His cloak sweeps over the floor as the Shadow Emperor walks through the large doors at the entrance of our castle, my luggage floating behind him. I’ve never seen powers like his before. The way he broke my father’s finger without a second thought and whipped him for all to see seemed effortless, as if it required little to no thought for him. If he’s capable of doing that with such ease, then what could he do to me?“You best hurry,” a soldier tells me, a surprisingly friendly look on his face. “His Excellency doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”I nod and force my trembling legs forward, willing myself not to look back at the castle I’m leaving my heart in. I have no idea if Nathaniel is safe, and no way of helping him escape punishment. I told my father that it was all my fault, but I doubt that’ll be enough.I might never see him again. He’s in the dungeons because of me, and I can’t even tell him how sorry I am. Fates, based on what I just witnessed, there’s a chance I might not make it through tonight.“You’ll ride with me.” The Shadow Emperor doesn’t look my way, but it’s clear that it’s me he’s speaking to. I glance at the giant horse with its unnaturally black eyes and shudder in fear. Sirocco is even more terrifying up close than he was in the horrendous illustrations I’ve seen. My eyes trail to the carriage and I try to work up the courage to ask if I can ride in that instead, but I fail.“Theon.”I freeze at the sound of that voice. It’s the same voice I heard last night in the tunnels. My heart hammers in my chest as I turn to look at the woman standing next to the Shadow Emperor. Elaine. She wasn’t standing next to him mere seconds ago, but I’m certain it’s her voice I heard.“She can ride with me,” she says.Every instinct is telling me that I’m no safer with her than I am with the Shadow Emperor himself, especially if she knows I tried to run last night. Pure bitterness rushes through me as I take her in. I used to idolize her. Growing up, she was the only woman I knew of who was more powerful than her male counterparts. Once upon a time, I wanted to be just like her. Now I regret that our paths ever crossed. If not for her, Nathaniel and I might have been in a different country by now. Instead, he and I are both captives of different kinds.“No,” he says, and I tense. I might dislike Elaine, but I’d still choose to ride with her over riding with him. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m lifted off the floor, the air around me solidifying. I gasp and flail out of fear of falling and stare down at the floor below me in shock, eliciting a chuckle from him. He moves his fingers, and as he does so, I move through the air, toward him. This feeling… feeling this helpless and weak… I hate it.He lowers me on top of his horse and I instantly bury my hand through its dark mane, scared of being lifted off again. I’ve never felt anything like that before. I lost all control over my body and was entirely at his mercy, even more so than when I wore the handcuffs. Is that what the rest of my life will be like? Being thrown around at his every whim?noveldrama“Your Excellency,” I say, my voice trembling. “I’m perfectly capable of getting on a horse myself.”He doesn’t acknowledge me as he joins me on the horse, seating himself behind me. I regretted my words from the moment they left my lips, and I count my blessings when he ignores them. The few words I just uttered could result in endless pain for me. I could suffer like my father did.“Felix,” he says eventually. “You are my wife, Arabella. You’ll call me Felix.”I stiffen when he reaches around me to grab the reins, entirely too close for comfort. His wife. The word and everything it encompasses terrifies me.His chest brushes against my back, and I try my hardest to move away, to no avail. “Your squirming is futile,” he tells me. “The force of our movement will have you pressing into me, whether you like it or not. You’d better get used to it.”I choose to ignore his words and hold on to Sirocco’s mane, but the second we start to gallop I’m pressed into him just as he said I would be. Sirocco is much faster than any other horse I’ve ever ridden, and it’s terrifying. Much to my surprise, Felix wraps one arm around my torso, keeping me securely in place.“It’s safer like this, Arabella. Carriages are always at risk, but nothing can harm you so long as you are with me.”There’s a hint of concern in his voice, and I frown. I suppose I did just become the wife of the most powerful man in the world. I have no doubt that his list of enemies is endless. It hadn’t occurred to me that I might become a target, too. “How far is it?” I force myself to ask, already barely able to bear the pain caused by the pressure against my injured back.“It should take us half a day on Sirocco, weather permitting, but our entourage can’t keep up that pace. Once we’re on Eldirian grounds, we will leave them behind. It will take them a day and a half to reach the palace.”I nod and try my best to relax, to endure the pain, but the way his body presses against mine doesn’t make it easy. My eyes fall closed and I inhale shakily, trying my hardest to focus on something else.He terrifies me, but he doesn’t seem to be the beast everyone says he is. He feels normal to me. I’m not particularly well acquainted with the anatomy of a man, but from what I can tell, he doesn’t seem to be deformed. He seems strong and wide. Even his voice sounds normal—melodic even. Some of the things I’ve read about him are definitely true, but some might not be.I glance at him over my shoulder, curious. “Why can’t I see you properly?” I don’t even realize I’ve said the words until they leave my lips. My stomach tightens as I wait for him to reply, part of me hoping he’ll ignore the question altogether.“It’s an enchantment.” He tightens his grip on me, and all it does is increase the pain in my back. “Why would you want to see me?”I don’t have an answer to that. I can’t decide whether I’m better off keeping my distance from him or endearing myself to him—I can’t decide what will keep me safer. “I’d like to know who I married,” I eventually answer honestly.I feel his gaze on the back of my head and tighten my grip on the horse’s mane, refusing to let fear rule me. “You’re in pain.” It isn’t a question, but I nod nonetheless. I have a feeling he’d see through any lies I try to tell him, and I’m not about to give him any excuses to punish me.He slows the horse’s pace until we’re riding alongside Elaine. “We’ll stop by the falls,” he tells her, his voice soft and calm. The look the two of them exchange tells me they had no plans to stop so soon, and I can’t help the gratitude I feel.I’m concerned that the pain might cause me to faint, since it’s not uncommon for that to happen in the days after one of my father’s punishments. Fainting while on top of Sirocco would cost me my life.By the time the horse comes to a standstill, I’m shaking and so lightheaded that I fear I might fall off at any moment. Felix jumps off the horse, and much to my surprise, he offers me his hand instead of lifting me off using his alchemy. I hesitate before slipping my hand against his leather glove. My eyes try to find his, but the spell on him makes it impossible to do so. It leaves me feeling disoriented as he helps me down with a gentleness that I’d never have expected of him.He turns to Sirocco and grabs an apple from one of the pockets in the saddle, handing it to his horse with the same gentleness he just bestowed on me. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if Sirocco truly is from Hell, but I value my life just enough not to utter those words.I lean back against the tree he’s tied Sirocco to and watch him groom his horse while his soldiers set up tents around us. For some reason, I didn’t expect him to take care of Sirocco himself. There’s something so human about him, but simultaneously I can’t help but feel like that’s all an illusion.“I forget that you aren’t a soldier. You’re nothing like Elaine. I assumed you’d last until we made it back to Eldiria, but I should have known better.”I freeze and wrap my arms around myself, unsure of what to make of his comment. Is he chastising me or is he apologizing? Either way, he’s got me feeling beyond confused. I was expecting fear and torture, but he hasn’t hurt me. I’m relatively certain that we’ve stopped because he realized I was in pain, and his kindness throws me off. I turn away from him and watch the soldiers build up the tents at inhuman speed. What should take hours takes them only minutes.“It’s magic.” I glance back at the Shadow Emperor, Felix. I can’t quite get used to his name, not even in my head. To be on a first-name basis with him… it’s strange. “Magic isn’t banned in my empire,” he tells me. His tone makes me feel like I’m missing something, like I should be reading between the lines. “We encourage the use and mastery of it. I do not believe that a sorceress was behind the plague, nor do I believe misfortune befalls those of magical lineages. That is merely a tactic that lets those who fear magic subjugate what they do not understand.”I nod hesitantly, my mind reeling. He doesn’t believe the curse I was born with is real? I wish it were true, but there’s no denying the countless fires that have started near me, or the typhoons and earthquakes that immobilized me each time I tried to run away after my father’s punishments, fueled by rage and pain.“Come.” He gestures toward the small tent in the middle, and I hesitate before following him. It hadn’t occurred to me yet that he’d expect his wife to share his tent. Despite the ceremony, I don’t feel married.I follow him through the doorway and gasp when I lay eyes on the interior. It’s enormous inside, and everything is decorated decadently, with lush carpets and endless wide wooden doors. It looks like there are half a dozen rooms in what should be a small tent.He walks through the door in the back, and I join him in what appears to be his bedroom. My nerves skyrocket, and for a moment, I almost missed the familiar woman standing next to the bed.“Theon,” she says, her eyes drifting over me in surprise, as though she hadn’t expected him to bring me to his room. That in itself is a relief. It means he might just be showing me around.“Elaine,” he replies, his voice flat.She straightens and smiles at me, her expression impossible to read. “It’s an honor to finally formally meet you,” she says.I nod politely, wishing the circumstances were different. Once upon a time, I would have loved to meet her. I’d have been in awe. Now I find myself barely able to restrain my anger.“Elaine is my most trusted adviser,” he tells me. “She commands our army in my absence and plays a key role in facilitating trade among all our different regions.”I nod as though I didn’t already know that, unsure how much to divulge. There’s no way of knowing whether what I’ve read is truthful or not, after all.“I wanted to check in with you about the unexpected stop,” Elaine says, sounding worried. Her gaze is searching, and what she seems to find does not reassure her. Can she see through the enchantment? “I fear we will be at risk if we remain here too long.”Who would ever dare attack the Shadow Emperor? Surely no one would be quite so foolish?“We’ll stay an hour.”Elaine visibly tenses and stares at him, her brows slightly raised. It looks like a change in plans isn’t common for them. “Very well,” she says, turning to walk away.My heart starts to race when the door closes behind her. I’ve never been alone with him before, and I’m terrified of what he’ll do to me.“Come here.”I swallow hard and take a small step closer to him. I’m shaking so badly that it’s impossible to hide my fear.“I hate having to repeat myself, Arabella.”I nod and step forward, letting my eyes close as I stand before him, like the coward I am. He moves around me and places his hands on my corset, untying it slowly, and I clutch my chest when it comes loose, scared of what he’s about to do to me. I’m in so much pain that I don’t have sufficient energy to even attempt fighting him.I whimper when I hear the sound of my dress ripping, cool air brushing over my skin. He places his palm on my skin, and I gasp as a strange sensation washes over me, cooling down the invisible welts my father left. We stand there together for what feels like countless minutes, the pain slowly ebbing away, and I nearly collapse in relief. Usually, the whipping is the least painful part of my punishments. It’s the healing of wounds that can’t be treated that hurts the most.“Better?”I nod and turn to face him, only to recoil at the sight of him. The enchantment that blurred his face is no longer there, and I stumble back as I take in the thick black veins that move over his face like slithering snakes, obscuring his features. Pure horror rushes through me, and he rushes to pull his hood over his face, but not before I catch a glimpse of his turquoise irises, specks of gold illuminating his otherwise dark features. Somehow, I expected his eyes to be like Sirocco’s, but they aren’t. Something akin to dejection flashes through his eyes before he averts his gaze and pulls his hood farther down.He reaches for me, and I wince instinctively, only for the fabric against my back to mend itself until, once more, my dress is whole again and my corset is tied. Remorse instantly rushes through me, and he sighs as he steps back farther. “We should resume our journey,” he says, his voice weary as he turns and walks away, leaving me standing in his empty bedroom by myself.