Xar stepped forward, the green-eyed captain’s muzzle pulling into what might have been approval. “A wise choice, my king. The weak one?” He gestured toward Mia with casual dismissal. “She goes to Healer Yarx as planned?”
“Yes.” Sylas released Elsa’s hair finally, though his claws lingered near her face. “Mia will work off her debt assisting with medical duties. If she proves useful, she lives. If not...” He let the threat hang unfinished.
Mia whimpered but nodded frantically. “I’ll work hard. I promise. I won’t disappoint you.”
“See that you don’t.” He barely glanced at her, his attention drawn inexorably back to the golden female.
Elsa stared at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. Not submission—she hadn’t broken enough for that. Not quite defiance either, though the spark remained banked behind her eyes.
Calculation. She was thinking, planning, adapting to this new reality he’d forced upon her.
Smart female.
“What does being your…pet…entail?” The question came carefully. Measured. As if she was negotiating terms of surrender rather than accepting captivity.
Sylas’s grin sharpened. “You’ll live in my chambers. Eat what I provide. Wear what I choose. Go where I permit.” Each statement was a claim, a boundary established. “You will not leave without my permission. You will not speak to other males without my presence. You will obey.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
“In return, you will want for nothing. Protection. Comfort. Safety.” His voice dropped lower. “As long as you please me, you will live better than any human on this forsaken planet.”
“And if I displease you?”
Bold. So dangerously bold.
“Then we discover what happens when a pet forgets her place.” The threat was implicit, wrapped in velvet menace.
Silence stretched between them. Elsa’s throat worked as she swallowed hard. Her gaze dropped to his chest, unable to maintain eye contact under the weight of his stare.
Finally, she nodded. Small. Reluctant. But unmistakable.
Acceptance.
Triumph surged through Sylas’s veins, hot and immediate. He’d won. Claimed her. Made her his in front of witnesses who would spread word throughout the fortress before nightfall.
The human navigator with the Frosted Tears scent belonged to the Alpha King.
“Xar.” Sylas turned to his captain without taking his eyes off Elsa. “Take Mia to Healer Yarx. Explain her duties. If she gives trouble, inform me immediately.”
“Yes, my king.”
Xar moved with practiced efficiency, stepping forward to grip Mia’s arm—not roughly, but firm enough to discourage even the thought of resistance. Before leading her away, he crouched and unlocked the iron restraints binding her wrists and ankles. The chains fell loose with a dull clatter.
Xar turned next to Elsa and removed her shackles as well, the metal slipping free from her skin before he gathered the heavy lengths and tossed them to a nearby Lux Knight without looking.
Only then did he guide Mia forward. The red-dressed female went willingly, relief evident in the way her shoulders loosened as she was led from the throne room.
One problem solved.
Sylas circled Elsa again, slower this time. Savoring. His prize required proper care—inspection, cleaning, feeding. She looked half-starved and wholly exhausted. Whatever damage the crash and subsequent captivity had inflicted needed addressing.
“Ryxin.” He addressed his brother without looking away from the golden female. “Send word to the Lux Sabers. I require attendants for my new pet. Females who understand discretion.”
Understanding flickered in his brother’s cyan eyes. “Of course. I’ll have them sent to your chambers immediately.”
“Good.” Sylas stopped his circling, positioning himself directly in front of Elsa. “You will come with me now. Quietly. Without resistance.”
It wasn’t a question.