A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal (Stars and Shadows #2)(40)

He smiled then, the look predatory, and part of me wanted to just run inside and hide. I wanted to lock myself in the room and not have to deal with this, but another part of me, a much bigger part, wanted to fight. I wanted to show him what I was capable of.

I wanted to prove to them all that they were underestimating me.

“You’re right.” He grinned harder. “I should have.”

Another stream of his power shot toward me, but I was too busy staring at his handsome face to notice. It hit my right hip, barely knocking into me, and I felt like he was toying with me.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“For someone like you, yes?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I balled my hands into fists as I stared at him and noticed that Thalia had left us completely alone. The traitor.

“You’re weak.” He nodded toward me, and I bared my teeth. “If you were to leave like you say you want to, you wouldn’t survive a day.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” I growled out, and that only made him smile harder.

“Yes. I do.” He nodded and moved to his left.

I countered his movements step for step and kept him squarely in front of me.

“I know that you want me even though you don’t want to admit it.”

I scoffed, but he continued.

“I know that you are capable of so much more than you are allowing yourself.” He nodded toward my hands, where my magic was still swirling from my fingertips. “And I know that the sound you make when you come against your own fingers is so much quieter than when you come against mine.”

My magic shot out of me before I could control myself, and it slammed directly into Evren’s stomach. His breath fell from his lips in a rush just before his ass hit the ground.

I should have felt remorse as I watched him wince, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

I heard the door open behind me, but Evren simply waved away whoever it was.

“Is someone coming to help the prince from his weak little mate?”

Evren leaned forward and pressed his arms to his knees. “I don’t think you’re weak, princess. I think you’re scared.”

He was right. I was scared. I was fearful of letting myself fall into him completely. Holding on to that fear and every ounce of anger I had left was the only way I could protect myself.

“I think you are capable of far more than even you are willing to believe.”

I didn’t want to listen to him. Not a single word. So I turned on my heel to walk away from him, but his voice stopped me.

“Hit me again.”

I looked at him over my shoulder like he was crazy. “No.”

“Do it, princess.” He ran his hand over his mouth. “Hit me again and this time use every bit of power you can muster.”

“I’m not doing it.” I shook my head as my hands trembled at my sides.

“Hit me with your power,” he growled at me, and my magic bowed and writhed at the sound of his command.

“I don’t answer to you, Evren.”

He laughed, low and harsh. “You’re going to answer to someone, princess, if you don’t learn to use your power. Whether it be me or my brother. Is that what you want? To be the Starblessed girl who answered to someone else?”

I balled my hand into a fist as my magic begged me to let it do exactly what he was asking. “And what of you?” I nodded in his direction. “Do you answer to no one or are you simply a pawn in a game of queens?”

His jaw clenched. “Is that what you really think of me, princess?”

“I hardly think of you at all.”

His mouth curved up in a wicked smile as he looked up at me. “Gods, you’re fucking beautiful, but I think I’ve told you before that you aren’t a very good liar. If you weren’t thinking of me, you wouldn't be sleeping in my bed while I was gone.” He pushed from the ground and stood back to his full height. I watched as he stared at me. “You wouldn't be pleasuring yourself with your fingers buried between your thighs while I watched, would you?”

When I didn’t answer, he continued.

“There are far worse things you could do than think of me, princess.”

My hands trembled at my sides.

“And yet, I can't think of anything.” I pressed my hands against my hips as I watched him take me in. “What could be worse than a girl thinking about the man who betrayed her?”

His eyes narrowed even though he tried to hide it. “There are many things.”

He stepped closer to me, and I held my ground. I didn't want him to see how much he affected me.

“I could never get to touch you again.” Another step closer and my mark sparked against my skin. “I could never taste your blood on my lips or feel the power of my mate coursing through me like a fucking drug.”

My breath shuddered out of me, but he didn't stop. Another step closer. Then another until he was but a few steps away. “You could refuse my hand even though it's exactly what you want, and you could let my brother take you away from me.”

He stepped closer still until the toe of his boots pressed against mine. “There are a million things I can think of that would be worse than my mate thinking of me.”

I wanted to retort with something to mess with his head as much as he was mine, but I could barely remember to breathe as he looked down at me and pushed his hand through my hair at the base of my neck. He gripped me there, forcing my head to tilt up to look at him, and my chest heaved with the struggle to remember why I didn't want him.