Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,87

my cheeks.

Aria had nearly fucking freed a witch of the darkness! We’d spent countless nights trying to free witches, only for them to wither and die in our arms. Thousands of them had expired before we’d given up on ever finding a cure.

“Did you see it?” I asked, unable to prevent the words from tumbling out of my throat. Hope was a dangerous thing. It made people think they could turn this hell back into what it was before Ilsa, and the dark magic had spread like a plague through the Nine Realms.

“Quiet. They’re listening,” Siobhan murmured, turning to give me a pointed look.

My heart was racing, and the skin on my neck rose. I turned, looking back at Killian, who glared at me, slowly following behind us. His cerulean-blue eyes were sharp and filled with mistrust. My mind closed down, and I pushed everything away from me to steel my features.

It wouldn’t be a shock for any of us to be excited about what Aria had done. There was no one within the Nine Realms who hadn’t lost someone to the darkness. I believed Esme’s story after seeing what Aria did with her rage by unleashing a fierce hailstorm of fire and almost fully removing darkness.

I handed the babe off to Dana, smiling before moving toward the old crone who handed out chores and bedding for us to use. Smiling, she glared, rolling her eyes and folding her arms over her chest.

“What ye be after, Soraya?” she asked, and I smirked.

“Where am I sleeping tonight, ya old bat?” I asked teasingly, noting the way her eyes slid over my shoulder. My stomach tightened and churned as power sizzled over my flesh. I closed my eyes, then glanced over my shoulder, finding Killian behind me.

“Come with me, witch,” he growled, starting forward before I’d caught my breath.

Unlike Brander, Killian scared me. His persona was hard and filled with loathing for witches. I knew who he was and what we’d done to him, and while I didn’t blame him, I also feared him. His pace was hurried, and yet he paused to speak in his language to a guard. Killian stepped to the side, revealing a room, holding his arm out to show I should enter.

I was supposed to be sneaking off to a room to contact Ilsa, but I was pretty certain Killian was about to interrogate me. I moved past him, examining the room that held a single table and two chairs. My heartbeat thundered in my chest, and I silently waited for my head to leave my body.

Inwardly, I screamed while Killian stood behind me quietly. Turning, I discovered him directly behind me, and he smirked, lifting his hand to push the dark hair away from my face. He didn’t speak, and it was unnerving. Heat slid into my core with how he studied me like he was working to figure me out while I stood, silently screaming inside my head.

“How can I serve you, My Lord?” I whispered, unable to stop the trembling in my lips.

Men flooded into the room, and I slid to my knees, bowing my head. Lowering, I placed my palms up as my forehead brushed against the floor. I trembled, wondering how many had come to rape me. Everything within me screamed as a silent sob rocked through my body. A hand touched my shoulder, and I whispered what they had trained me to say.

“I am here for your pleasure and entertainment, My Lord. Please take what you want from me,” I said through quivering lips.

“Bloody hell, woman. Get up,” Brander growled.

“Did I displease you?” I asked, slowly lifting my eyes to find his filled with understanding and compassion. “I can be better.”

Brander kneeled, brushing his knuckles against my cheek. “You’re here to look at a fucking map. You don’t submit to anyone who hasn’t earned your fucking respect and trust. I know they trained you to be submissive, but let’s be honest here. You’re not submissive, you’re wounded—here,” he said, touching my forehead, “and here,” he pointed to my heart.

Brander held his hand out, and I stared at it for a moment before looking around the room, finding witches and men watching me with the same sympathy and understanding that Brander had shown.

“I assumed…”

“You assumed we planned to rape you. We’re not those types of people. If you sleep with someone here, it’s because you want to do so. Come on, stand.” he said, pulling me up with him.

Killian narrowed his eyes