The King

by Jennifer Armentrout

I would not die by Aric’s hands.

  I would not give him that.

  A hollowness opened up in my chest even as I repeated those three sentences over and over. My gaze tracked to the side of the slab of stone, and I saw tiny scratches there, likely marked by the rock lying on the floor next to it, a shard no bigger than my thumb.

  I counted the marks. Twenty-nine. A sense of knowing led me to my feet and over to pick up the sliver. I worked at the stone, scratching a slash over the last four ragged lines. Thirty.

  Thirty days that I was aware of. That was at least how long I’d been here, and I knew in my bones that I had to escape because this wasn’t like when Ivy had been taken back when Caden had been the evil Prince, hellbent on opening all the doorways to the Otherworld. She’d had help from the inside, and people were looking for her. People who cared enough to risk their lives. They’d found her the night she had been aided in her escape. How long had she been held? Three weeks? An incredibly long time, but she had been found.

  A sudden memory surfaced—the hallucination of Caden freeing me. That hadn’t been real.

  The hollowness spread, threatening to choke me with bitter hopelessness that seemed to linger like a heavy, oppressive shadow.

  I dropped the stone, and slid to my knees, curling inward.

  “They care,” I whispered to myself. I knew that Ivy did. So did Tink, and Ivy’s man. I knew they cared. Maybe even Caden. He liked me, just not enough. But the truth was, I knew how the Order operated. I knew enough to know that if Caden, the King of the Summer fae, was looking for me, they’d have found me by now. Ivy’s…boyfriend—husband?—had nearly torn the whole city apart looking for her.

  And I was still here.

  Because no one was coming.

  Chapter 11

  “I’m amazed. Really, I am.” Aric held the dagger, turning it so the flames reflected off the blade. It was streaked in red. “You’re still alive.”

  There was a part of me that also couldn’t believe I was still alive. How long had I been here now? My thoughts were sluggish as I tried to remember how many little nicks I’d carved into the stone. Forty? Forty-five, maybe. There was something about that time frame that seemed important. Something that should’ve happened in that time.

  “I must say, it thrills me that you’re still here. You came to me as a little bird I couldn’t wait to break, but now, you’re my pet.” Lowering his head, Aric’s lips brushed the curve of my cheek, sending a wave of revulsion through me. “My most cherished one. How do you feel about that?”

  “Like…like my life is now complete,” I rasped.

  “Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?” His breath now danced over my lips, so I turned my head away. Lately, he seemed to be…getting way more into this, so much so that I feared he was beginning to change his views on whether he found mortals attractive. “I hope so. It warms my heart to know you still have so much fight left in you.”

  Letting my eyes close, I searched for memories to lose myself in. There was the time my mom had taken me to the Gulf. I’d been a teenager, and I knew I’d loved it there, but I couldn’t remember what the sand felt like between my toes. I focused as hard as I could on what the water looked like, but as soon as the picture began to form in my mind, the image scattered like smoke.

  It was so hard to remember the details of…of anything.

  “You’re obviously incredibly strong, bizarrely so for a mortal.” My muscles clenched as I felt the cool press of the blade’s edge against the skin of my inner thigh. “Unbelievably so, really.”

  I kept my eyes closed, my heart thumping as I waited for the sharp, stinging bite of pain to come. At some point, he would run out of skin to carve up, and then what? Would he start on my face? Probably. He’d already covered my stomach with those tiny slices, and now those scars mingled with the ones he’d left behind before, the old, shiny, pale teeth marks and deep grooves that Caden had…worshiped with his lips.

  Forty-five days.

  Days that sometimes included feeding, sometimes included baths in cold water. Days where I couldn’t recall what exactly occurred, moments that left me feeling that perhaps it was better that I didn’t remember.

  “No one has ever lasted as long as you.” The blade moved swiftly across my skin.

  A hoarse scream left me as I pulled against my bonds, trying to escape the blade—the pain—even though I knew it was useless.

  His pale eyes glowed. “I’ve had men twice your size die within weeks and lose their minds in days, and yet you and I have had weeks together. More than a month, and you’re still here.”

  My head lolled to the side, and I found myself staring at the other stone slab, the one stained in the center. Had men twice my size died there? Members of the Order? Helpless humans? Other fae? Aric was truly a psychopath, so I imagined he was equal opportunity when it came to whom he tortured.

  Forty-five days, and I should have had…I should have had my period by now. A frown tugged at my brow. I hadn’t. As far as I could tell, at least. And I figured Aric was the type to have pointed it out if there was more blood than normal. He was an asshole like that.

  Probably was the stress of being slowly cut to death and the lack of food and water. Aric seemed to continue to forget to feed me on any sort of regular basis, and I had no idea how much weight I’d dropped, but my stomach was sunken instead of rounded, and I knew my ribs were beginning to jut out, even when I stood, as were my hipbones. I could feel—

  He gripped my chin, forcing my gaze back to his. “What I’m trying to tell you, if you’d pay attention, is that I’m beginning to think there is…something different about you.”

  I glared at him.

  Aric bent over so that our faces were only inches apart. “You shouldn’t be alive, and that makes me very, very curious. Come to think of it, I was somewhat stunned to discover that you’d survived our first meeting. You should’ve died then.”

  I should’ve.

  His pale gaze flickered over my face, and then he moved away. I tracked him, my heart stuttering when he lowered his head again, this time to where he’d just sliced open my skin. I tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. Bile crept into my throat as I felt his tongue against my skin.

  He lifted his head, smirking. “You taste like a mortal.”

  My hands opened and closed into tight fists. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to rip out your tongue and kill you.

  “But I no longer believe that you are an ordinary human.” He moved back to where his face was just above me, his head tilted to the side. “Tell me what I don’t know.”

  “You’re a fucking psychopath,” I croaked out.

  Aric chuckled. “I said something I don’t know.”

  Nice.

  He lifted the blade, placing it against my cheek just under my eye. The tip was wet as he dragged it down, smearing blood from the cuts he’d made on my thigh. “Tell me, pet. Tell me how you’re still alive. How you survived before.”

  “I…I don’t know,” I said, and that wasn’t exactly true. I knew how I’d survived our first little meet and greet.

  “Hmm.” He slid the edge of the knife over my chin and down my throat. “I don’t believe you.”

  I held still.

  “And I don’t like it when you lie to me. I thought we’d moved past all of that,” he said. “That you and I were better than lies.”

  “You’re insane,” I choked out.

  “I’m a lot of things, pet. Insane is not one of them.” The pupils of his eyes dilated. My breath caught as I started to close my lids. “Don’t,” he commanded, and it was too late for me to do otherwise. “Tell me how you survived.”

  My lips and tongue moved, giving sound to words. “Caden saved me.”

  His head straightened, and he frowned. “How did he save you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You have to know.” He cupped my cheek, smoothing his thumb over the trails of blood. “Think hard about it. What was
he doing when he saved your life?”

  I did what he asked, thinking back to when Caden had saved me. It was like wading through muddy waters until I came to vague images of a hospital room and beeping and…. “I felt the sun. I tasted…tasted sunlight.”

  “Tasted sunlight?” Aric was still for several moments, and then he jerked upright. He stumbled back, dropping the dagger. It clattered off the floor. “He gave you the Kiss.” His eyes widened. “He gave you the Summer Kiss.”

  * * * *

  Scratching the rock against the stone, I carved another mark.

  Forty-seven.

  Today was day forty-seven, and it was different. Aric had not been to see me. Not yesterday or today, and I knew this because my thoughts were clearer, even though I was hungrier than I’d ever been.

  But I knew there was something important that I needed to remember, something that Aric had shared, and that was what I focused on while I worked on the mark.

  He’d told me something about the Summer fae, something that had been…unexpected.

  My gaze drifted from the stone to the floor as my thoughts wandered to all-you-can-eat buffets and gumbo and beignets and—

  I dropped the rock and tipped forward, my eyes narrowing on the floor under the slab. Something was lying there. What was it? Scooting onto my knees, I stretched until my fingers brushed cool metal.

  The dagger.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, curling my hand around the hilt. How had it gotten there?

  Part of me didn’t even care to know the answer, because this…this was my chance. My vehicle of retribution. My payback. It was everything, better than a juicy steak and a mountain of mashed potatoes.

  My stomach grumbled in disagreement.

  Okay. Almost as good as a juicy steak and a mountain of mashed potatoes, but this was…this was my chance.

  Tears flooded my eyes as I stared at the dagger. Aric was an Ancient. I still remembered how to kill one. Head shot or sever the brain stem. Fae be gone, right there.

  I rocked back, lifting the dagger toward one of the torches. The blade was stained red—with my blood. I looked down at the cuts all over my legs and my arms. This was Aric’s weapon, the tool he used on me. He…he’d dropped it the last time he was here.

  That was super careless of him, but he’d been…shocked about something. My grip tightened on the dagger as I tried to recall what had led to him dropping this. Even though my head felt less woolly than normal, it was still full of empty spaces. He’d been asking me questions, wondering how I’d survived—

  The sound of footsteps outside the chamber forced me into jerky action. I needed this dagger, so I knew to hide it and pray that he hadn’t realized he’d left it behind. Shoving the blade back under the tomb until it was hidden by the shadows, I then took a deep, slow breath, preparing to stand. I knew I’d be dizzy and winded, but I needed to get to my feet. I needed to do everything possible to keep my wits about me and keep that dagger hidden.

  Slowly, I pulled myself up, and I swayed like a reed in the wind. My heart was racing from the effort, but also because of my find.

  The door opened as Aric entered. Anticipation and dread clashed like thunder within me. He had food, and I was starving, but eating never came without a price. And he wasn’t alone. The same icy female fae as before was with him. My stomach sank.

  Bath time.

  I thought—no, I knew—he glamoured me when this occurred. Sometimes, I remembered it. Sometimes, I didn’t. But I knew he always fed afterward, and then…then I remembered nothing.

  Oh, God, what if I forgot about the dagger? Dread quickly turned to panic. I couldn’t forget the weapon. I couldn’t—

  “Did you miss me?” Aric strolled forward, platter in hand. “I missed you.”

  I took a step back. The female remained by the door as she usually did, but she carried more than just a tote with her this time. A long, dark bag was draped over her arm.

  “You don’t want to admit it, but I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing.” He placed the covered dish on the slab. The scent of meat reached me. “I’ve been very busy, my pet.”

  My pet.

  God, I couldn’t wait to tear his fucking head off. It took everything in me not to grab the dagger and do just that.

  Twisting toward me, he picked up the chain, tugging on it until I stumbled toward him. Once I was close enough, he curled his arm around my waist, drawing me to his side as if we were lovers.

  I wanted to vomit.

  “I cannot wait to tell you all about it. You will be so very interested in what I’ve discovered,” he went on. “But first, I’ve brought you gifts.”

  Gifts? My hungry gaze found its way to the silver platter.

  “Not that,” he murmured, skimming his fingers over the many tiny abrasions marking my arms. I winced at the contact, and his eyes took on a heavy-lidded quality. “At least not the gift I’m most excited about.” He snapped his fingers at the female. “Show her what I’ve brought her.”

  Pulse skittering, I watched her lift the bag. The sound of a zipper being lowered filled the chamber. It was only then that I realized she was holding a garment bag. The folds of the bag parted as she stepped forward, revealing what lay beneath.

  A gown. It was a gown. One made of some kind of silvery material that reached the floor. As the female fae pulled the garment bag away, I saw that the dress was sleeveless and nearly translucent. It was like spun moonlight, even in the dim lighting of the crypt, and utterly beautiful.

  My stomach twisted with nausea. “You expect me to wear that?”

  “Ah, she has found her voice.” Aric chuckled, squeezing me like it was some kind of inside joke between friends. “I do expect you to wear this, and I expect you to be honored to do so.”

  I stared at him, dumbfounded. He couldn’t be serious.

  Aric motioned the female forward, and she obeyed without a word, laying the gown over the slab but keeping it on the garment bag so my blood did not reach it.

  “You see, this gown is very special.” Aric slipped his arm away from me, and I exhaled raggedly. Reaching for the delicate material, he traced the deep v-neck of the dress. “It is not of this world, but a token of mine. It was to be a wedding gown. Mathing,” he said, speaking fae. I thought the word meant mating. “You would not be the first to wear this, but I believe you will be the last.”

  Stepping back, I wrapped my arm over my waist as I followed his fingers down the center of the dress. The material seemed to respond to his touch, darkening into a slate gray.

  “Do you know who wore this gown last?” he asked.

  My throat dried while my suspicions threatened to sink me.

  Aric glanced over his shoulder at me. “Answer me, my pet, or I’ll make you.”

  Even though I wanted nothing more than to disobey him, I couldn’t risk being glamoured or fed on. Not when I needed to remember that dagger. Swallowing hard, I lifted my chin. “Who…?” I cleared my throat. “Who wore it last?”

  “Thank you for asking.” He refocused on the dress while the female slipped silently back to the doorway. “Siobhan wore it on her wedding day.”

  Oh, God.

  I closed my eyes.

  “Well, she wore it to her wedding. I caught her before she arrived,” he added. When I reopened my eyes, Aric was staring down at the dress. “Caden never saw her in it, but he’ll know it was hers when he sees you in it.”

  A jolt ran through me as my arm unfurled.

  He tilted his head to the side, his pale eyes opening to meet mine. “Funny how history repeats itself.”

  “I…I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t?” He faced me fully, and I tensed. “You don’t remember, do you? What you told me the last time I was here.” A smirk graced his perfect lips. “You’re strong, and you’ve held on longer than any mortal should’ve. All those lovely moments when I’ve taken your essence from you have done their damage, but it should�
��ve fried that little brain of yours. If you were fully mortal.”

  Part of me wondered if my little brain was fried since I knew I couldn’t have heard him right. “I am fully mortal.”

  “You were fully mortal,” he replied. “But that all changed when Caden gave you the Summer Kiss.”

  The Summer Kiss? “I—”

  “Have no idea what I’m talking about? You don’t remember our conversation? About how he saved your life after we first met? After I was positive that I’d killed both you and your mother?” he explained, and a shudder rolled its way through me. “He placed his lips to yours and, instead of taking your essence, he gave you his. That is the Summer Kiss, and only an Ancient can bestow such a gift.”

  “What…what kind of gift?” I asked, wondering if I could return or exchange it.

  One side of Aric’s lips tipped. “The kind that will make it extra hard to kill you, and one that will ensure you will have a very odd lifespan by mortal standards.” He took a step toward me. “You’d figure something out as the years went by and you looked the same as the night I tore into your flesh with my teeth and nails. You’d begin then to realize something had been done, as would the Order. They’d either make damn sure you were put down, or they’d study you to figure out what was done. But you, my pet, are no longer simply mortal. You’re not a halfling either. You are something else entirely.”

  My mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t be saying what I thought he was.

  “It’s rare for a fae to bestow the Kiss upon another. It’s an ancient practice used only in the direst circumstances, but it is unheard of for one to do so with a mortal,” he continued, his eyes gleaming. “A great offense, one punishable by death. If we were in my world, you’d be dragged before the Court and slaughtered while Caden watched—something he witnessed the few times a fae gave the Kiss to a mortal. So, for him to do that with you can only mean one thing.”

  Through the fog of memories, Caden’s lack of reasoning for his actions came back to me. I’d believed… “I did something for him,” I said. “I think…I helped him somehow. That’s why.”