Chapter 27: Alkan - Fated to the Night King

The incomplete bond between us made my skin feel too tight. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat, a constant reminder that it was there and waiting.

Demanding.

We ate the rest of the food Gus had packed for us in the corner of the warm kitchen, at a table the staff often used to take their own meals.

There were curious glances and whispers, but they'd clearly been instructed to give us space, and so they did.

When I was sure Sena had eaten enough to support the healing her body was still doing, I continued our tour. We moved through the castle; most we encountered giving us a wide berth. From my study to the ballroom she'd already seen, I showed her the logic of the corridors, how they connected and branched apart. Many Istakarrans lived here. Thanks to the grand size of our home, we weren't always forced to be on top of one another. Space allowed us to avoid most conflicts.

One didn't choose to give us a wide berth.

I felt his presence before he appeared, slipping free of a shadowed corner. I instantly reacted, my arm in front of Sena, hand against her stomach, preventing her from taking another step. The warmth of her seeped into me, and that need for her surged up.

I focused on my anger instead.

"Valmont." His smirking sneer made me want to punish him, but I restrained myself. "Is there something of import you need to discuss with me?"

He shook his head, eyes not on me, the real threat, and instead, he lazily dragged his gaze over Sena's body. No doubt registering the protective hand I still kept on her or the way she had angled herself closer to my side.

I could almost taste the fear coursing through her.

She didn't let it show, though.

A quick glance showed me her chin held high with either defiance or pride. Her hands were loose at her sides, and she appeared relaxed and curious. At least to anyone who didn't have her blood fueling their every heartbeat.

"I heard that the newest member of our court was receiving a personal tour. Thought it would be polite to introduce myself."

"Sena, this is Valmont. Valmont this, as you know, is Sena. My Source."

He stepped closer, a daring move, but I refused to frighten the woman beside me by giving in to my protective instincts. Valmont wasn't truly a threat, at least not in this moment. He held out his hand to Sena, and she lifted hers to rest on his. Even so, her side was now pressed to mine, and I felt relief that she was seeking comfort from my touch.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Sena." He drew her hand up to his mouth, pressing a lingering kiss to her knuckles. "I hope our king is treating you well."

"He is." She answered immediately, without any hesitation, and I was surprised, quite strongly. There was no tremble to her voice. And she pulled her hand away without waiting for Valmont to release her. "The tour has been quite enjoyable and the garden is beautiful. I'm sure many here are grateful to have such a lovely place to enjoy."

Distaste and maybe even unease flickered across Valmont's features as he stood from the small bow he'd executed. "Indeed. It was all our king's doing. Turning what was once a killing ground into a garden. No doubt the plants have appreciated the fertile soil they were planted in."

Tense silence filled the wide space of the hall, and I was surprised when Sena didn't flinch or pull away from me. She just fixed her stony gaze on Valmont and said nothing.

As if he understood her dismissal, he tipped his head down in a final, mocking imitation of a bow, and turned to go back toward his quarters.

We waited until his footsteps had faded away, before I turned to Sena.

She answered the unspoken order before I could make it. "I'll stay away from him. He's foul... You can feel it."

I smiled, and took her hand in mine, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.

"He is. And the fact that you're aware of that confirms what I've already guessed about your intelligence."

She shook her head, though I could feel the tension leaving her as we spoke. "Leah did forewarn me. But I understand exactly why she felt the need to tell me. You can tell he likes to hurt people."

"You will not be one of his victims." The growl that escaped me was a surprise, to the both of us based on her raised brows. "I've done everything I can to keep his access to innocents limited. He's been smart enough not to push things too far, but if he crosses the line, I won't hesitate to exact the punishment he deserves."

We continued walking, her hand resting softly on my arm as we moved. It felt good, it felt right, to have her close to me. Trusting me.

"Was the garden once where people were executed?" She asked the question without any censure or fear, like she was just seeking information.

I kept us walking, moving away from where Valmont had revealed one of my people's darkest times. "It was. The previous ruler of the Night Court was harsh in her punishments. She liked an audience while she did so. The garden space, as you can imagine, was the perfect place for such a performance."

'I’m sorry you had to see that."

My chest ached at the sympathy in her voice, because I knew it would be better to leave it there. To maintain the belief she was starting to have in me.

But a bond can't grow on lies.

"I didn't see them." The words were raw, a true representation of how I felt about that time in my life. "I executed them."

Sena stumbled to a stop beside me and I waited, not dragging her along beside me. When I let myself look at her, it was impossible to escape the confusion and, yes, even fear stamped across her face.

"I was the Queen's executioner for years, Sena. There's no denying that. It was a job I hated, but one I saw no way out of. Until I had the chance to inflict the same punishment on her and made sure she felt the pain of all the deaths she'd ordered herself. Sometimes, justice comes only when blood is shed. Trust me when I tell you that every drop of blood drained from her was justified. Some would say I ended her suffering too quickly."

I could feel her gaze searching mine, could sense how unsure she felt as my pulse sped up to match hers.

"That's how you ..." her voice trailed off, but she didn't need to finish her question.

"Yes. That's how I became the Night King."

She watched me, her pretty eyes tracing over my face, as if she could simply gauge my honesty with a look. I wished I could tell her I was lying, that I hadn't been the violent, lethal creature I'd just admitted to being. That despite all the trappings of my new title, despite all the good I'd tried to do since earning the crown, I was still that same man.

Sena swallowed and the predator in me followed the movement, unable to deny the effect she had on me. I wanted to bury my fangs in the notch of her neck, to swallow down the blood that was buried just beneath the fragile skin. To drink her down as she begged me to feast.

To give her more.

To give her all of me.

That, though, was a future that may not be.

For now, I had a goal only she could help me achieve. Would the truth I'd shared send her running?

It felt like forever as she assessed me, before I saw some of the fear easing from her posture, and she placed her hand back on my arm.

"There is more you have to show me. Right?"

Relief washed over me that I wasn't being pushed away by the one soul fate had assigned to be mine. That would be a pain that could possibly break me.

I laid my hand over hers, and together, we continued on, making our way through the castle she might one day rule at my side.