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Caleb knelt before her and seized hold of her chin He turned her head first one way and then the other Aria’s jaw clenched but she didn’t give hi to pull away He squeezed her chin until she finally flinched and he threw her face away in disgust Her lip curled as she slowly turned back to hi her here"

Aria was so busy glaring at Caleb as he hauled her to her feet that she didn’t i her toward, and then her gaze traveled to the dais Foreboding sla in the large throne, a throne s alave out on her It was sheer will that kept her on her feet as Caleb pulled her forward She’d never seen him before, but she knew him instantly, sily like Braith His hair was that same black shade but his features were different in subtle ways His nose was sharper, and his h she knew just how merciless Braith could be when he was pushed to his limits, there was a depravity about this man that Braith could never possess

She shuddered at the thought of what Braith was like noithout her

The king rose to tower over her This close to him she was able to pick out the other differences between this man and his son There was no sparkle within this her and his cheeks broader, but she was still unnerved by the siaze raked her froed, and found lacking "I smell my son on you, in you" Aria remained still, uncertain what it was that he expected of her If they planned on killing her, she felt she would already be dead

The king rested two fingers against her cheek Pride kept her face impassive as he turned her head first one way, and then the other "He has also fed froular basis"

She continued to reers slid briefly over her neck and then her collarbone Bile rose up her throat, goose buainst her breast and a leering grin crossed his fullin here, but the other one was now standing in front of her, touching her far toowas the one with all the power, the one that would now control her fate

"You willingly allow this?" He required an answer; she just wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him Her heart hammered, staers wrapped around her throat and he leaned closer to her "You allow this?"

He wouldn’t tolerate her disobedience; he wouldn’t tolerate her willfulness She was alive for some reason that she didn’t understand, but she kneould kill her without hesitation if she didn’t at least pretend to play along with hi as she couldthe hold he had upon her

He shtful" She was ashaers trailed over the bare flesh of her ar this htful Will my son come for you?"

The lump in her throat had become uncomfortable "I…" she sed heavily "No, he will not"

She wasn’t sure if it was a lie She knew Braith would be furious, devastated, he would blame himself, but she had to trust in the fact that he would do as right It hat she had hoped for, what she had plotted with Jack and Gideon for after all No ed for Braith to storm in here and take her away from the foul creature across from her, she knew he couldn’t be careless Braith had to think this through; he had to realize that he couldn’t throw everything they had worked for away He had to accept the fact that she was ’s face was suddenly in hers "You really don’t think so?" There was a quirk in his eyebrow, a shifting in his eyes that caused alar in her head Not only was he powerful and sadistic, but she was beginning to realize that therewithin his twisted ht he was going to break it in order to punish her for soht she’d made

"No," she said forcefully "I don’t believe he will come for me"

"If that is true than you are of no use to us, e your answer"

Her teeth clenched as she grated the single word "No"

He pulled her a step closer to hi "I think you should There is a reasonhe knows What are you to hi but an ex-blood slave and a rebel teenage girl What could I possibly know?"

"Your pulse is racing"

"I’irl would be I assume"

"Yes," she confirmed