Reign of Darkness (The Prince's Assassin #2) - Ariana Nash Page 0,104

still, as though he expected nothing less, as though he welcomed Niko’s wrath. Because he knew he deserved it.

A figure darted in. A fist struck Niko’s jaw, making the room spin. Cold hands snatched Niko’s wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back, dropping Niko to his knees, from where he saw only Vasili’s scuffed and filthy boots. It had happened so damn fast that none of this felt real.

Betrayal. Again. Oh, how Niko knew its familiar sting.

Grief clogged Niko’s throat, choking him. No, no… He’d given the prince the pieces of his broken heart, and Vasili had crushed them, exactly as he’d feared he would. But it couldn’t be true. He’d said it was all real, the cabin, the Vasili he’d held near-death in his arms, the prince that came alive in Seran’s heat-soaked streets. The cabin… what had he said? Something about Niko being Amir’s weakness. Vasili did this because he thought he had no other way. “Vasili, don’t do this!”

“Drop the razor, you beautiful fucking bastard,” Amir hissed in Niko’s ear. He punctuated the order by pulling Niko’s arm in a direction it didn’t want to go, forcing a cry up Niko’s throat. Fingers tingling, the razor slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor.

Amir patted him on the head. “There’s a good pet. Now fucking hold him!”

The guards swarmed in, hauling Niko back to his feet, and there they stood: the Caville princes. Amir next to Vasili, his smile slick and wicked, while Vasili’s looked wooden, tacked to his lips because it was all the armor he had left.

“You bastard son of a bitch!” Niko spat at Vasili’s boots. “You didn’t have to do this!”

Amir sank his fingers into Niko’s hair and gripped firm, yanking his head back. “No, dog, the son of a bitch is you.” Amir’s thick, wet tongue stroked up Niko’s cheek. “Oh, you and I are going to have so much fun.”

Niko bucked against those holding him, but it was no use. Even if he got free, there were dozens of guards, all with flickering black eyes, all possessed.

Amir thrust Niko’s head back, letting go as he did. “Take this Yazdan bitch to my carriage.”

“Vasili… why?” They could have found another way together.

“Elves have taken Seran,” he flatly replied, voice as hollow as his gaze. “They’re approaching Loreen’s borders from the south and east. A simultaneous attack on two fronts. I cannot fight them as I am. Alone.”

Niko let out a breath that sounded too much like a sob. “You weren’t alone.”

Vasili’s light lashes fluttered, but he gave no indication the words had gotten through. “Now I have Amir’s forces. Only with the flame can the elves finally be defeated.”

“No… No.” He was going to surrender to the flame. “Vasili, don’t do this. This is exactly what the flame wants. It will consume you, Amir, Loreen, all of it.” He bucked in the guards’ grips. “There’s another way!”

Amir snapped his fingers. “Gag him.” A cloth was rammed in his mouth and tied off. It didn’t matter anyway because there were no words left for what Vasili had done.

The guards tried to manhandle Niko from the room, but by the three gods, Niko had no intention of making it easy for them. He kicked and yanked, but there were too many, their strength too great and their eyes all-black.

“Wait!” Vasili’s order boomed.

Panting behind the rag, Niko brought his glare up to watch Vasili approach. He’d take it back, he’d tell them to let him go, and they’d fight, they’d fight together, because this was wrong.

Vasili held Niko’s blurring gaze. “You told me once how a blacksmith’s blade was better than none. You were right. One blacksmith’s blade has bought me an army, and all it cost me was you. I’m out of time, Nikolas.”

No… Niko made sure Vasili witnessed the betrayal in his eyes.

Vasili nodded at the guards, and they hauled Niko backward, toward the door.

“I’m sorry,” Vasili said, and those two words sank like daggers into Niko’s heart.

Chapter 32

The more he struggled, the more the ropes bit into his wrists. Didn’t matter. He twisted his legs, eventually managing to kick free of the ropes tied loosely around his ankles. For all the good it did him. He was still tied at the wrists and gagged so damn tightly he couldn’t yank the cloth over his chin.

The carriage bounced and clattered, jarring Niko’s spine. There were no seats inside, just plain boards. When the carriage occasionally stopped, he listened to the