Sapphire Falls (The Lost Realm #2)

31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Rylo

O nyx Caverns were just as Rylo remembered them from his first visit, so many years ago. The palace underground was lit in low fae lights, casting dark shadows across the rock hewn walls in the towering cavern entrance.

Maglar met them with an entourage of Goldoths beside him. His skin was white with faint silvery lines. Even his bald head was etched with the lines, like a vein of metal in solid stone. His grey eyes reflected the light, causing them to shine like orbs. Eyes made for seeing underground, for stalking prey through this labyrinth of tunnels and mines.

Rylo looked at Morgan. She wore a blank expression, except for the tiny shake in her hands, nobody would know that she was uncomfortable. But he saw her discomfort. This place, these people would bring up her experience in the tunnel in her realm. The Goldoths’ essence sketched across their skin was similar to the Latian shifters. She looked back at him, green eyes wide with doubt.

He knew she’d react this way, and yet he’d still brought her here to this place of nightmares. She was the only one who would be able to locate the lost relic, and he needed that relic if he was going to access the power that would come with combining the Divine Five together once again.

Maglar sneered at Morgan before bringing his attention back to Rylo. “King Rylo. Good of you to join us. Welcome to Onyx Caverns. And for bringing your prize with you. Is she truly marked by the Goddess?”

Rylo gave Morgan a harsh tug into his arms and lifted her hair up, revealing the five stars of Althea. “As you can see, she is.”

“And the necklace she wears? You decorate your slaves as you would a queen,” Maglar replied, showing a sharp-toothed grin. His soulmate, Mara entered the towering cavern through an arched doorway at the back of the expansive space. She slipped in beside him, past their guards. Like Maglar, she was bald, and her essence seemed to sparkle like a cut diamond against her pale skin. Her silvery dress looked as if it were dipped in glimmering diamonds, blending almost seamlessly with her essence.

“King Rylo, welcome to Goldoth.”

“It is my pleasure, Your Majesty,” Rylo replied with a bow.

“The necklace, Rylo. Why does your human wear such fine jewelry?”

Rylo grinned and rubbed his fingers across the necklace on Morgan’s throat. “I assure you, it is nothing more than a means of control.”

“You control her through the gems? Rumors have already spread of her dark magic. You’re right to put a stopper on it.”

Rylo traced his black veined hands across Morgan’s collarbone. How he loved the delicate details of her bones. Like a fragile bird, he had to resist the temptation to feel them snap between his hands.

“Something like that. If she wanted, Morgan could be the most powerful force in Aeritis, after the Goddess, of course,” Rylo said. Not a lie. None of this was a lie.

“In that case, we’d prefer to take our own precautions. We do not like to leave our slaves without chains in Onyx Caverns.” Mara stepped forward, holding a finely crafted collar with a leash of the same material stretching out.

A guard took the collar and leash into his hands and carried it to Rylo. Rylo took it in his hands, feeling the biting cold of the metal. Just as he’d put a stopper on Avery’s magic, the Goldoths were within their rights to demand this and Rylo expected as much.

“A wise choice, Mara,” Rylo said as he lifted the collar to Morgan’s throat.

Rylo felt Morgan’s presence slip into his mind. Cool, dark, and comforting. Like staying in bed on a rainy day.

Don’t you even think about putting that thing on me. I’ll ki—

The connection between their minds came down like a wall dividing them, leaving him with a cold sense of longing. Her eyes widened, and he felt her shaking with betrayal as he clicked the collar in place and took the leash in his hand.

“I won’t be turning my witch over to your care. I need the key and the leash for myself.”

Mara grinned. “We would never take your property from you, but I shall hold the key. It hasn’t escaped me that you carry a mark of your own on your once gleaming hands.”

Maglar’s expression turned cold. “Yes, Rylo, please explain how you broke a vow and now carry the consequences.”

Rylo brushed off the menace in Maglar’s voice, letting his own tone sound bored with the conversation. “I was put in a position where I had to accept Savine’s mate’s oath. She expected me to leave Morgan in Latiah after one month in Nephel. I did no such thing, and carry the mark to prove it. As I said, I refuse to turn my witch over to you, just as I did not give her to the King of Latiah.”

“That is reasonable. She should have respected your ownership of the witch,” Maglar said without question. Fool. How could such an idiot have control over such a powerful nation and military? It made Rylo want to rage at the insult of it all.

“We’ll have guards show you to your rooms so you can refresh before supper,” Mara said as she led them toward the arched doorway leading deeper into the tunnels of Onyx Caverns. Darkness settled over them in the halls. Of course, Goldoths could see clearly in such dark conditions and had little use for faelights. Their senses were adapted to such living conditions.

“Your hospitality is appreciated,” Rylo said as he tugged the leash that connected him to Morgan. She tugged back, trying to knock Rylo off balance in the darkened tunnel. A tingle went down his spine, anticipating how much fun Morgan would be when they were alone and he could hear her rage at him.

It was going to be delicious, seeing her angry and at the end of his chain. Perhaps he should be thanking Mara for the collar.

***

Morgan

Morgan wasn’t going to hesitate this time. She was going to turn herself into a kingslayer twice over, starting with Rylo. She’d never felt so humiliated as she did, stumbling through the black tunnel at the end of Rylo’s leash. Morgan tugged on the leash, trying to topple him off balance, but it didn’t happen. He didn’t even seem phased by her pulls on the chain.

Finally, the queen, Mara, stopped in the dark chamber. “Here you are, King Rylo. We were not sure if you wanted to keep your witch in your quarters, but we have provided accommodations for her in your room. If you would prefer her housed in the slave quarters, we can do that as well.”

A chill went down Morgan’s spine. No. He wouldn’t dare make her stay in slave quarters. She couldn’t even imagine what that would be like here, in this damp and cool cavern. She pulled on the leash, bringing herself closer to Rylo. Not because she wasn’t already seething at him, but because he was all she had here. If he abandoned her—she couldn’t even comprehend what it would be like to be utterly alone in this strange and cruel land.

Then she realized that’s exactly what Avery faced. When she arrived in Aeritis, she was completely alone. She had no one and no understanding of the world she’d fallen into. No wonder she was so adamant that they stay together. It was always about protecting her, keeping her from the frightening danger of being left utterly alone.

“That won’t be necessary. I prefer keeping my pet beside me,” Rylo said, tugging Morgan toward the open door. The stone from the hallway had disappeared, similar to what happened in Rylo’s library. He whispered something to Elio, but she didn’t bother trying to listen. Her ears were ringing with her rage anyway. Eavesdropping was futile.

She stepped into the room, but only for the distance that the leash allowed. She was still in disbelief that he’d actually put her in chains like this.

The room was carved from black stone, cold, so cold Morgan thought she might be able to see her breath. The bed was large and covered in a black blanket. On the floor was a small pallet containing a thin blanket. This was what the Goldoths provided for her to sleep on? Not even Morgan could fit comfortably on the small bed, even though she was small. It looked built for a spaniel or some other medium sized dog. She shook her head with disgust.

The door closed behind Rylo and Morgan felt some slack around her neck. She turned to him, seeing him looking at her with that damn fake expression and she punched him, square in the nose.

Rylo raised his hands to his face, dropping the leash. “Why the fuck did you do that? I think you just broke my nose!” A small trickle of blood flowed down his nostril, hitting his upper lip. It probably wasn’t broken. She hadn’t hit him that hard.

“How dare you!” Morgan seethed before she turned her back on him, keeping her voice low enough to keep the entourage in the hall from hearing them.

Rylo grabbed the chain and pulled Morgan close. She coughed from the sudden jerk at her throat, the cold metal burning her skin. “How dare I, what, Kingslayer? Keep you alive and beside me? Put on an act to get us what we both came here for?”

Morgan turned, the pressure on the chain moving to the back of her neck as she pushed against his chest, giving herself space. “These fae are monsters! They actually think I am your property! And you let them believe that. You let them think that I’m nothing but a—“

Rylo filled the gap between them, putting his hands on her shoulders and she tried to wriggle from his grip. “Look at me, pet.” Morgan twisted, trying to get released and as she did, the chain snaked tighter between them, twisting around Rylo’s arms and Morgan’s body, bringing them even closer. “Morgan, look at me.”

Morgan stopped struggling.

She looked up at the fire in his eyes as he held her tight, relentlessly close. She could feel his pulse drumming in a steady beat.

“I said what I needed to say to keep both of us alive. I’m not sorry for that.”

“And you like having me on a chain. Something to show off to your royal friends.”

A gleam in his eyes caught her by surprise. Damn. He did like seeing her chained to him.

“I’m not going to deny that your anger had me… intrigued to see how you would react when we were alone. You caught me off guard with your punch, a mistake on my part.”

“Well, I am mad at you. I thought you were going to abandon me,” Morgan said, casting her eyes away from his intense gaze.

“Never, pet. You are mine. I’ll not abandon you for anything.” Rylo untangled their chains and dropped his end down, sweeping his blackened hands up to her cheeks.

Unease mingled with need stirred in her stomach. “But why? What do you mean when you say I’m yours?”

“I mean I’m not letting another nation take you from me,” Rylo said, as his mouth slipped into a sly smirk, his dimple showing. “Was there anything else you thought I meant by that statement?”

Rylo leaned in, and if Morgan had her shadows they’d be shifting around them in a frantic dance. She could feel how close his lips were to her ear and felt him sniff her. Okay, that was a little weird, but she also kind of liked it.

This tension between them was so confusing. If she were in the human world and he was an authority figure, she wouldn’t act on her desires with him. They were too strong and felt too complicated.

But the rules were different here. The lines between what was right and what was wrong were blurred, and she hadn’t felt this way about someone in—honestly, ever. Her need for him felt like a wildfire burning under her skin, even when she was furious with him for collaring and leashing her like a dog.

Then her more level-headed, practical side would kick in and remind her that she knew nothing about this man. He hadn’t given her any information about his past, about how old he was, what he liked for fun, or if he even had any real friends. Why get entangled with someone who hadn’t offered to disclose anything about his life, oh, and he also kidnapped Avery and held her soulmate in prison for years.

“Morgan,” Rylo said, stroking the icy skin under the cuff of the collar. “Was there anything else you thought I meant by that statement?”

Morgan closed her eyes, the warmth of his touch soaking into the burning cold of her skin. She breathed deeply, smelling his spicy scent.

Her eyes popped open and she looked at him, staring intently at her, so close their lips were nearly touching. “I think I have Stockholm Syndrome or something.”

Rylo’s brow furrowed. “Explain.”

“It’s where you start having empathy for your captor. Developing complex emotional feelings for them, even though rationally, it makes no sense.”

Rylo stepped back, and for a moment, she thought she saw something like hurt in his eyes.

“I’m not your captor. I was ready to let you stay with your sister. I’ve never held you against your will.”

Sure, she chose to stay with him, but she hadn’t had the choice to stay with him in the first place. He’d forced that on her, making her nothing less than a captive.

“You forced me and my sister to stay with you! You just demanded that I am yours, not only a few minutes ago, but also in front of your whole nation!” Morgan said, pulling back from him.

“There’s a difference. You chose to be with me. You chose this,” He said, tight lines creased his forehead.

“God, I can’t believe I’m even having to lay this out there. The night I arrived, you gave me no choice. None! It doesn’t matter that I chose you a month later. You are still my captor.”

Rylo’s heart was beating so quickly, Morgan thought she could hear it. His breathing seemed quickened, and the look on his face was anything but the bored mask he usually wore. He looked as if her words had stung him.

He turned his back to her, and she watched him press his arms against the stone wall, face turned away from her.

She climbed onto the foot of the bed, suddenly exhausted from the arrival in Onyx Caverns and the argument they were having. The leash clinked against the floor as she got as comfortable as she could.

Rylo turned, his swollen nose looked painful from this angle. “I chose you. I chose you because you are clever and talented. I saw it the moment you entered the Towers. I don’t regret that, and I will not let someone take you from me. I’ve had too much taken from me to lose someone else. But, Morgan, if you feel I am keeping you captive against your will, I’ll let you return to your sister. You can train with her and we can still work out an arrangement where you help me achieve my goals as I help you meet yours.”

Morgan shook her head. She stood up, walking slowly toward him. “I—I don’t want to go to Avery. Everything you say is a half truth, and I don’t know how much more I can stand. I just wish you’d say what you really mean and be straight forward with me. Especially in a place like this where you’re the only one I can trust.”

Rylo brushed his fingers along her cheeks, touching the cord of scars. “I’ll not let them harm you, pet. That I swear. I can’t help that I never say what I fully mean or that I keep information back from others. It’s how I’ve survived for decades, but I will try. I’ll try strategizing with you.”

Morgan sighed, placing her hands on top of his, tilting her head up to look into his amber eyes. “I’m not asking you to share all your darkest secrets. I’d just like to know before you make choices that affect my autonomy. Even if I am working for you, even if I’m choosing to be with you, I’m not something you can just use and discard. I have my own needs and opinions, and I just want you to respect them.”

Rylo closed his eyes, holding in his breath before he released it slowly and opened his eyes to look at her. “I’m a sovereign, pet. What you’re asking of me goes against everything I’ve done as king. But I will try to share information with you before it’s sprung on you, if that makes you feel less like my property.”

Morgan nodded. Rylo was making a compromise. She couldn’t even believe it. Letting go of his hands, Morgan pointed to the bundle on the ground. “Just to be clear, I’m not sleeping there. You are going to have to get your pillow barrier back up again or you can squeeze on the dog bed.”

Rylo let out a quick, hard laugh. “We’ll share the bed, pet. It’s the least I can do after collaring you.”

“What’s the deal with Goldoth treating people like dogs? It’s gross.”

“I think we’ve only seen the beginning of this. Don’t be surprised if I’m feeding you table scraps at supper tonight.”

Morgan shook her head and closed her eyes, hoping that the nightmare situation she found herself stuck in would disappear.