She’d gotten stronger since the last time he’d tested her. A lot stronger.
The regent pushed Alec out of the way. “I knew it,” he said, pointing his finger in Adira’s face. “I knew you were a witch! Tell me at once: how did you redirect that dial?”
Adira rolled her eyes. “I’m a witch, remember?”
Dvorak grabbed her arm and threw her toward one of the guards; Alec didn’t miss that he’d thrown her to someone else, not to him. That said a lot.
“You’re a smart ass who knows a few parlor tricks,” the regent said, “but you’ll do fine for what is required of you.”
Regent Dvorak turned to Alec and handed him some rope from a small pouch at his waist. “Tie her up. I won’t have her running off again.” He nodded to the rest of the guards. “Stay here with the rest of them. I will send a cart for their transport. They’re to be placed in separate cells.”
Alec glanced over to the witches and immediately wished he hadn’t. There was Anastazie, staring at him with the saddest, most questioning gaze. He wanted to scoop her up and tell her it would be okay. That he and Adira were going to find a way to save her. To save all of them.
But he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t break character, and he couldn’t make a promise he wasn’t sure how to keep.
Alec tied Adira up and led her out the door, the regent on his tail the whole way. Normally, he would meet Alec back at the castle. If he wanted to keep an eye on him, he was at the very least suspicious of something.
The regent strolled beside Alec. “She’s prettier than the last few, don’t you think?”
“She’s perfect for you,” Alec answered, biting the inside of his cheek.
“But that’s not what I asked. I asked if you thought she was prettier.” The regent reached out and jiggled one of Adira’s breasts, but she twisted away from his touch, cringing beneath Alec’s grasp on her shoulder. “I’m asking if you find her tempting.”
Alec’s insides twisted. Any man who said no would be lying. But yes didn’t seem like the right answer, either. “She has all the traits any man would desire, if that is what you mean, sir.”
Dvorak stepped in front of Adira and Alec, facing them and blocking their path. “Don’t play dumb, Alec. You didn’t get where you are today by the grace of stupidity.”
He slid his hand along Adira’s thigh and started moving his hand up, but she pulled up her knee and kicked him hard.
The regent deflected, then grabbed her hair and yanked, throwing her to the floor. “It appears she doesn’t understand what is expected of her.”
When he started to pull at his belt, Alec placed his hand on Dvorak’s arm before he could think better of it. He covered with, “Don’t you think that should wait until we return to the castle?”
Dvorak nodded, licking his lips as he smiled. “Be honest, Alec. You just can’t stand to see a beautiful girl get punished.”
Alec went for a wry grin. “You caught me, sir.”
The regent’s expression turned thoughtful. “Perhaps you’re right, though. I don’t want to damage the goods before I make use of them. I ought to fuck her first, don’t you think?”
Dvorak’s words hit Alec like a punch to a gut. The regent was never this crude. He was testing Alec. And if Alec failed, Adira would be alone through this. He couldn’t let that happen. But he couldn’t bring himself to say “yes” either.
Alec pressed his lips together and nodded. “We’d better get back to the castle before the others arrive.”
“Now there’s the wise boy I’ve grown to know so well,” Dvorak said.
He pulled Adira up by her hair and shoved her back toward Alec. For her part, she didn’t so much as whimper throughout any of it. But if Alec knew Dvorak at all, the man would not stop until she broke down. Alec needed to think of something, fast.
But she was the one with the magic. She was the one who had to defeat him.
What if she didn’t want to?
If Alec had succeeded in convincing her to acquiesce to this fate, then he failed in his success. He needed to talk to her. He needed to get her alone.
Chapter 23
Adira was thankful when the regent was called away by his guards upon arrival. Although she was under the watchful eye of Dvorak’s other trusted guardsmen, it allowed her a moment to process her thoughts.
Unfortunately, most of what swam through her mind was drowning in regret. Why hadn’t she turned herself in sooner? Why didn’t she just let the regent discover her first? Would any of that have saved Miss Balek?
Maybe if she’d turned herself in sooner, but then she wouldn’t have been ready. Letting the regent discover her first wouldn’t have stopped him from exiling Miss Balek for hiding her, though, and it probably wouldn’t have stopped him from testing the others there, either.
She pressed her fingertips to her temple. This kind of thinking wasn’t helping anyone. She didn’t have time to mourn for Miss Balek, but hell if that kind woman’s death would be in vain. Adira needed to find a way to appease the regent enough to release the other witches. Or, at the very least, to allow Adira to walk around as his wife and not a prisoner; at least then, she could check on her friends and make sure they were okay.
The sooner she got pregnant, the sooner they would be released.
But every time she thought of that, her stomach surged and vomit burned in the back of throat. She couldn’t even let that man touch her, let alone…let alone that.
A knock at the door pulled her from her inner torment.
“Miss?” A woman’s head peeked in the door. “I’m here to dress you for dinner.”
“I am dressed,” Adira said, but seeing the panic in the woman’s eyes, she added, “Come in.”
The last thing she needed was this woman getting in trouble for not doing her job.
As the door swung the rest of the way open, Adira spied the two guards standing at either side of the entrance. As if she needed the reminder. “You can close the door behind you.”
The woman did as she was asked, shutting the large men from Adira’s view. A gown was draped over the crook of her arm. “This looks like it would fit?”
Adira sighed and held out her arm. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll dress myself, though, if that’s okay.”
The woman nodded and handed the dress over.
Adira glanced around for a place to get changed. There was none.
“Is this the regent’s room?” Adira asked, starting to slip out of her clothes.
The woman turned away, affording Adira some privacy. “It’s the…well, it’s the room for the queen.”
Adira laughed bitterly. “Oh. It’s a mating room. How very—”
“Do you need help with the dress, Miss?”
Adira bit her tongue. Of course. The woman couldn’t engage Adira in bad talking the regent. “I think I’ve got it,” she said, pulling the dress over her head. Through the sheer fabric, she added, “I didn’t catch your name. Sorry.”
“Monika Petranek,” she said, “but you can call me Nika.”
Now dressed in the form-fitting wine-colored silk gown, Adira spun toward her. “Thank you, Nika. The dress is lovely.”
“Regent Dvorak selected it for you,” she said.
Adira cringed. Couldn’t she have said anything but that? It was as if she wanted to trick Adira into complimenting the regent. She should have known. Why had she thought this woman was on her side? Not everyone was like Miss Balek. Perhaps it stood to reason that those who were didn’t work inside this castle.
“I’ll have to thank him then,” Adira said, ignoring the chalky bitterness of the lie on her tongue. “Are we to join them now?”
The woman nodded. “Right this way.”
Once out in the hall, the guards fell into line behind the two women, and Nika led Adira down the grand staircase. The opulence only disgusted her more, as if diamond chandeliers and gold vases could disguise what went on here behind closed doors.
Adira
whispered to Nika, “I thought the doomed queens were held in cells until they faced the ravager in a display?”
Nika bustled onward. “I don’t know about any doomed queen,” she bit out, “but yes, for whatever reason, the regent has awarded you this privilege of dinner. You’d think you might be a bit more thankful instead of questioning his generosity.”
As they crossed the castle to the dining quarters, Adira pressed her lips together. Nothing about this was right, but Nika certainly wasn’t going to be the one to give her any answers.
When they arrived at the table, the regent was sitting to one far end, with Alec as his right side, and a guard pulled out a chair to seat Adira on the other far end.
Dvorak raised his wineglass to her. “Kind of you to join us, Miss Chovanek.”
Judging by the regent’s knowledge of her name and Alec’s placement at the table, Alec had convinced Dvorak he had not betrayed his duty. Which was a good thing, because he was perhaps the only one in this castle on her side.
Several servants came out all at once to place the meals on the table. They lifted the lids from each plate to reveal perfect cuts of meat lathered in thick brown sauce, bright yellow and green vegetables, and the fluffiest, flakiest rolls Adira had ever seen.
She sipped from her wineglass and sampled the food, begrudgingly admitting to herself it was the freshest, most delicious meal she had ever tasted.
Dvorak simply watched her from the other side of the table while Adira made an effort to not look at Alec.
The regent leaned back in his chair, still holding his wineglass and swirling around its contents. “Well, far be it from me to ignore the elephant in the room. Let’s lay it all out on the table, shall we?”
Adira rolled her eyes. Oh, God. Maybe if she were chewing on a piece of meat, it would drown out his forthcoming soliloquy.
He continued, “It’s not secret why you are here, or rather, why it is I wanted you here. Or really any witch worthy of being queen. Our sector needs an heir, and unfortunately, I cannot produce one alone. But I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner; I like to think we could have a good relationship one day. It wasn’t uncommon in the old days for arranged marriages to be enjoyable experiences for everyone involved. So long as you behave, you will be given the same rights any of my other wives before you were given.” He tilted his head. “Of course, should you misbehave, you will be punished as they had been as well. But I do believe in fresh starts, so let us put the past behind us, shall we?”
Adira pushed the vegetables around on her plate. If she said yes, he would shut up. Hopefully. “That sounds lovely.”
“Fantastic. Then we should also clear the air of my own missteps. You see, I don’t feel it would be right for us to enter into such a sacred union as marriage on false pretenses. Any wife of mine deserves the complete and unshrouded truth.” He stood and indicated Alec with his hand. “You know this man.”
She opened her mouth to deny it, but the regent waved her off before she could speak.
“It’s fine. I already know. After all, I sent him for you. He is the lead of my Guard, and as such, has, of course, told me everything. He spent nearly two weeks assessing you on my behalf. On behalf of the sector. And from what I gather, he’s done quite well.”
Adira scowled, narrowing her eyes at the regent. There was no way that was true, but it was the best thing for the regent to believe. If he even really believed it.
Dvorak planted his fingertips against the table, leaning forward. “What is it, Adira? You didn’t think he actually loved you, did you?”
She bit the inside of her cheek. Either the regent was baiting her, or he was an asshole—most likely, both—but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction either way. Still, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Alec, whose gaze remained steadily pinned straight ahead toward the wall.
A tremble of doubt tickled her fingertips, but she pushed it down.
The regent pressed his palms flat. “He’s loyal to me, Adira. Every move he has ever made has been for no other reason than to learn what you are capable of. For fuck’s sake, he let his own family die to save this sector! Do you really think he cares what happens to some ratty witch girl he found on the streets?”
Adira tensed at the volume and tone of Dvorak’s voice. But for once, she was glad he had continued with his rant. His anger was more telling than anything else: He wasn’t trying to convince her that Alec had betrayed her. No, he was trying to convince himself that Alec hadn’t betrayed him.
And suddenly it hit her. Alec was like a son to Dvorak. Alec was Dvorak’s Achilles heel.
She glanced at Alec again, noticing the twitch in his hand at his side. God, she hoped he wasn’t up to something. He could very well die in any attempt to help her at this point.
Adira folded her hands in her lap and nodded, trying to keep her calm. “I appreciate your honesty,” she said evenly. “Is there anything else you would like to say?”
The regent’s whole face lit up. “Yes, there is,” he said. He came around the side of the table, over to Adira, and bent down one knee, taking her hand. “Will you marry me, Adira Chovanek?”
Her face contorted because she couldn’t control it, but she quickly smoothed her features and forced a smile. “Yes, of course.”
Her stomach churned at this. This was worse than his slimy advances on the walk toward the castle. This man was delusional.
Dvorak slipped the Sector One heirloom ring on her finger and then stood up just enough to try to kiss her.
She brought her hand to her lips, stopping him, and a storm rolled over his expression.
“Shouldn’t we wait until after the wedding?” she asked with a coy smile.
His deranged smile slowly flickered back into place. “Right, of course. Oh, I do love a girl who honors traditions,” he said, wagging his finger at her as he stood. “However, I hope you will not find it unforgivable that we take some safety measures until that time comes.”
Before Adira could ask what he meant, a guard advanced on her and clamped a shackle bracelet around her wrist. Sharp points pieced into her skin beneath the metal cuff. Instinctively, she pulled at it, but Dvorak clicked his tongue.
“That won’t come off until I tell it to,” he said evenly. “But it’s for your own good. The potion in that shackle will dull your abilities as a witch, which ought to prevent you from doing anything stupid. And, of course, any magical efforts of yours to remove the shackle would be disabled by the shackle itself. It’s a genius invention, really.”
She stared down at the metal cuff again. Sure enough, there were rune markings all over it, many of which she’d never seen before. As a cool sensation flowed in beneath her skin, she clenched her teeth. He was dulling her magic at the source.
“By the way,” the regent added, “it really was such a shame to kill your mother. I always knew she wasn’t a witch.”
Adira stood. In one swift motion, she reached behind the regent, grabbed his sword, and pointed the blade at his throat. “You might need me to make an heir, Dvorak, but I don’t need you. Don’t you ever talk about my mother again.”
The regent didn’t so much as flinch. He just kept smiling like an idiot. Someone disarmed her and pinned her hands behind her before she could react. She knew the feel of those hands. Alec. He should have just let her kill Dvorak, but then, that probably would have gotten them killed right after.
The regent adjusted his suit and stepped forward. “I suppose the cuff can only prevent you from doing stupid things with your magic. That’s all right. I prepared myself for such an event. Please, follow me.”
Dvorak left the dining quarters and started down the long main hall. Alec pushed her along behind him, but kept enough distance from the regent to whisper one thing to her.
“I’m so sorry, Adira. I can’t stop this.” After a moment, he added, “But you can.”
She still didn’t know what this was, but she became more concerned as they left the castle and b
egan the hike toward the border. She didn’t dare speak, but neither could she think. Every idea she had was met with an immediate roadblock. Her magic was useless. Physically, she was no match for the regent and his guard. All her training had proved useless. She could only hope it would pay off once it was time to face a ravager.
But could she survive the rest of what life as the queen entailed?
Sure enough, Dvorak led them to the border. The sun had long set, and this far from the city, there was little light to see by. All Adira could make out was blocks of trees and shadows cast in the blue-black of night.
Dvorak walked all the way to the very edge of the sector, then paused, his back to Adira. “I feared it would come to this. That I would need to show you how serious this is to make you understand. Hopefully as my bride, you will be able to forgive me for what I’m about to do.”
And with that, he held out one of his palms. A glowing energy lit up the space before him on the other side of the force field, revealing Miss Balek.
She was still alive!
But her hands were pressed against some kind of invisible wall. Adira’s assessed the image before her, quickly realizing she was in some kind of runestone prison beneath her feet.
No.
“Let her out of there,” Adira demanded.
“I will, My Queen,” the regent said, an unnerving tone to his voice.
Then he lifted his other hand, and Miss Balek stumbled forward onto her hands and knees. One of her wrists was shackled with the same metal cuff as Adira’s.
Adira lunged toward Miss Balek, but Alec held firm. “Get out of there! Miss Balek!”
Tears streamed Adira’s face, but the old woman made no effort to move. She just shook her head, smiling sadly, as though waiting for death to greet her. “Be strong, Adira.”
Three ravagers were already approaching from behind her, their teeth snapping and dripping slime down the fronts of their faces.
Adira pulled against Alec’s hold again. “Run, Miss Balek! Please!”
Dvorak turned toward Adira and Alec, his hands clasped behind his back. “Oh, it’s no use. It’s a good mile in either direction that I’ve closed re-entry even to humans and witches. We have to keep the sector secure after all.”
Origin: an Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 1) Page 16