Cornelius will concede to what I am going to offer; he has to. I am the fucking King. I could easily become the tyrant my father had been. Easily. Abiageal deserves better. Why these assholes throw their daughters at us—fuck it, it’s disturbing. I respect the Blood King. He was the only one who refused to cave until we gave him no choice.
His daughter is a lot like him, strong of mind and pure of will. She’s everything I want, and need. Marrying Abiageal could undo what we have, and I refuse to lose Syn. Not when I have the power to take care of this easily. I push through the door of the wide office and head for the old oak desk that my father used.
It’s the third time I have used his office since I took his head. The beast stirs as I approach the polished desk and pull back the wide chair that is big enough for wings when I take that form. He likes this room; he likes what happens here. He likes the power that is exerted here. Even now, he is pushing and prodding me to take the form of the Horde King. He wants me to frighten Cornelius, cow him into submission. I scan the shelves of scrolls. My father had many contracts. It’s filled with them. Scrolls created on the skins of traitors. Syn would hate seeing this place. She would hate what has happened in here.
A knock sounds at the door and I growl. “Come in.”
I sit behind the desk, settling into the chair as Cornelius walks in like a fucking peacock ruffling his feathers. I don’t respect him. He’s loose with his words and thinks he’s entitled. He sent Claire to us like a fucking gift basket.
He smiles when he sees me behind the desk and closes the door. “Your father would be proud of you, at what you have become,” he says, attempting to remind me that he was close with my father. If he thinks that, he wasn’t as close as he believes he was.
“Would he? Would he be proud that I took his head as well?” I remind him that I killed my father. His eyes narrow.
“Your father was a complicated being,” he replies easily. I hold my tongue as he seats himself in the chair that is strategically placed on my left. It makes those who sit in it feel safe. They forget that when I am in the form of the Horde King, that my wing span could easily kill them from where I sit. “Now, let’s talk about your marriage to my daughter. I want the Blood Heir removed from this kingdom. She is a threat to my daughter.”
“Synthia is not a threat to anyone who doesn’t fuck with her first,” I reply with a calculated look. He has a plan. I’m curious what he thinks he has that I want. I want Syn, period. He can’t give her to me, so anything he thinks he has is worthless.
“By marrying my daughter you will gain my alliance,” he points out.
“Do I not have your alliance now?” I ask. He knows this question is loaded. He’s smart, but not smart enough to fuck with me.
“Of course, but Abiageal’s dowry comes with forty thousand troops.”
“I want you to consider other options for your daughter and the contract you and my father negotiated,” I say, and watch as his face turns red with rage.
“No, I will not! You will marry my daughter and she will become the Queen of the Horde! I’ve worked too fucking hard for you to fuck this up. You will do as I say!” he shouts.
“Do I need to remind you of who I am, and what I can do? I am the Horde King, and I can easily rule as my father did. There are many ways for us to settle this. You and my father agreed to these terms, not me. I signed because it was my father’s wish for me to do so. Do you not wish better for your daughter than a life spent in the pavilion?”
“She’s a daughter! The only thing they are good for is building alliances. That contract is unbreakable! You will marry her, or you will step aside and let one of your brother’s rule!” His face was turning mottled with his outrage.
I smile at him. “Cornelius, you forget yourself and how Danu works. None of my brothers is an Heir. I was being polite. You will consider one of my brothers for your daughter’s hand. You will seriously consider it. I’ve already abolished arranged marriages. I wrote it into our laws last week. These are your options: Allow your daughter to select her own husband from one of my many brothers, or go to war. Do you really wish to make an enemy of the Horde? I’m trying to be reasonable. The first option that I offer, it allows you to keep your head. You need to remember who my father was, and how he ruled because I can easily become that. I would rather bring the entire Horde together, and unite the Realm. You are either on my side, or in my way. I suggest you choose the right path for your people, Cornelius.”
“This is outrageous!”
I smile as I allow the beast form to take over. The fear in his eyes excites the beast, and I smile inwardly. “I suggest you sleep on it. I have many brothers suitable for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I recommend that you consider your daughter’s future in your choice. If you want to keep in my good graces, then choose wisely for only one of the choices presented today ends with your head on your shoulders.”