Cruel War (The Gilded Sovereign 1)

“You think he likes me?”

“He would never have done this for someone who wasn’t a Crown.” The older man offers a small salute, and I’m confused at what he means. The Crowns are who Ares mentioned at the church. My father was one. But Ares hates him, so he can’t mean him. But does that make me one? “I better get ready for tonight. It’s time the truth reveals itself.” He turns and walks to the door, and all the questions I have for him are sitting on the tip of my tongue.

Only one frees itself. “Did you know my father? He was a Crown, right?” I want to run to the old man, to ask him to stay so he can confess everything, but I don’t. Instead, I wait for him to answer me.

The stranger doesn’t look at me, but I notice how his shoulders tense. His hand on the doorknob tightens, his knuckles turning white.

“I did. He was a good man, and yes, he was a Crown. Stay here for now; tonight, we’ll have a dinner, and all the secrets will be revealed.”

Then I’m left alone with my thoughts. I don’t know what to do. How I’m meant to stay here while Ares runs around putting himself in danger for me. I’m not some weak girl who can’t fend for herself.

I crawl onto the bed and close my eyes, wondering just what is going to happen tonight.

A dinner?

Will Abner be here?

Is Ares going to hand me over like a sacrifice?

If he does, I’ll fight. I’ll never stop fighting because my father taught me to be strong, and now is the time to make him proud.

Why did you do it, Dad? Why did you kill a woman for no reason?

26

Dahlia

I startle awake to the clicking of the lock on the bedroom door. Making my way toward it, I find it unlocked. When I twist the knob, it opens, allowing me to wander down the dimly lit hallway.

My stomach rumbles, and I realize I haven’t eaten anything all day. Sleep stole me, and the exhaustion of everything that’s happened kept me under the covers.

Everything is lit in a soft, yellow light as I make my way toward the dark wooden door where the loud sounds of rock band In This Moment scream through the wood with their song, ‘Sick Like Me.’ I lean against the jamb, listening to the song before I’m met with silence once more.

It’s time to talk to Ares.

When I stumble into the bedroom, my glance lifts to the bed, and there, in all his beautifully toned glory, is Ares, in nothing but a white cotton sheet covering his groin. My mouth dries, my tongue feels as if it’s three times its size, and my throat is filled with words that won’t come.

I lift my gaze, further struggling to drag it away from the smooth planes of his body and meet those amusement and lust filled hazel eyes. He knows I can’t look away, and I know it, too.

I never thought I’d see him naked, let alone without a girl keeping him company, doing something I’d rather not think about, but he’s alone.

“You just going to stand there, gawking?” He arches a brow, his gaze lingering on mine then slowly trailing a white-hot path down every inch of my clothes that suddenly feel too warm for the heat that’s filling the room.

“I… I should go,” I finally utter, but there’s no conviction in my voice.

“You should stay, sit awhile.” He smirks. “I mean, don’t you want to see what’s under the sheet?” His question causes my face to flush, the heat spreading from my cheeks to my chest, and I know the bastard can see it. His hand grips his hardness under the material and slowly moves as if he’s trying to hypnotize me.

“You’re… I’m not working for your father.” I don’t know how else to make him believe me. He shifts, and I can see the bulge that’s so prominent under the material, causing me to avert my gaze away from the way the sheet moves when he does. “I just wanted you to know. But I need to leave. It’s time I went home, found Abner to finish this.”

“Oh?” That dark brow arches once more, and his mouth kicks into a wolfish grin. “And what makes you think I’ll let you walk away?”

“You’ve made it very clear I’m an annoyance to you,” I retort while crossing my arms in front of my chest. “Why not let me leave and sort things out with your father directly?”

“Because you’re my annoyance to deal with,” he tells me as if it should all make sense to me. But it doesn’t. None of this makes any sense because even though he doesn’t want me in his life, which he’s made clear, why not just take me to his dad and get this over with. I should go. This is pointless because Ares is stubborn.