A wicked thrill shattered through my veins as the images of him having to clamp down on his words filled my mind. Now, I was even more excited for my temporary escape. Keeping my mental barrier firmly in place, I finished the rest of my bath, planning on all the ways I was going to stick it to Rokath later that evening.

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31

Being at Gyor again and not seeing Assyria, especially after discovering her trying to pleasure herself that morning, was extremely difficult. Not because I wanted to see her, but our bond sure as fuck wanted us together. I hadn’t caved yet, and I wasn’t going to until I needed to fetch her for our departure the following day.

Weeks ago, Xannirin had the bright idea to have a ball to send off the soldiers, another way to appease the restless nobles and show them that we had everything well in hand. Unfortunately for me, it was too late to back out of it by the time Assyria upended my life. At least Rapp was with me again. The two of us leaned against the massive carved basalt columns that lined the edge of the ballroom, providing a modicum of privacy to those who wanted to stand behind them and observe.

A select group of Parancsok, Százados, and Vezető were invited to Gyor for the event, and some passed by us, they stopped to salute before continuing to a drinks table. All those in the army wore similar attire: red capes secured with metal buttons that signified their rank, crisp leather pants, and a jacket with long tails. I wore my black ensemble from the formal dinner a few weeks before.

Noble females twirled about the dance floor, their wispy dresses floating on the air as their partners took them through the intricate steps. The veils were more sheer than ever, leaving plenty of opportunity for them to bat their long lashes at my soldiers.

I sipped from a glass of scale as I watched them, grateful Kiira wasn’t here to force me out there with them.

As if I thought her into existence, my cousin appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in all black, with a shimmering veil tucked beneath a gold circlet on her brow. She turned to say something to a female behind her, and then she stepped up, dressed in a similar, low cut black gown, though her face covering was more opaque than sheer.

My heart dropped to my stomach.

Because a yoke yanked me forward, and my eyes landed on who could have only been my fucking mate. Assyria wore the form of another, that much was obvious, and the bond that tied our fates together was dulled. But it didn’t lie when it pointed me directly to her.

Glass shattered, barely audible over the roaring in my eardrums. Rapp said something, but his voice was muted until he smacked my hand. A sting rippled across it, and I tore my attention away from the rebellious female and toward my second in command.

“What?” I snapped.

“You’re bleeding,” Rapp retorted, looking pointedly at the jagged drinkware.

Sure enough, ruby dripped around shards of glass slicing into my palm. The pain didn’t even register over the fury flying through my veins. With a growl, I yanked them out and tossed them to the floor, where even bigger ones waited for a servant to clean them up. Assyria moved, and the bond slashed my gaze to the stairs where she and Kiira descended into the ballroom.

“What are you looking–oh,” Rapp started to question, but followed my line of sight to Kiira and Assyria.

“Is that–”

“Don’t even say it,” I snarled, flexing my fingers as I started to heal.

Rapp had the nerve to laugh as I stomped away, bringing a storm of rage along with me. Demons flew apart as I crossed the room, one wrong move away from raining shadows down on every single person in it. Assyria’s attention snapped to me, and the bond scorched my skin, driving me faster toward her.

Little did it know, it wouldn’t end well for her when we collided.

Kiira’s eyes widened and she half-stepped in front of my mate once they reached the bottom of the stairs, as if she could protect them both from my wrath. Saying nothing, I gripped both of their arms and hauled them through a nearby door. A smattering of servants preparing platters jumped at our sudden entrance.

“Out,” I barked, and they scattered like leaves in the autumn wind.

Slamming the door behind them and ensuring both were locked, I leveled my attention on my cousin and my mate. “Whose. Idea. Was. This.”

“Mine,” Kiira said, jutting her chin up and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me?” I managed to bite out each word without smashing the row of glasses beside me into the wall. Though, if I heard any more horseshit from either of them, I might make a show of it, just to drive home my point.

“Assyria has been trapped in your chambers for almost a week and she deserves–”

“She deserves nothing!” I shouted, temper shattering like the glass in my hand. “I had two rules–”

“And one of them was that I was under constant guard, and the other was that you are around. Both of which are currently true.” Assyria dropped her magic and cut me with a glare so sharp I wondered if she was just as ready as I was to smash some fine crystal.

In two steps, I was on top of her, hand closing around her delicate throat and forcing her to look into my fury etched features. “You disobeyed me.”

Her burgundy eyes ignited behind the veil. “I did no such thing.”

I opened my mouth to speak again, but she snarled, “You did not explicitly say I wasn’t allowed to come.”

Leaning closer, I squeezed, just enough to cut off her air. Then, mouth nearly flush against her ear, I growled, “You couldn’t come earlier, and you can’t come now. Go back to my chambers and I will fetch you from there tomorrow.”

“Make me,” she snarled.

The last tendril of my self control snapped.

Like a petulant child, I threw her over my shoulder, ignoring Kiira’s protests as I stalked to the far door. Flinging it open, I found a servant’s hall, with at least half a dozen hurrying from one destination to the next. They all halted once I stepped into it. “As you were,” I growled, while Assyria yelped, “Put me down you fucking brute!”

Confusion flitted across several female’s faces, but the expression I wore must have put them off from intervening, and they scurried away.

“Do you see what you are doing?” I groused, not caring that she bounced roughly against my back with every forceful step I took down the hall. Not nearly as forcefully as my heart thudded against my ribcage. Whether it was from fury or fear was of no consequence to me, as the result was the same. “You are putting us all in danger with your antics.”

“Says the male currently losing his shit over a female,” Assyria pointed out, punctuating her words with open palmed smacks against my back. “The servants will talk more about the broody, villainous Halálhívó throwing an innocent female over his shoulder and carrying her away than they ever would have about a priestess arriving with Kiira!”

“Shut the fuck up,” I snarled, yanking her over my shoulder and pinning her against a nearby wall. We’d traveled far enough away from the ballroom that we shouldn’t be overheard, and the servants should all be attending to the guests’ needs and not traverse deeper into their network of passages.

Every inch of us that touched burned, hotter than a wildfire even with the fabric between us. My thigh pressed between hers, and I stepped closer, cock straining against my pants. Pure, unbridled lust tore down the bond, and I planted my arms on either side of her head, staring down at my fucking mate. Chest heaving, I struggled to regain control of the situation, of myself.

“With the way you departed the ball, the whole court will be talking about how you assaulted Kiira and me,” she hissed.