Page 100 of The Kings Game

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“You can trust me,” Cat says, taking one hand.

Zara grabs my other hand with a nod.“Me too,” she confirms.

We glance at Helene at the same time. “There was once a time you called me ‘sister,’ and that’s how it felt to me too,” Helene says. “I was closer to you than to my brothers. When you died…” She pauses. “It was one of the worst days I have lived through, and I couldn’t even grieve properly, because I had to be there for Essos.”

I am grateful she was there for him when I couldn’t be. “I remember,” I say. She was the only sister I had in my life. She was my friend first, and originally was annoyed when I started to see her brother. Though I was rubbing elbows with Helene, the princes, Essos, Xavier and Galen were all notoriously playboys. I never wanted anything to do with them, but then Essos saved my life and told me I could repay him with dinner. I was a minor goddess—I shouldn’t have been on his radar as a potential match—but our chemistry was undeniable. It took Helene some time to warm up to us, but even she could see that Essos was different with me. And to me, Helene was more than a sister—she helped Essos and I reconcile after a fight that almost ended everything before we really began. She was there every step of the way for us. It was Helene who held the knife on our wedding day, slicing our palms and tying them together.

“Well, then I forgive you for being a bonehead.”She says it easily.

Finn comes running down the beach toward us. I regret being an asshole to him earlier; he truly tried his best to prevent this from happening, and I shouldn’t punish him for that.

“Daph!” he shouts before coming to a stop in front of us. “Your betrothed is looking for you for the last dance.”

“Wait,” Cat nearly cries, grabbing my arm. I pause and look to her. “Are Zara and I…”

“Safe,” I reassure her. “As safe as I can make you. The only people who can force a soul into their afterlife are Essos and myself. It’s why Helene’s dismissals meant you were able to still have your goodbyes—she just sent those girls to their rooms. If you want to move on, that’s entirely up to you, but let’s get through tonight, and whatever you want, I’ll do.” It’s the only way I can thank my friends for their support. Their presence is important to me, but their safety and comfort matter more. I’ll talk to them tomorrow, see how they’re really feeling about everything. It’s one thing to make bold proclamations now, in the heat of the moment, but once this all settles in, I want them to make their decisions with all the information.

“Of course, tomorrow,” Cat murmurs. I can already see the wheels turning in her head.

“Shall we, ladies?” I rise and help my friends get up. I’m going to need all the allies I can get in the coming days. My circle, the people I trust, are all here. I change Cat’s and Zara’s dresses to black versions. If they’re going to be in my court, they have to represent accordingly.

I dust off my dress, lift my head high, and stroll into the lion's den.

CHAPTER35

Galen stands in the middle of the dance floor, awaiting my arrival. I sweep into the room, changing my gown again to a deep red color and shedding off layers to reveal a red satin dress. The slit up the leg ends indecently high near my hip; the dress, if it can even be called that, is little more than a few strips of material sewn together. The neckline hangs loosely over my breasts, thin straps just barely holding it up. It’s completely backless, leaving me on display. It’s the way I feel, right now—bare and exposed. I stride across the floor with Helene, Cat and Zara flanking me. When I reach Galen, I give him the smallest dip of my head as I slip into a curtsey.

He responds in kind with a bow before taking my hand and leading me into a dance. I smile along with him, as if this is where I want to be. I am a much better dancer now than I was before getting my memories back.

“In time, you will come to see that this is the right thing. That we are the ones truly meant to be together.”

I try to suppress a shudder, knowing that it will only anger him. His tune has changed—he’s leveled out, no longer talking about whoring me out when he’s done with me. We’remeantto be together now.

These mercurial moods only make him more dangerous.

“Unfortunately, Grandfather Time isn’t here to confirm that.” It slips out before I can help it.

He tugs me closer to him, digging his fingertips into my back, crushing my hand in his other. I don’t know why I have to needle him, but I do.

“Let me rephrase, Daphne. You will either bend to my will, or I will slaughter your friends here and now, including my daft clown of a sister. She knows better than to take sides.” He presses a kiss to my neck, right where my pulse thunders. It’s an empty threat, at least to Helene. Kai’s muscles are more than just for show—unless Galen still has that weapon. Gods aren’t meant to die.

My heart wilts in my chest at the thought of being responsible for their deaths. It was already my fault that Cat and Zara are dead. If not for me, I doubt the bus would have crashed, though I can’t say for certain without Essos’s confirmation. The thought of Galen killing them where he might soon have complete control over them, is not a thought I am willing to entertain.I have to remind myself that he can’t do that, not yet. There hasn’t been an official transfer of power, and some of what Essos can do won’t be achievable without the blood of my husband.

Galen spins me out, and as my body twirls, I let my mind spiral and try to find a solution. Some way to get out of this, get away from him.

Then it dawns on me.

Thereisa potential way out. It’s old, something that we haven’t had cause to invoke in millennia, certainly not for a god. I can see a bright shining light, and I just have to step into it.

I stop moving, breaking free from Galen’s grasp. I stomp my foot, and vines unfurl from the ground and wind their way around Galen’s ankles, holding him in place. The musicians miss several notes, stopping to watch what is happening. I hear the whispers around me, people wondering why everything has stopped.

“My darling betrothed,” I start, keeping my voice even. “I think, given the circumstances, it is only fair that we have apropercelebration of our impending nuptials. A celebration fit for the gods!”

The crowd begins to murmur, wondering what I could mean by that.

“I propose we host the Trials.” This time, there is outright chatter about what I have said. I see Galen’s eyes flash red—blood red, with rage. “Show them all just how much I mean to you.”

I might have missed much since my first death, but I remember how things work for this crowd. They love the blood and gore of the Trials, which mortals in ancient times would undergo to prove themselves to the gods. The Trials haven’t been held in recent memory. At the very least, not in my recent memory.


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