Page 70 of His Stolen Queen
"Hmm, indeed it does." He moved closer, and I felt vulnerable out here in the open. "And what did you discover about Ameros? Anything interesting?"
I licked my dry lips, my heart beating fast. "Well, I know that the first royal bond-mate pairing came from Ameros. Phew! Say that fast three times," I joked, trying to lighten the mood because the way King Damon's stare was fixed on me was very unnerving.
"Hmm, yes." His lips pulled back into what I could only describe as a sneer. "How fortuitous. And to think, they happened to meet by coincidence."
"Oh?" That piqued my interest somewhat. There wasn't any information about how the two of them met. "How did they meet?"
"Ah." He shook his cuff out, straightening his shirt. "Nowthatis a story for the ages. It was told to me many times as a rousingbedtime story by my mother." He flicked his hand at the book on my lap. "You won't find it in your books that you've taken to devouring. It was efficiently scrubbed by King Artemis’s Elders," he bitterly finished.
My fingers tightened on my book, and I slid off the rock, brushing off the dirt on my shorts. "Um…you know what?” I shakily replied. "It's getting a little late, and Acheron—"
"Is resting." His knowing gaze scoured my features, and a hint of sinister amusement lightened his dark eyes. "I'm sure he's burning both candles; keeping his little human safe, guarding his little secret mate, and keeping her…satisfied." A little scoff of laughter escaped him. "Although I doubt a little human could satisfy a Vampire King."
"Excuseme?" For a second, I forgot that I was standing in front of a powerful King. A powerfulVampireKing. I was outraged that this stranger dared to approach me, just to insult me. Acheron had told me multiple times that I didn't need to fear being discriminated against by his kind; that the majority of vamps were open-minded but might need a little time getting used to a human Queen. But the fact that someone he called a friend—a fellow King—was looking at me like I was less than…well, it didn't bode well for me.
"Acheron told me that you were a nice guy. I guess he was wrong." I lifted my chin, attempting to summon all the bravado I could, even though my body shook in fear. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find him."
He quickly shifted, blocking my path. I could no longer hide my fear; it was surely written all over my face. "Oh? But I haven't told you the story yet."
I held the book like a shield against my chest. "I'm not interested."
His face darkened. "That's too bad. Because you're going to hear it anyway."
I shrank back a step, tripping slightly over a buried rock. My heart was racing as I subtly searched for an exit.
King Damon tapped his chin. "Now where was I?" His fingers snapped. "Oh, yes…how King Artemis met Sarai. His fated mate," he spat the last line out.
"Did you know that out of all the Kings, King Artemis was the most bloodthirsty? He hunted humans for sport, and he had a habit of picking beautiful human women, knowing they were unable to turn him down." His mouth slid into a smirk. "King Artemis was quite the dish back then, you see. After he seduced them back to his lair, he sucked them dry. And not the pleasurable way."
I swallowed hard, my feet inching away from him. "That’s-that’s vile."
"Hmm…yes, it is. But it was a different time. Now, we only use humans if we're truly desperate." His gaze raked me up and down. "No offense."
"None taken. Listen, I really have to—"
"Did you know that King Artemis already had a mate?" He shook his head. "No, of course you didn't. She wasn't his bond-mate, of course. He gave up on that. When his heart started beating, he tried to find her within the Territories but was unable to locate her. This led him to believe that she was an Other Being. We didn't have quite the alliances that we do now, and back then, everyone was a purist…they didnotwant a mixed mating—apart from the occasional fuck."
As fascinating as his tale was, I was only half listening. I knew I was in danger, and my feet kept inching away, still searching the area for guards whom I suspected he had already disposed of.
"Anyway, as a gift to Artemis, his mate kidnapped a human woman. Plucked her right off the street as she was making her way home from the markets. She was beautiful, apparently.Black hair, bright-green eyes." His gaze slid over my dark locks, lingering on my features.
"When Dietra threw her at his feet, Artemis immediately hit the roof. Yes, spoiler alert—isn’t that what you humans say? She was his bond-mate. He almost killed Dietra when he saw the extent of this poor human's injuries, despite the fact that he would not have bloody met her if it hadn't been for Dietra."
"That-that’s terrible. Sounds like a rough time for Dietra."
"Yes, it was more than aroughtime," he sardonically mimicked. “Dietra was banished to the outskirts of the Kingdom…she and her unborn child."
My eyes widened at that tidbit.
"She had the baby alone. King Artemis never claimed him, never even visited them. He even paid off his brother to take ownership of her and her son. Oh, we lived in the lap of luxury, but everyone knew we were outcasts. The precious King's rejected mate and her bastard child." He was fully ranting now, pacing back and forth in front of me. His fists curled up and out as he relayed the story. Even though I feared for my life, any benevolent feelings I had for King Artemis completely vanished. He didn't sound so nice after all.
"I grew up hearing all about the King and his chosen children with his precious bond-mate. I was told all about how cruel he was and how I was owed the Crown. His rightful heir." He stopped pacing and glanced at me, his face transforming into a scornful grin.
"Yes, in case you haven't figured it out yet, it's me…I'm the bastard child. And to make matters worse, he decided to petition for human killings to be outlawed." His sardonic laugh was harsh and loud. "As if he hadn't done the majority of the killings himself, the bloody hypocrite. But no, he rebranded himself as the savior of humans."
His brow lifted, and he leaned closer conspiratorially. "But he was too cocky. There were only a select few who knew she was human and hadn't been turned—my mother and uncle were among them. So when Vladimir crawled out of his cave, my mother did what she had to do."
The blood drained from my face, and my body shrank back in helpless terror. "You're working for the BloodKin," I whispered.
