what the hell are you going to do with them once you get them, Lucian? It's not like you can get onto the gray fields anymore."
Again that dark and dangerous energy flashed through him. "Perhaps, but I can use them as a bargaining chip with the Raziq."
"If you think they'll agree to restore you to full Aedh in exchange for the keys, you're not playing with a full deck."
"They will have no choice."