The Dark God's Bride (Book 3) Page 14

  “Then don’t force me to come with you.”

  He extended his hand toward her. “Come home with me, Amara.”

  “I don’t have a home anymore!” she cried.

  “Haven’t I established that you will always have a home? I will always be your shelter.”

  “Do you really think that I would stay as your kept woman in the same house as your wedded wife?” She lashed out at him. “Why didn’t you say anything to me last night when she showed up at our doorstep? Do you really intend on keeping the both of us? It may have been acceptable where you came from but not here and to me! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

  “Amara…”

  She lowered her eyes to the ground again and said very softly, “Could you make this easier on the both of us and end it all right here, right now?”

  “What are you saying?” His voice was low and dangerous.

  “You know exactly what I’m saying. Whatever we may have felt…whatever we may have shared… let it die here.” She sought for courage and slowly lifted her eyes to look up at him again. “Please?”

  She didn’t expect to see a disconcerting grin on his face. “Do you think you can walk away from me just like that?” He snapped his fingers, “It’s not that simple.”

  “No, but I was hoping that you would understand. That you would be able to see—”

  “I see nothing!” he snapped at her. “I can’t believe that until this day you still don’t know what you are to me!”

  “I have more sense of pride than to settle as your kept whore! I may not have any bargaining chip, but don’t think that I’ll obey your every order! I’ll fight you till the very end if I have to!” She switched to a softer, more submissive voice, “So please… let us end things on good terms.”

  “Or what?” he asked sardonically. “If I let things fester between us, we’ll both be miserable?” He laughed. “I’m already prepared for such an event.”

  “Noctis!” she shouted his name out of irritation.

  “Fight me! Resist me! Struggle against me!” He sent out the invitation freely. “I would like to see how that ends.”

  “Why won’t you understand?”

  He shook his head. “The question is why won’t you understand? You are stuck with me until the day you die and even beyond that. I believe I’ve already proved to you.”

  “But your wife…”

  “Why do you care about her?”

  “How could you ask me that?”

  “Tell me, why are you admitting defeat to that woman?”

  “D-defeat? …This is not a fight!”

  “Then tell me why you want to draw the line with me.”

  “Because…” she swallowed, “I’m putting myself in her shoes. Because if I were your wife, I wouldn’t want you to treat me like this! If I were that poor woman, do you think I would want my husband messing around with some other woman? No! I would be hurt... I would be devastated!”

  Blue eyes were staring down at her in deep observation. She was breathing rapidly from her heated speech. He sighed and then got down on one knee. A large hand reached out for her ankle. “Do you remember how this seal got here? These are my grains and this…” Gentle fingers brushed by the engraving, “This is my blood. They are symbols of my vow. I offered you my life and my protection. I offered you all I can give. Not only are you bound to me, but I am bound to you as well. I am committed to you, Amara Spelling. You are the woman I chose to spend the rest of eternity with.”

  “You said it was because you didn’t want your child to be illegitimate.”

  “I wouldn’t have done the same if another woman was in your place,” he confessed the harsh nature of his character. “I didn’t want our child to be illegitimate.”

  “…Does Rion have one, too?”

  “I can see that if I don’t tell you everything now, you would not be willing to come home with me.” He heaved a deep breath. He released her ankle and rose up to his towering height. He massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I will clear things up with you once and for all. On the twenty-eighth year of my mortal life, my father commanded that I marry the Princess Rion of a nearby kingdom for the sake of forming strong alliances. War was a very common event in my time and our kingdom was in desperate need of stability in order to thrive. I was at the age where I was required to produce an heir so I had no reason to object. I stalled marriage for as long as I possibly could, but I also had a duty to my people. And so I agreed to marry this princess I had never met. I was prepared to be a good husband to my new wife, but as it happened, she was already an expectant mother on our wedding night.”

  Amara gaped up at him.

  “It was fortunate that I discovered the truth in time or she would have passed the bastard as my heir. I almost killed her for the deception, but for the sake of the alliance, I kept the truth a secret. I would have raised the child as my own, but I would never make him my heir. Bloodline and legitimacy was very important to us. My father sired countless offspring by different women, but only his legitimate children were my siblings. Legitimacy was the difference between a peasant and a prince. It was the difference between being able to stand tall at your station in life or being looked down upon by even those below your station in life.

  “Beautiful as she was, every time she obstructed my view, I felt sick to my stomach. I was so disgusted by the dishonor that she had done me that I couldn’t convince myself to go to her bed. If anyone should find out, I would become a laughingstock of the entire kingdom! Do you know how shameful it is for a man who can’t even ensure that his children are his own? But a secret like that wasn’t easy to keep. My father had eyes and ears everywhere. Nothing escaped him. When he found out, he ordered her execution. Again, for the sake of the alliance, I tried to stop him. I arrived too late and had to witness the execution. Rion and her child were both impaled to death. ”

  “The poor woman…”

  He gave a wry smile in response to her sympathy. “Now you know the nature of my relationship with that woman if it could be called as such. To me, Rion is an ugly scar on my pride and a reminder of all of my shortcomings. Your jealousy is distantly misplaced.”

  “Jealousy!” She protested his accusation. “I wasn’t being jealous!”

  “I will forgive you this once since I suspect you are new to the emotion, but speak of leaving my side again and—”

  “You ‘suspect’ wrong,” she interrupted, purposely trying to incite him.

  His eyes narrowed. His voice grew low. “Pray tell, who is this man who you’ve fancied enough to have provoked the feeling of jealousy in you?”

  “There have been several.”

  “Care to make a list?”

  “Who is the jealous one now?” Amara asked, arching a brow at him.

  “I will tell you as soon as you draw up that list.”

  She felt the urge to smile, but she firmed her lips. She didn’t want him to see it. Smiling to him would mean that she had put this matter behind her. She wished she could use the expression ‘water under the bridge’, but she couldn’t.

  “I want to know what you plan to do with me,” Amara demanded. “And with her, for that matter.”

  “I have my own agenda when it comes to Rion. As for you,” he offered his hand to her once again, “I intend on taking you home.”

  He was using the word ‘home’ to tempt her again, maybe because he knew that word meant more to her than all of the wealth in the world. She stared at the palm of his hand, hesitating, because she didn’t know what it would mean for the both of them if she took it. It was like holding a pen to sign a permanent contract written in invisible ink.

  As she slowly reached up for his hand, she wondered if she was doing the right thing by placing her trust in him once more. She halted midway and looked into his eyes when she was hit with the unsettling feeling of uncertainty. He met her halfway and caught her hand in his, holding it in a gentle but firm grip. He somehow knew that she was ha
ving a change of heart.

  “Don’t think,” he said to her with the kind of confidence that might as well alter reality. “This is not your decision to make.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Noctis was sitting on the leather chair inside his study. He was facing the window, watching the night grow later and later. He convinced his bride to come home with him, but he was still wondering what would happen if he didn’t catch her hand at that critical moment. It was one of those times she looked determined to walk out on him even if it meant leaving behind a limb or two just to get away. He didn’t want to see her hurt herself in the attempt, but he also couldn’t let her go.

  It was a good thing that she decided to come home with him without much resistance, because if she had been determined to walk from him, he would have no choice but to let her do just that. He was certain that he couldn’t bring himself to use his previous methods to keep her prisoner. She was now his bride and he must treat her accordingly.

  He could tell that she didn’t truly want to leave his side and that was a fact he found very comforting despite the circumstances. She was just suffering from the moral dilemma associated with Rion’s sudden appearance. He expected that she would and that was exactly why he didn’t want her to know.

  In his time, it was common for men to enjoy different women outside of their marriage beds. Wives were expected to remain loyal to their husbands, while men were not obligated to do the same. He suspected that since his mortal bride had never been exposed to that kind of social structure, she would be confused by Rion’s presence. He didn’t, however, expect her to react as strongly as she did or that she would ask to sever from him only a few hours ago.

  Noctis hadn’t been interested in other females since he and Amara developed a physical relationship, but he didn’t realize that his fidelity was important to her until now. She agreed to come home with him, but she still denied him a place in his bed and demanded that he leave their bedroom even when she knew he couldn’t sleep if he was not lying next to her.

  The little witch!

  He massaged the bridge of his nose to sooth his throbbing headache, but a grin sneaked its way to the corner of his lips. So this was what it felt like to be sleeping in the dog house, he teased himself.

  The door to his study creaked open and then gently closed shut. For the briefest moment, he was thrilled with the thought that his bride may have changed her mind and came to invite him back to bed. The thought quickly died off when he reminded himself of Amara’s hard-fought personality. She had too much pride in her to come fetch him even if she wanted to. He specifically instructed the servants not to intrude on his privacy so he didn’t need to turn his chair around to know that Rion had entered the room.

  “We did not conclude our conversation this morning,” Rion said after a moment of silence.

  That conversation did conclude in his book. He learned all that he needed to know about the mystery that led to his eventual downfall. What end was she trying to achieve by telling him the truth? His pity? He had none to give.

  “I will set up a residence in your name,” he said unfeelingly as he watched fireflies dancing on the other side of the glass window.

  “Are you saying I can’t stay here?” Her voice was brimming with shock.

  Ignoring her question, he continued, “You will have a fortune of your own and you will be independent.”

  “B-because of her?”

  “If you ever have a need for anything, you may write to me.”

  Rion rounded the desk and blocked his view of the window. Her face was colored red, but her expression was still dignified. “Do you realize that you are chasing your own wife out of your home for a mistress? Is this how a Loman treats his wife?”

  “Amara is not my mistress,” he repeated himself one last time. He doubted that he would have the patience to repeat it again.

  “I am your legal wife! We were married before the priest in witnesses of the gods! That makes any whore that warms your bed a mistress!”

  “I warned you,” he said in a low and lethal tone, “never to insult Amara with such profanity.” From just by looking at him, Rion had no clue that she reached the end of his patience.

  Rion scornfully grinned at him. “Am I wrong?”

  “If you cannot refrain yourself from your insults then I don’t think that it is quite fair that I should refrain mine. At least my mistress has never been in any man’s bed other than my own. Can you say the same about yourself?”

  She reddened at his question. “What do I need to do for you to forgive me for my one mistake – my one moment of weakness? Will you continue to hold a grudge against me for all time?”

  “I’m a dangerous man to cross, Rion. Don’t you know that by now?”

  “Up until now you have been kind to me...”

  “I will continue to be civil toward you if you are willing to do the same.”

  “You were kind to me even when I was carrying another man’s child! You hid that secret for me and when I was found out, you tried to save the both of us! Deep down inside, I know you must have loved me even if you don’t realize it!”

  “I’ve done those things for the sake of the alliance,” he clarified.

  She shook her head in denial and then dropped to her knees. She leaned her head on his lap and wept. “It’s not true! You did those things for me! It has been so long since then that you’ve forgotten the truth!”

  “Rion,” he called her name softly. She looked up at him. Her beautiful eyes were veiled by a layer of tears. “You and I both understand what it meant to be born just to fill a role. You were very young when you were forced into marriage. What happened to you was unfortunate and I know you were not entirely to blame. I may hate you with every fiber of my being, but I am not so unreasonable as to punish you for being a frightened young woman. Whatever happened in the past, it is about time we both put it behind us. I will set up a residence for you, and it will be as grand as it pleases you. You will not want for anything.”

  “So, in the end… you still want me to leave…”

  “Yes,” he answered straightforwardly. “Your presence makes Amara uncomfortable and I will not have my bride feeling uncomfortable in her own home.”

  “No!” she protested and rose to her feet. “I will not leave! You are my husband, and this is now my home! I will not go away to make room for another woman! I will not!”

  “Rion!”

  “It is that woman’s fault that you refuse to reconcile with me! This is my home, and I will chase that woman out of here even if it is the last thing I will ever do!”

  The woman was pushing his patience. He was grinding his teeth to the point that he thought his jaw might break under the pressure. “Your new home may be many times the size of this place if it pleases you, but I will not have you stay here. That is final.”

  “I refuse! I am your wife and I will stay here!”

  He heard something inside of him snap.

  “You forget!” He bolted from his seat and rose to his full height. “By Loman laws, and I believe this goes the same in your kingdom as well, an unconsummated marriage can be nullified at any given time.”

  Her mouth fell open in complete shock. She didn’t see it coming. Perhaps she thought that he had forgotten about their laws or that she didn’t expect him to shame her with an annulment. She pushed him to it. “But…!” she cried.

  “And has our marriage been consummated, my dear?”

  “Well no, but…”

  “Void and null as of this moment! Don’t ever make the claim that you are my wife again!”

  She glared back at him. “If I can’t be your wife then what makes that plain-looking woman more deserving? Am I not more beautiful? Do I not surpass her in every way? What makes her more deserving of your love?”

  “You will never be able to see what I see in her,” he said disparagingly.

  “Why?” she cried. “Why!”

  He was in no mood to explain
to her the nature of the relationship between him and Amara, and even if he was in the mood, he didn’t want to. Good or bad, matters between him and Amara stayed between the two of them. “It is simple really. I offered her my vow in witness of a goddess and I have taken great pleasure in sealing the deal… as you may have heard for yourself last night.”

  “Summit!”

  “This discussion is closed,” he said as he pushed the leather chair aside and headed toward the door. “You may stay here as a guest only because Amara invited you through the front door. Don’t overstay your welcome.”

  “Summit! Please give me just one chance to prove I can be a good wife to you! That’s all I ask of you! Summit!”

  He closed the door behind him and strode down the hallway. He needed to find a quiet place to pass the night. He had a brutal headache and his bride denied him a good night’s rest in the comfort of their bed. Quiet, he said inwardly to himself. Some place quiet.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Death observed the weeping woman on the bed.

  He moved across the room without scent, without sound, and without presence. The woman, Rion, was oblivious to him being in the room until he was standing in front of her. When she saw him, she lifted her head from the pillow and sat up. Her cheeks were flushed with emotions. Her eyes were reddened from heavy tear shed.

  “You have failed to win his affection,” he intoned.

  “If it weren’t for his whore…”

  “Be careful who you insult,” he warned, though there was little rise or fall in the pitch of his voice.

  The woman clamped shut.

  “I will have to make a few modifications in my plans.”

  “Have you come to take me back to the Realm of The Dead?”

  “Not yet,” he said, turning contemplative. “I still need you for my plan.”

  “What can I do now? He said he loves her… her! He said our marriage is not valid because it is still unconsummated. I-I can’t deny it either because we’ve never…” She inhaled a deep breath. “He also said that he gave her his vow before the witness of a goddess and that he… already sealed the deal. Tell me it isn’t true!”