Bile rose up and Adelina couldn’t help how her hand held her throat in pure horror and terror. She’d never felt anything like it before. She couldn’t even run. Her feet were frozen to the floor and if the Neprijat King had prowled towards her right then and there she would have done nothing.
“Crown Princess,” Caspian whispered, reading the display on his shreve. “I’m getting reports corroborating the…King’s statement. Seprilles is asking for aid, and black ships are destroying every outpost they can find. The shield is stuttering. It won’t close if all the outposts in that area have been eradicated.”
Adelina wanted to collapse, but she looked to Asher. He would know what to do. Her brother took the steps two at a time until he was by her side. Instantly his warmth leached into her and Adelina pressed her shoulder against his.
“What promise do we have that you will not murder my sister on your wedding night?” Asher demanded. Somehow he managed to glare at the Neprijat King, never once blinking or looking away.
The King grinned and his mouth was full of sharp, glittering black teeth made for ripping and rending. “None at all.”
Raena stood slowly and Adelina’s grip on her throat tightened. Mala, please protect her sister.
“As future queen I cannot accept such an offer,” Raena said. “I’ve already chosen Lord Alock as my future husband and king.”
Gasps and murmurs. So, Adelina wasn’t the only one who hadn’t known. Had she even made it official with the contracts?
“But I can offer a marriage to a royal. My sister Adelina just came of age.” Raena waved her arm and the Neprijat King’s smile turned on her, as did the horrified gaze of everyone in that room.
Adelina dropped to her knees. Her entire body shook and she couldn’t look up. Asher’s hand gripped her shoulder tight and she could hear him snarling through the roar in her head.
“You dare, Raena?” Asher demanded.
The Neprijat King chuckled. “As much as I love a good bit of drama, I need a queen not a princess. If you and Giselle are willing to give up your lives for this one to be queen…” The Neprijat shrugged. “Then I’d be happy to marry the quivering princess.”
Those black eyes narrowed and Adelina gripped Asher’s hand hard enough she heard his bones creak. Could this really be happening, could her sister really have offered her up on a platter for the monster to devour?
“Are you giving up your life?” the king hissed.
Raena shuddered, but she squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry we couldn’t come to an accord. It looks like we’ll have to battle for the freedom of my people.”
The king’s laugh was like crunching, cracking bones and the livestream flickered to nothing but the death screams of their people on Seprilles.
Raena barked out orders, ordering every available soldier in the outer rim to aid Seprilles and protect the outposts until the shield could close. A transmission was sent to Nash and Adelina flinched. Her Prince accepted his orders and went to protect her people. They didn’t have the tech for long distance vid-chats so even his face was kept from her.
Never once did Asher leave her side, and she refused to stand.
The roaring in her head was too much and she had to breathe. She’d expected this, but the reality had been more frightening than she ever could have imagined. The only thing that kept her sane was the reminder of Alpha’s promise. He would kill her before he would ever let the Neprijat take her. And Nash would have torn the universe to pieces to get her back.
If she was still alive.
But the monster didn’t want a princess, he wanted a queen.
Finally she looked up at her sister. Their father looked sick and his face was green. Why didn’t he say anything?
Maybe Raena was the one who had poisoned their father with the hypomalarya. Adelina despised the thought, but Raena was ruthless now. She was cruel.
Adelina needed to leave Draga Terra. Her life was at stake.
It took every ounce of strength she had to get to her feet. Asher helped her and one by one the people in the council went quiet as they watched her push back her shoulders once more and gather up every dreg of dominance and power she possessed.
“May I propose a strategy?” she asked. Her words were barely a whisper but all could hear her. A skill she’d learned from her courtesan.
Everyone leaned in to watch and listen. Recorders flitted around like mad.
Raena frowned at her interruption, but waved for her to continue.
“The intel I’ve received from the Prince of Thieves has given me an idea. You asked what I plan to do with it. As you know I’ve studied the way of the Drakesthai and their language for many cycles now. I plan to request an alliance with them; it would be prudent given our current situation. And I am not needed, considering the Neprijat King was not interested in my hand in marriage.” She let those last words ring and more than one person flinched at the reminder.
Adelina let her amethyst eyes blaze with the wolf she felt inside, the one she’d always run from. Her gaze held Raena’s and there was no desire to submit to her sister which was unusual.
“May I be sent to them as an emissary to request an alliance? With the dragons at our backs we may have a chance to keep the Neprijat from slaughtering us all.”
Whispers grew at her words.
“The shield will protect us for now, but it cannot stay up forever,” Adelina pressed.
She stared at Raena as the nobles murmured, no doubt noticing her ability to stand straight before one who was higher in dominance, and outranked her. Adelina didn’t want to challenge her sister’s rule, but she did need to do something before her entire world shattered at her feet.
“It is not safe for you to travel,” Raena said. “A royal outside the shield is too much to risk. Your life would be in danger.”
Rage flickered in her veins and the wolf inside snarled. She didn’t bother to push it back; she let it give her strength as she kept her face carefully blank. Asher took a step away from her as if he could sense it.
This was not a matter she could afford to give up on. All of Draga was counting on her to make this alliance, whether they knew it or not.
“What if I were able to bring warriors with me that would not take away from the Royal Army? Prince Varan has enough soldiers and mercenaries to accompany me without appearing as a threat.”
The livestream showed their meeting, and Adelina wondered who had given access to the War Council or if it was the Neprijat’s hack, she wondered if Raena knew all was being broadcast.
The Crown Princess was silent as she studied her youngest sister. Adelina breathed and endured the assessing gaze.
“Caspian, tell me how many speak the Drakesthai tongue?” Raena asked.
“Three are registered as fluent in the Draga galaxy, your highness. Princess Adelina is one of them.”