Page 10 of The Endless One

Dealing with the God King was a little easier than dealing with Leon, if she was being honest. This man had killed her, and her anger made it hard to think. She wanted to get back at him for everything he had done. And there were a thousand spells that could fall from her tongue, dripping like poison.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Jessamine. You might think you are some witch who has everyone terrified, but I know who you really are. After all, I’ve known you since you were just a child.”

He tried to reach forward and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but she jerked back before he could. That made him frown.

So he didn’t like her having any sort of freedom. Unsurprising.

“You don’t know me,” she hissed. “You never did. All you saw was a young woman who was easily fooled. Was this your plan all along? Marry someone from a neighboring kingdom and put a god in yourself?”

“Yes, that was always my intent. Father thought it would be him, you see. He was the one to discover the spell, and he was the one who found the right god. He even made most of the priestesses’ sorcery, even though they have been largely unhelpful.” Leon ducked his head and laughed. This was the boyish chuckle that had caught her attention in the first place. He always ducked his head like that and then looked up at her through flopping blond hair. How she’d ever been fooled by that, she would never understand. “It’s a shame my father died before he could see all his dreams come to life.”

“It’s more of a shame that he couldn’t see the monster his son became.” If she could have shot weapons out of her eyes, she would have. “There are a thousand things I want to say to you.”

“Go on, then. Say them.” He crouched in front of her before the bed, looking very much like the young man she had been so interested in all those months ago. It was nowhere near enough to waver her resolve.

Jessamine glared, trying to put all her hatred into that look. “You are no better than a worm. But I am so glad you tried to kill me, because it shaped me into the woman who will get her revenge. I know you don’t believe it now. But I don’t think I have to wax on about how much I hate you, and how small you have become to me. Because someday, I’m going to run a blade across your throat, and I’m going to stand over you while you bleed out. I’m going to make sure that you die in agony while I watch.”

Throughout her entire speech, a soft smile remained on his face. Like he thought it was cute that she was threatening him. “And how are you going to do that? The God King won’t let you, Jessamine. You ran out of time.”

“You have underestimated me before, Leon. Now I see that you are foolish enough to do it again.”

Her muscles locked up. The seizing yanked at her fingers, forcing them to curl harder around her thighs as though the God King himself didn’t want her to be able to move. She ground her teeth as Leon trailed his fingers along her jaw.

“Ah, Jessamine. You truly are the perfect person for me. I always knew it was you. I shouldn’t have wasted so much time with your cousin. That woman does not know how to be a queen. You were the one who trained for years to guide a country, rule with an iron fist, and convince all those who saw you to love you. You were the one I should have focused my attention on.”

Where was any of this coming from? Jessamine had just threatened to kill him, and proven that she knew how to do so, and he was going on about… Fortuna?

“What are you prattling on about?” she asked.

Leon let his fingers linger on her lips. “The God King has reminded me that a king is nothing without a queen and a court. I can make people fear me, but a queen inspires love. Even after I killed you, your people never stopped loving you. No matter how hard I tried to make them believe you were a nuisance.”

“You shouldn’t have killed me, then.”

“That was in the past.” He waved a hand in the air as though banishing her words.

This wasn’t something that could be waved away, though. He had murdered her. He’d thrown her off a cliff after slitting her throat, and now he’d kidnapped her. “Then you should have put more time and effort into the woman who was actually obsessed with you. Fortuna would have been a devout queen.”

“But Fortuna simply will not work for me. You are the one I want.” He stared at her with needy eyes, but she knew he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

The God King’s spell lessened enough for her hands to twitch on her thighs. “Are you sure this isn’t just because I disfigured her?”

Leon’s face turned bright red. He never had been good at hiding his anger, and in this moment, she could see the mere thought enraged him. “Oh, there is that. But don’t worry. I will punish you for such a nefarious act. But it’ll have to be later. I don’t need you compliant, Jessamine. I just need you physically here.”

He stood, and a pit formed in her stomach at his words. He didn’t need her to be compliant? If he wanted a queen, she would need to be so much more than that. He knew it. The God King knew it as well. Inspiring love, devotion, that took time and effort.

“Leon, what do you mean?” she asked, a tinge of fear in her words as he walked toward the door.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Jessamine. You’ve already survived death. How bad could this be in comparison?”

As his hand landed on the doorknob, she raised her voice. “Leon Bishop, you owe me an explanation. After everything you have done, and all that we have gone through, the very least you can do is tell me what you are planning.”

He looked over his shoulder at her, and his eyes flickered gold, then green again. She didn’t know if she was talking to Leon or the God King right now. But whoever it was, their voice deepened with purpose. “For all that you look down on me for hosting a god, you are soon to have one yourself. A God King needs a goddess, Jessamine. And you are strong enough to contain one.”

And then he walked out the door. As though what he’d said didn’t matter in the slightest.

But she wheezed with anxiety at the words.

He was going to put a goddess in her. He was going to rip through everything she was, and he was going to leave her a hollow shell that he would fill with whoever he wanted.