Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,16

practiced this before, Knox being seductive, and Brander and Killian pretending it wasn’t happening. I knew I was still in shock from running and what had almost happened, but I felt safe with Knox and his men, and so did my creature.

“Why would the dark witches think their plan would work, Aria?” Knox asked, watching as I lifted and dropped my shoulders in a shrug.

“Lord Andres and Kristal said they had done it to you before, using another woman to pose as your lover to get close to you,” I muttered, noticing his hands had stopped moving.

Killian tensed, and Brander turned toward me slowly, narrowing his eyes to slits as he listened. I chewed my lip at the awkward silence in the tent, wondering if they knew who it was.

The mood in the tent had shifted to something bordering violence as Knox’s hands moved back to my hair, pulling on it as he washed it. I tried to turn to look at him, but he forced me to stay where I was, facing Brander, who silently studied me. I continued shielding myself from their eyes while Knox’s hands grew hard, his actions jerking and worrisome.

“Did they mention a name?” Knox asked softly. There was a steel edge to his words, sharp enough to double as a blade.

“No,” I replied carefully.

“What else did they tell you?”

“They didn’t tell me anything. Lord Andres and Kristal spoke to each other, and I don’t think they cared if I listened since they intended to murder me. Kristal intended to murder you, assuming she could get close enough if she looked and smelled like me. Lord Andres argued it, stating that you knew me in a carnal way that she couldn’t imitate with magic.”

“And how had they managed to do it before with my other lover?” he countered before snorting loudly.

“They said you fell in love with her because of the tonic she drank. It induced her unique scent, which you couldn’t decipher from an actual heat cycle. Kristal said they planted her in your life when the girl was young and kept up the ruse until her death.” I felt my skin pebble as realization dawned on me as to who they’d meant.

How had I missed it? Knox had only ever loved one person in his entire life. In my trauma, I’d missed connecting the dots. I’d missed the clues of whom they’d spoken. I shivered, fighting the fear that wrapped around my stomach and throat with my mistake. I wanted to take the words back, return them to the tip of my tongue, and swallow them down. The tension in the tent was stifling, and my heart pounded deafeningly in my ears, the admission cutting Knox deeper than if I’d taken a knife and stabbed it into his chest.

“And you expect me to believe that?” he sneered.

“No. You asked me what else I had heard. That’s what I heard. It doesn’t mean it is right, or maybe I just misunderstood what Lord Andres and Kristal said because of what was happening when they spoke of it. I was in pain and exhausted. Maybe I misheard.” I lied, praying he accepted my explanation.

“And did you inform them I only enjoyed using your body and had no affection for your heart? Or did you assure them you would help them get to me?”

I tensed as my chest tightened. “I didn’t inform them of anything or how you felt about me. I was too busy having a finger shoved into my body so Lord Andres could taste the state of my womb and breeding cycle. It didn’t seem the right time to speak, all things considered. Next time one of your men are molesting me, I’ll be sure to stop fighting them to get the details for your next interrogation, King Karnavious.”

“You think to sway me to you with your assault as you soil the memory of my wife with your fucking lies?”

“She’s a lying bitch,” Killian snarled, lunging toward me, but Brander moved to intercede, preventing him from reaching me. I shivered as tears slipped free. “Liliana was his mate, witch! She birthed his son. He ought to take your fucking tongue for your lies.”

“Answer my fucking question, witch,” Knox demanded coldly.

“No, I don’t intend to do anything with you, Knox. Had I realized it was your wife who they spoke of, I would have held my tongue on what I’d heard. I do not wish to soil her memory, nor to inflict more pain