Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,216

told him to do so. Remember that tonight when he pulls you close and kisses your forehead.” Celia snorted, smiling demurely as she fixed her hair and righted her dress before heading out of the room. At the door, she clapped her hands, which sent the young girls racing toward her with fear marring their eyes. “I hope you enjoy this shitty little room he’s placed you into, unwilling to allow you into his actual bedroom that sits beside mine.”

“This is the library, which happens to be my favorite thing in the world.”

Celia’s eyes looked around the room, and the girls mirrored her curious stare. She frowned before throwing her head back, laughing like she found it amusing.

“You’re insane too? Brilliant! You’re the perfect mindless queen we needed you to be. I couldn’t have chosen you better myself to be the one whose magic we steal and place on a throne we intend to rule together. You’re going to be the downfall of witches everywhere, puppet. All we had to do was find your weakness and exploit it. You know, Amara was an easy target for me to wield against you. I gave that simple-minded girl a tonic, and she fell in love with a monster so easily. Amara kept returning again and again, and I would meet her each time, assuring her I was a witch and her guide. It was easy to steer her in the direction I wanted because she hated not being the center of attention. You stole all the attention, making it simple for me to win her over by giving her mine, undivided, ultimately claiming her trust. Amara was starving to feel as if she mattered, bathing in the glow of being someone important for once. It took very little to manipulate her by feeding her potions that turned her against you.

“Garrett, well, he did love her, because what beauty falls in love with a monster like that? I took great pleasure in knowing that you removed her head, unknowing that she was innocent of the crimes she committed. I watched you do it and knew that once you found out she was being controlled, you’d hate yourself for killing your twin sister. You shouldn’t have touched what belongs to me, little bitch. Once was expected because the king’s magic carries a heavy toll on him and on those he uses it on. You couldn’t stay off his dick, though. Could you? No, because you’re nothing more than a worthless whore. So I took steps to end your life, and since I no longer needed Amara to get you and your sisters back into the Nine Realms, she was expendable. Knox interrupted it unknowingly and brought you to his castle before Garrett’s father could remove that nasty head of yours. You should have died in the Kingdom of Unwanted Beasts, Aria. It would have been much kinder than what we intend to do to you,” Celia laughed, watching the tears swimming in my eyes as I swallowed.

“Didn’t know that, did you? Amara wasn’t a monster. In fact, she was sweet and begged me to spare you even while under the influence of magic. Her love for you was that strong. It took three times the amount of magic to force her to persuade Garret and his father to get you into that throne room, where you dangled like a piece of rotten meat that doesn’t even know it’s rancid yet. Watch your back, witch. Your days are numbered. Keep fucking the man I intend to marry and see which one of us wins that fight,” Celia laughed coldly, turning on her heel as she left the room, sealing it before the lock clicked into place.

I covered my trembling lips with my hands as rage rushed through me. Had Knox known about Amara? No, he couldn’t have. He’d come to save me. Brander had told me as much, and his anger at finding me like that had been real. Did he have any idea of the psychopath he’d created by sleeping with his dead wife’s sister? Probably not. He wasn’t bright about that sort of thing. Did I believe that she’d given him hints on how to seduce me? Maybe, but he’d chosen different words and had done other things with me she hadn’t mentioned.

The thing about crazy bitches was this; you couldn’t trust what they said or take it as truth without digging up the dirt. She was obviously obsessed with Knox, and while