Se connecterIgnoring my still heaving stomach, I wiped my mouth with the back of my wrist, put my foot on the man's chest, and with a sob of effort, I wrenched the sword out of him.Then I continued running.The bodies grew thicker as I neared the royal wing: palace servants, court officials, and a few men in brown leather with red cloth on their arms, who I was coming to understand were part of the invading army.And there were palace guards, so many of them, in the black and gold I had grown to hate.Dread spread under my ribs. So far, I had seen many official uniforms, except for one particular group. Aldric's personal guard. There were fifty of them, handpicked and loyal to him, who never left the king's side, even when he relieved himself.Though I didn’t know most of their faces because they were usually masked, I could still recognize their crimson uniforms anywhere.If the palace had been taken by surprise, they should have been lying in the halls with everyone else.So where were they?
Quickly, I jerked back from the balustrade, dropping into a squat before anyone could look up and see me.I placed my hand around my mouth to hold back my scared pants, my heart pounding so hard that my ears rang.Below me, the screaming started. It was thin at first, then it spread through the courtyard like fire catching dry straw.Steel rang against steel. A horse shrieked somewhere near the stables. A man was shouting orders in a voice so calm that it made my skin crawl."Oh my God, we're under attack," my brain screamed over and over again, pressing my hand flat against my chest.The only kingdom that could launch such a blatant attack on us was Varkos. The eastern kingdom had circled Thespria's borders for a year, and Aldric had laughed at every warning his council gave him.I thought of the gold coins and jewels I had hoarded for weeks in the hollow bedpost in my chamber, one stolen piece at a time.I had bled for that gold. I had smiled at Aldric for it and let him do things
“Your majesty,” the courtiers greeted, bowing low to me as I passed with my handmaidens.I raised a hand in acknowledgement, making sure to keep my hand behind the full veil that covered my head down to my waist.As I walked on, people flattened themselves against the cold stone walls, their eyes fixed firmly on their shoes as they waited for me to pass.No one in this cursed castle had been taught to fear royalty.They knew that proximity to the queen meant proximity to the king’s volatile attention, and to catch his eye was to invite disaster.It had just been six months of being Queen of Thespria, but it felt like an eternity.My
Vanya's POVI kept my head up and face regal as I followed him through the towering oak doors.The throne room was massive, cold, and heavy with the scent of burning oil and damp stone.At the far end of the hall, King Aldric sat upon a massive gilded throne, a mountain of soft, gluttonous flesh that made my stomach turn with immediate, visceral revulsion.His face wasn’t entirely hideous, but his obesity and the permanently cruel, downward curve of his mouth made him thoroughly unpleasant to look at.A court session was currently in progress.A ragged, trembling man who looked like a farmer was kneeling on the hard stone floor in front of the dais, his hands bound with rough
Vanya’s POV“Papa…” I pleaded, my voice broken and scratchy from days of crying. "Papa, please.”“Make sure you take care of that mess on her head,” he ordered, the maids bustling around my bedroom, ignoring me as he pointed at my matted hair. “And keep her perfect during the trip. King Aldric must not be disappointed.”I grabbed his robe as he walked by me, giving him no other choice but to stop.He looked at the ornate ceiling and released a long sigh before looking down at me.“Ple—”“Just don’t,” he cut in tiredly.
Tropes: Captor x Captive / Dark Romance / Forbidden / Fallen Queen x Rebel Leader / CNC / ObsessiveContent Warning: CNC, prison, power gap, abuse.BLURBVanya was the jewel of the Thracian line, a woman of devastating beauty sold by her father to a bloated, abusive king.For months, she was a prisoner behind a crown, her body used and bruised by a tyrant.When the palace fell in a single night, and she was captured by the rebels, she expected a swift execution.Instead, she found herself bound in heavy iron chains, now the prope
The afternoon sun bled through the high, arched windows, casting long shadows across the pews as the volunteer crew scrubbed every inch of the sanctuary. It was a rare sight; the church was buzzing with an energy usually reserved for the annual bake sale.“I’ve never seen the youths so committed to
“J, are you even listening?” I blinked, pulling my gaze away from Elias.The church basement, where we were having the youth meeting, smelled of coffee and industrial cleaner; a sharp contrast to the incense and old wood of the sanctuary above. My skin hummed as I sat in a circle of plastic chairs
“Jade? I saw you come in,” Father Elias called out again. “I was glad to see you at today’s service. You’ve grown so much in the past year you’ve been away.”I leaned my back against the door, my chest heaving, the cool painted wood the only thing supporting my buckling knees.The object of my desi
BOOK 1: THE SHEPHERD'S SIN SYNOPSIS:"Some sins are too delicious to confess. Enter at your own risk. Once you cross the line, there is no going back.”Step into a world where the lines between pleasure and pain are blurred, and the word 'forbidden' is merely an invitation. The Taboo Chronicles is







