I swallowed, something trickling down my spine.
Maybe he wouldn’t be so easy to manipulate as I’d thought. Taking the tie—it was a possessive act, an arrogant one. One that said he didn’t need my invitation and he wouldn’t stop at its boundary. He would take what he wanted, when he wanted.
His golden eyes on me, hard and dark, said the same.
But I looked up at him from below my lashes, gave a coy smile, and shrugged the robe off my shoulders. It fluttered to the floor, pooling around my feet.
I held still, body tight as he took it in with one slow sweep of those odd eyes. If he decided to take me now, I wouldn’t even get my hands on my dagger.
“I designed this choreography for Your Highness. When I heard you’d agreed to let us come to your palace, I knew I had to create something truly special just for you.”
None of it was a lie. Not technically.
I took a step back and mounted the silks, glad to be out of his reach.
Here, the nervy tightness left me. Here, there was only room for precise movement, for muscles to pull and bunch in the illusion of effortless grace.
I sank into the performance, not quite losing myself in it. Not when every nerve was aware of him. So close. So fucking close.
His hands rested on the arms of his throne, a tumbler of amber liquid in one. The tie from my robe lay discarded across his lap. He followed my movements with hooded eyes. Lazy and bored, half-drunk. I’d seen dozens like him. The bored and wealthy, only interested in entertainment and pleasure. It worked well for me.
When I stretched and danced low on the silks, their lengths wrapped around my ankles and wrists, his eyes fixed on those bindings. I’d had other patrons who liked to tie me in them and fuck me while suspended. No doubt, he was imagining doing just that. His pupils had blown wide, and every breath came as a deep rise and fall of his chest.
Distracted. This was my time.
I worked my way up the silks, posing as I wrapped them around me, noting the point that would have me stopping level with him. I wanted to hold his gaze as I sliced his throat.
When the blood sprayed, I wouldn’t blink.
Once I reached the top, I pointed my toes and spread my legs, doing the splits in mid air. While that sight kept him occupied, I reached up onto the beam. There was a moment’s relief when my fingers closed on my dagger’s leather-wrapped hilt. If someone had found it and removed it…
But they hadn’t.
It was mine.
And in about ten seconds, so too would vengeance.
“For Zinnia,” I whispered and let go.
I wheeled through the air as the silk unwrapped. On a stage, this move drew a gasp from the crowd as they feared I wouldn’t stop. I always did, though, exactly where I intended to, and this was no different.
Jolting upright, I landed and straddled him. His hooded eyes drank up every motion, making my skin prickle. His body was as solid as it looked, powerful like the beast he was. This close, I could smell honeyed whisky on his breath, feel the heat of his skin, taste the coppery victory of the blood I was about to spill.
I smiled as though this was the seduction he expected and let my gaze lower to his lips like I was going to kiss him.
They curled.
Heart pounding, its throb echoed in my temples and throat. I raised my dagger to one side, ready to slash.
Without dropping my gaze or his smirk, he closed his hand around my wrist.
My heart stuttered, but I didn’t have time to worry or even think. I dropped the blade and caught it in my other hand.
A swift stab upwards and this would be over.
I thrust, biceps springing.
He grabbed that wrist.
No.
Tighter than his grip on me, something seized my heart. Something cold and dead. Something that squeezed. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t shake him off, couldn’t think straight.
I could only stare into those golden eyes with their slitted pupils and think how much they looked like a cat’s staring down at its prey.
“Oh dear, little bird,” he murmured. “What have you done?”
Continue Zita’s story in Slaying the Shifter Prince.
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Glossary of Terms of the Nyaxia World
Acaeja - The goddess of fate, mystery, and lost things. Member of the White Pantheon.
Alarus - The god of death and husband of Nyaxia. Exiled by the White Panethon as punishment for his forbidden relationship with Nyaxia. Considered to be deceased.
Atroxus - The god of the sun and leader of the White Pantheon.
Bloodborn - Vampires of the House of Blood.
Blood magic - A type of magic wielded exclusively by vampires of the House of Blood, which allows them to manipulate the blood of living beings.
Born - A term used to describe vampires who are born via biological procreation. This is the most common way that vampires are created.
Extryn - The prison of the gods of the White Pantheon.
Obitraes - The land of Nyaxia, consisting of three kingdoms: The House of Night, The House of Shadow, and the House of Blood.
Heir Mark - A permanent mark that appears on the Heir of the Hiaj and Rishan clans when the previous Heir dies, marking their position and power.
Hiaj - One of the two clans of Nightborn vampires. They have featherless wings that resemble those of bats.
The House of Blood - One of the three vampire kingdoms of Obitraes. Two thousand years ago, when Nyaxia created vampires, the House of Blood was her favorite House. She thought long and hard about which gift to give them, while the Bloodborn watched their brothers to the west and north flaunt their powers. Eventually, the Bloodborn turned on Nyaxia, certain that she had abandoned them. In punishment, Nyaxia cursed them. The House of Blood is now looked down upon by the other two houses. People from the House of Blood are called Bloodborn.
The House of Night - One of the three vampire kingdoms of Obitraes. Known for their skill in battle and for their vicious natures, and wielders of magic derived from the night sky. There are two clans of Nightborn vampires, Hiaj and Rishan, who have fought for thousands of years over rule. Those of the House of Night are called Nightborn.
The House of Shadow - One of the three vampire kingdoms of Obitraes. Known for their commitment to knowledge; wielders of mind magic, shadow magic, and necromancy. Those of the House of Shadow are called Shadowborn.
Ix - Goddess of sex, fertility, childbirth, and procreation. Member of the White Pantheon.
Kajmar - God of art, seduction, beauty, and deceit. Member of the White Pantheon.
Nightborn - Vampires of the House of Night.