Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,9

slid to the rising sun outside the tent, detaching myself from the situation as he pushed his fingers against my core, entering my body with one, then withdrawing it, making grotesque noises as he tasted his finger.

“She’s in heat, which means the king is coming for her. Everything within him demands he doesn’t lose her during a cycle.”

“King Karnavious can’t tell the difference between an actual heat cycle and a tonic induced cycle. We stick to the plan. She dies, and I replace her long enough to take his head,” Kristal snapped.

“You’re not hearing me. The king has tasted her cunt, heard her noises, and knows her scent by heart. You cannot replicate Aria’s scent with magic like your mistress did to his other lover. We gave the tonic to the last one before he’d ever known her carnally.”

Andres pushed his finger back into my sex, forcing it further into my body as I cried out, struggling to get away from his touch as he reached for something within my body. His other hand slapped me, and darkness danced in my vision as he snorted.

“She isn’t pregnant, and his scent is weak on her,” Andres declared, pulling his finger up to his nose while smiling at me cruelly.

“Then what do you suggest we do? She’s a bloodline Hecate witch with too much power to control, Andres. What the dark mistress did to us, I cannot do to Aria or her kind. She’s entirely too powerful to manage while alive. The last one was much weaker and altered at birth to fit her role as his lover. The king was drawn to her from the first scent he caught. We created her to play a role, and once everything unfolded as we’d planned, we freed her from his unwanted affection and touch.”

“That sounds like your issue. If you can’t figure out a way to control Aria, I’ll keep the bitch and use her to build an army of monsters to go against the king. That,” Andres said, pointing at me, “is unheard of, and executing her is the last resort. No woman has rattled and purred in the last five hundred years. Not that history recorded, nor was it noted in the Library of Knowledge. Most can’t even do one or the other these days, and if she can breed children who can, that makes her worth a fortune. Your mistress wants to use her, but she doesn’t even realize what the little bitch is yet. So go converse with that evil bitch, Ilsa, because you’re not killing Aria.”

“You’re not in charge here!” Kristal snarled. The magic she rushed through the tent sent bile pushing against the back of my throat.

My entire body tightened, preparing for the assault that Kristal intended to unleash. Lord Andres snapped, pointed at me, and growled low from deep in his chest. “We can breed that bitch to create monsters. Her womb is fertile and can be filled often. You think of power, but that girl is raw power who can breed an entire army of monsters for your High Queen. Smell her womb, Kristal. That scent oozing from her lures beasts to breed with her, and I intend to do just that. Why do you think the King of Norvalla claimed her? Because he’s very aware of what she is and what she can do. Your queen would be foolish to waste this resource simply because she fears her. I refuse to allow that to happen!”

Magic shot toward Lord Andres, who jerked back the moment it slithered over him. His hand moved forward, slashing through the air with his blade as Kristal snarled. Blood splattered my face as she howled, shooting dark magic toward me. I rolled before it could slam into my body, groaning as pain burned in my bound wrists, secured behind my back.

The tent became smothered in magic as Kristal returned her focus on Andres, and he swung his blade wide, cutting deep into her throat. I shivered, gagging on the taste of copper that filled the air, mingling with dark, oily magic. Kristal’s hands lifted, and she sent a powerful wave of magic rushing through the tent, sending us flying in separate directions.

I peered at the sky, whimpering as I slid onto my side, staring through the bedlam ensuing through the camp. The power in the air was stifling as witches’ battled warriors. Slowly, I lifted onto my knees, searching the area for a direction in which to escape. Men were