My attention darted back to the gods before me. Seir had lost his casual stance, and Amais…

That god now smiled broadly enough to show fangs.

“I, too, am a loyal servant.” Seir’s golden skin had lost some of its luster.

“And yet you have not given my title the respect it deserves.”

That wasn’t true. Seir had called him Your Majesty and bowed upon approaching the dais. He just didn’t say it every five seconds like Amais did.

“Therefore, you shall become a reminder to all how unwise it is to have your loyalty called into question.” Kolis’s fingers stopped tapping.

And that was it.

Seir’s legs caved, the strong bones cracking like thunder. His neck followed suit, breaking and silencing his screams of pain before they could even pass his lips. The embers in my chest throbbed as the god hit the floor, still alive but wounded.

“Put him on the wall,” Kolis instructed.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Amais bowed. “There is no other like you.”

Disbelief flooded me as two guards came forward to collect Seir, and Amais strode from the Council Hall with a swagger. I didn’t move until then, finally turning to Kolis.

Aware of my stare, he looked down at me. “You appear displeased.”

It took me a moment to find words. “Is that what you wanted to show me? How you wanted us to spend time together?”

Kolis arched a brow. “You said you’d enjoy some time outside your quarters. I have Court, and as much as I would like to spend my day catering to your wants and needs, I have responsibilities.”

I didn’t know what the most sickening part of that was. The fact that he’d completely missed the point of what I was saying? Or that he sounded as if he’d rather spend the day catering to me.

“When I asked to leave my quarters,” I said, making myself say what I did next, “to spend time with you, I didn’t expect this.”

“And what is this exactly?”

“You showing me that the Primal of Life is capable of nothing but death.”

The perfect lines and angles of his face lost all their summery warmth. “How do you figure that is all I’ve done?”

“What happened with Evander—”

“That was your choice.”

That was such bullshit, but if he wanted to play this game…fine. “You allowed me to do it, knowing that he was not causing Jacinta harm. That doesn’t foster endearment or even fondness. All it did was prove a point that could’ve been told to me instead of shown.”

Kolis went completely still.

“Then you broke a god’s legs and neck for simply calling another god a cheat?”

“No, my dear, there was nothing simple about what I did,” he said as if speaking to a naïve child. “I sentenced him to death for disloyalty and disrespect.”

“Exactly how is calling another god out for cheating a sign of disloyalty and disrespect.”

“It was not that but rather his lack of displayed loyalty and respect before me.” His tone hardened. “This is not a question of a god being loyal to another Primal, therefore loyal to me. It is about maintaining control and balance both here and in the mortal realm.”

Oh, I saw exactly how this was about maintaining control. “How does any of what has occurred at Court today maintain balance?”

“It shows that every action has a reaction,” he replied.

My gods, I truly believed Tavius could’ve come up with a better response than that.

“Just as the action of questioning my choices, a sign of disloyalty and disrespect would be met with reaction.” His hold on the throne firmed. “One that means immediate death.”

The back of my neck prickled as I told myself to focus on donning my veil of nothingness. To be quiet.

Unsurprisingly, I did not listen.

“Am I to be sentenced to death, then?” I noticed Elias shifting where he stood behind the throne. “I have questioned your choices many times.”

“You have. Perhaps you should cease reminding me of that.” The gold brightened in his eyes. “But you are different. I will not punish you for doing such.”

At that moment, I almost wished he would try.

“Stand,” he commanded.

I blinked. “What?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

Having no idea what he was about to do, I stood.

Kolis’s lips curved into one of his fake smiles. “Come forward.”

I inched toward him, stopping at the arm of the throne. The chalice he’d held had disappeared somewhere.

“Sit.”

My brows furrowed as I started to turn back to the pillow.

“Not there.”

The prickling along my neck picked up as I slowly turned back to him.

“Sit with me,” he stated softly. He did not ask. He ordered.

My heart rate picked up. “I don’t think there is enough room for both of us, Your Majesty.”

The forced smile spread as that gleam entered his eyes. “Silly girl,” he murmured, causing my spine to go rigid. “I am not asking that you sit beside me.”

I knew that. I was just hoping he wasn’t demanding that I sit in his lap while he held Court.

That smile of his began to fade. “So’lis, do you refuse me such a simple request?”

Yes!

I wanted to scream that until my throat bled. There was nothing simple about it. Only disgust. But if I refused him? Especially while his guards and Revenants were so close? While the gods and Primals watched? While Attes watched? Who knew what he would do?

Donning that veil of nothingness and holding it close, I stepped between his legs. My gaze briefly met Elias’s as I turned, sitting so I was perched on Kolis’s knee—

His arm snaked around my waist, hauling me deeper onto his lap. Stomach churning, I stared ahead, not allowing myself to feel anything.

“As I was saying,” Kolis began, his voice low as he spoke directly into my ear, “you will not be punished for questioning my past decisions. But continuing to do so?”

My hands balled into fists as I held them in my lap.

“That will make me rethink the deals we struck. Both of them.”

My breath snagged in my chest.

“I will not break them,” he said, drawing his hand across my waist. “But…”

Kolis let the word hang in the air between us. I knew what came after. He could recapture Rhain—technically, he would’ve still fulfilled his deal. He could also delay releasing Ash. There were so many ways out of his agreement that I hadn’t been wise enough to foresee.

Yet another failure.

Worse yet was the knowledge that him simply mentioning the deals we’d made gave him the upper hand.

And why would he ever want to lose that by fulfilling the one that carried the most weight?

Releasing Ash.

Kolis’s nose brushed the side of my face. “Do you understand, so’lis?”

“Yes,” I answered, my nails digging into my palms.

“Good.” Kolis patted my hip. It took everything in me not to give in to the chill of revulsion. “And I’m capable of more than just death.”

Lies.

“I will prove it to you.” He leaned back just enough that I no longer felt his breath on my skin. “You will see.”

I closed my eyes, not giving a damn about him being able to create life when his unspoken threat choked me.

Kolis didn’t need to break his promise. He could simply continue finding reasons not to release Ash. Panic started to unfurl as I opened my eyes and looked at the blurred faces of those who remained in the Hall. Chest tightening and thrumming, I scanned the crowd, catching sight of the cold, harsh lines of Attes’s features, and his brother…

Kyn was seated in one of the alcoves near the dais, a drink in one hand, and the other under the gown of a woman in his lap. Her head was buried against his throat, and based on the way her arm moved between them, she, too, had at least one hand full.

Kyn wasn’t paying attention to her. He was staring straight at me, a smirk fastened on his lips.

I hated him.

And I fucking hated Kolis.

Chanting that in my head, I pulled my gaze away, skipping over red and gold before landing on Attes. He pushed off the pillar, his jaw tightening. Wait.