“Is that what you tell yourself?” I hissed, appalled at his racist flippancy.

“That is the truth,” he leveled his gaze at me, daring me to push him farther. When I remained silent, he continued, “Besides, this is an ancient belief, and a popular opinion that is ingrained throughout the kingdom. You, my dear, are a lonely minority. And it is your rebellious human upbringing that whispers everyone has the right to be free and equal, not the truths of the world, of our world.”

“You're wrong,” I stated simply. “It doesn't have anything to do with being raised human, or being rebellious. Freedom is an inherent right bestowed upon every living, breathing thing by God Himself. Even animals deserve to be free.” I finished with deep sincerity and Lucan tipped his chin at me, thinking over my words carefully.

“But they are free, aren't they? Those animals you love so dearly.” His use of the word animals meant something entirely different from mine. “I don't hunt them. I don't bother them at all; they are free to live in peace within their own kind, as long as they stay away from my kingdom.”

“You mean they are free to stay in hiding. Your kingdom expands across the globe and your tyranny follows it,” I pointed out.

“Well, if that's how you want to look at it,” he conceded, almost smiling.

“And besides, by restricting interracial marriage, you are depriving our people freedom,” I continued. He pulled me into this argument and I was determined to get everything out.

“Their freedom? Ha!” Lucan mocked me, his eyes hardening again. “I have provided them with wealth and abundance. You will not find these complaints in the general population. Only a fool would reach beyond the extravagance of this life and defy me.”

“My parents are not fools,” I growled angrily before I could stop myself.

“Do not talk about your parents in front of me!” He shouted at me again, only louder this time, and with wild eyes that sent a shiver of fear tingling down my back. “How dare you even acknowledge their existence!”

“If you hate them so much, then why am I here?” I demanded, rising to his challenge. “Why are you forcing me into a marriage with your son? Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?”

A slow smile turned his unrestrained angry expression purely sinister and this time when the fear clutched at my throat, it was because of the indisputable evil that ran through his veins. “Eden, you are an abomination, a direct smear of defiance across my perfect kingdom, and yet look at what you are worth. That loathsome magic of yours is like nothing this kingdom has ever seen, purely unique and utterly invaluable. And as much as I want to drain every last ounce of it from your cold, writhing body, I have a son to think about. His future must be secured as well. Truly, I would like to watch him come to his senses and take that magic from you by force, and add it to his own as his rightful property. But there is a love there that even I cannot deny, and eternity is a long time to live in regret.”

“Wait a second,” I demanded, not believing him for a second, “You're telling me that you aren't going to kill me because you think Kiran's in love with me?”

“Exactly,” Lucan nodded. A serene, confident calm relaxed his ice blue eyes and I trusted this look even less.

“And you expect me to believe that you actually care about someone other than yourself?” I mocked, and this time I couldn't stop my eye roll.

The calm immediately disappeared from Lucan's disposition and his body became a rock-hard statue of grave earnestness. “Never question my relationship with my son. Do you understand?”

So violent were Lucan's mood swings, and so suffocatingly powerful was his magic that all I could do was nod my understanding and struggle to breathe through the oppression of his angry energy.

When I found my courage and my voice again, I continued, “Then you should be acutely aware there is no love between Kiran and me anymore. There was a time not that long ago, that I would have faced anything before I hurt him. But now, you will die together. Now, I will gladly kill you both.”

I expected a dangerous confrontation between us. I expected Lucan to fly off the handle and slap me, or murder me, or something. But instead of getting angry he broke into laughter. He tipped his head back, exposing his throat, and laughed at me.

When the hilarity of my words subsided, he returned his gaze back to me and his eyes grew serious, “The time to kill me has come and gone. Your threats mean nothing. And in a few short months, there will be nothing you can do that will harm my son either. You will have your own magic to thank for that,” he finished arrogantly, referring to my upcoming wedding.

I recognized his pride, his disgusting self-assurance that promised him his immortality was secure, and I felt sick, “Your son will never get my magic. I will never give it to him. And don't forget that Amory died. You count on his magic to ensure your invincibility, but he died to give it to you,” I explained coldly.

“I am not your weak grandfather,” Lucan replied flatly. “Don’t forget that. And my son will get your magic Eden, it's only a matter of time,” he walked around to the other side of me, inspecting books at his eye level. “Are you aware of what Kiran's favorite pastime is?” he asked casually. I shook my head, wondering where he was going with this. “Kiran is an avid hunter. And he is excellent at it. He has hunted ever since he was a little boy, and his skill has developed into a powerful instinct that is incredible for even Immortal standards. There has never been a beast that has escaped him, not a prey that he set his mind on capturing that he did not eventually possess. His mind works in skillful ways to find his prey's weakness and then utilizes it to ensnare the beast. He's brilliant really. In Africa he claims dozens of lions, cheetahs, and all manner of wild beasts to his credit. Here in these mountains he keeps a lodge filled with his trophies. He is cunning and smart and when he puts his mind to capturing something that he wants to possess, he stops at nothing until it is his.”

Lucan paused for a moment, letting his words sit heavily in the air. I pretended to be interested more in the books on the shelves than Lucan's menacing threats, but I couldn't stop my hands from trembling or the lump from rising in my throat.

“Do not think you are anything less than a prize to be won, a prize that my son has decided he wants. You are the prey that he is hunting now. And it may be done out of love, but it is still a game, it is still an obsessive desire to win. I have no doubt of my son's ability, in his perfect readiness, to capture what he wants when the time is right.” He paused so that I could feel the full effect of his threat. I swallowed uneasily, unable to turn my gaze to meet Lucan's eyes that scrutinized me from only a foot away. “You are already in his trap, Eden, and soon you will be in his possession, another trophy for his hunting lodge. Child, we have already won.”

And with that, Lucan turned around and marched from the room. When he was gone, I collapsed against the bookshelf, my heart beating wildly and my pulse pounding against my neck. I refused to believe anything that he said, any threat that he made, or any lie he promised was truth. Still, my magic flared with an ominous warning. I steadied my staggered breathing and forced myself to remember that I wasn't an animal running from a hunter. I was capable of fighting back, of thinking clearly and of taking down this monarchy.

They hadn't won anything yet.

Chapter Sixteen

Sebastian and I stepped off the palace jet onto a small airstrip outside of Paris after a short flight from Timisoara. Our security detail surrounded us immediately and followed us to a waiting black sedan, the driver standing at attention and ready to open our door. Someone from the palace flight staff unloaded our bags from the jet and transferred them to the trunk of the sedan as we walked through the hot summer humidity and climbed into the cool, air-conditioned backseat, leaving our accompanying Titans to pile into two other cars that would escort us to the Paris Palace.

“Oh, my gosh, it is so nice to be out of the Citadel!” I shrieked, once inside the privacy of the car.

Sebastian just smiled at me, and glanced down at the two handcuffs I still wore. The chains that linked them together at one time had been sawed off and so they looked more like chunky, iridescent bracelets than shackles, but still, they were reminders that I was a prisoner on leave for good behavior and nothing else.

“Where are we staying?” I asked, unable to hold back my excitement as the car left the airstrip and headed toward the City of Lights.

“You and I are staying with my parents, in the Paris Palace. Kiran has a flat here that he will stay at.”

“Do you think we will get to do any sightseeing while we're here?” I asked, hopefullly. Last time I was in Paris, I only stayed for one night and instead of sightseeing I kidnapped Sebastian. It wasn't the ideal trip, although it ended successfully.

“I think Kiran is planning to take you around the city tomorrow,” Sebastian answered nonchalantly.

“Oh,” I sighed. “Are you coming?” I turned to him and let the full force of what I hoped to be pleading, but alluring eyes on him.

“I don't think that's quite what Kiran had in mind,” Sebastian laughed. “What are you worried about anyway? I thought he made it clear how he felt about you.”

“No, he did.... I'm not worried,” I admitted, feeling encouraged by Sebastian's comment. “It's just something Lucan said last week....” I trailed off and Sebastian was prepared to let the subject drop, but I couldn't hold my question back. “Sebastian, is Kiran a hunter? Like, a really good one?”

“What did my uncle say to you?” Sebastian dissolved into good-natured laughter and I saw the absurdity of my question.

“I'm sorry, I'm being ridiculous,” I admitted, feeling the heat paint my cheeks.

“I don't think you should think of sightseeing as anything more than an act of gratitude for your excellent behavior over the holiday last week,” Sebastian explained. “I'm the one who told him how much you wanted to see Paris the last time you were here. He's seen it a thousand times and could care less, really.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. When Sebastian put it like that I felt less threatened, less like a hurt animal caught in a trap. We continued to have light-hearted conversation while Sebastian pointed out as much as he could from the car. We drove along the Seine, and I marveled at the people packing the sidewalks. Elegant Parisian women in stilettos and with designer handbags mingled with sweaty tourists, pushing their way through the crowds. Street artists dressed in the casual chic European style stopped excited pedestrians on the street to sketch their faces, and on every corner there was either a cathedral of some great importance or a landmark, some ancient statue from Napoleon’s time or a monument to honor Louis XIV.

As we drove slowly through the slow summer traffic we passed Notre Dame on an island in the middle of the Seine, with a courtyard filled with tourists waiting to enter. The Gothic cathedral loomed over them, creating reprieve from the sun in the shade of its historic spires and portentous-looking gargoyles. The Sainte Chapelle just a few miles down attracted its own line of patrons to admire the intricate, colorful stained glass windows and ivory stone. With its large center spire reaching toward the heaven in an elegant, narrow point towering over the crowds below, the chapel beckoned its visitors inside to pray reverently in the light of colored glass and burning candles lit for the souls of others.