The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 6 by Bella Forrest (books for men to read .TXT) 📕

that moment, Alex wanted to laugh in his face, or lash out, but stern looks from Venus and Virgil stayed his hands. He certainly didn’t want to end up looking like the Head, his face a marbled mess of white, purple, yellow, and bluish black.

“Since you seem so keen to keep trying this foolhardy spell, and given the mess you’ve made of my essence system, I’m willing to overlook the little mishap we had at Falleaf,” Julius continued.

Alex knew he wasn’t really forgiven at all; it was simply more convenient for the king to rope Alex into doing the spell. If it failed again, Julius could come up with a new way of destroying lives for essence. If it succeeded, Julius would become the hero of the magical realm, taking the glory. Either way, Julius was still going to get what he wanted.

“However, as laid out in the previous terms of our agreement, your life is now mine.” The king paused for effect, but Alex gave him nothing. Evidently frustrated, Julius carried on. “You are to complete the final attempt yourself, in whichever place I see fit. Think of it as your execution, your punishment for all the trouble you have caused me. But, the perk is, you’ll be saving a lot of people in the process—well, if you manage it, anyway,” he taunted. With a look of disgust, he turned to Virgil. “Now, you may have the assistance of that wretch over there, but he won’t be doing the spell this time. As foul as he is to me, he is still a royal, and you know how I feel about wastage. All sound fair?”

Alex gave a sour smile. “I suppose I’m not allowed to disagree?”

“Oh, you can disagree until you’re blue in the face, but you will still be doing this spell,” Julius hissed, lifting his hands to Alex’s throat. Gently, he pressed his thumbs down on Alex’s windpipe, until Alex felt lightheaded with lack of oxygen, the king having made him literally blue in the face.

Still standing by the throne, Virgil looked at Alex with an expression of sorrow. It was clear some choice words had been exchanged between Julius and his stepson, but Virgil seemed no less apologetic for what the king was making Alex do. In fact, he seemed more so, like he somehow felt responsible.

“Then… I… suppose… I agree,” Alex gasped, his eyes bulging.

Julius released him, a victorious smile upon the king’s face. “Glad I could persuade you so easily,” he taunted, though Alex ignored the bait. He had bigger concerns to think about now. For a second, he thought about asking after his friends, but he didn’t dare—not while he could still feel the imprint of the king’s hands on his throat.

With a sudden realization that smarted like a smack to the face, Alex understood the gravity of the situation. He was going to die, one day very soon. After everything he had done to try to avoid it, performing the spell was going to rest on his shoulders anyway. There was no escaping it; this place was too well guarded, and he knew he would be under constant scrutiny. With a bubble of furious sadness, he realized that none of the in between mattered.

I was always going to end up here, he thought to himself, his whole body going numb at the thought. There was no panic; that would come later.

For now, there was only dazed disbelief. The tide had brought him straight back to where he’d begun.

Chapter 22

However, it seemed Julius wasn’t quite done with Alex. Expecting to be dismissed so preparations could get underway, Alex was surprised that the king was still prowling around him, darting forward every so often, like a predator testing to see if its prey was broken enough yet to go in for the kill.

“Oh, and I forgot to mention,” he purred. “I have another little surprise for you.”

Alex didn’t want to know; he was done with surprises. There was nothing that could come out of that man’s mouth that would make Alex feel any better, or ease his troubled mind.

“A surprise? For me, Your Royal Highness?” Alex replied, trying not to let the sarcasm drip from his words.

Julius glowered, moving closer to Alex. “I have your friends,” he whispered malevolently. “And if you speak in that insolent tone again, I will change my mind about what I have planned for them.”

Alex frowned. “So they’re here?” he asked, all the daring gone from his voice.

“Oh, yes,” said Julius. “And I had planned something remarkably kind for them, though I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

“My apologies, Your Royal Highness. I didn’t mean to offend. I am simply in shock,” Alex admitted, hoping to win the royal over with a little groveling. “It’s not an easy thing, to learn your life has a much briefer timer over it.”

For a moment, the king said nothing, his wolfish eyes scrutinizing Alex closely, no doubt trying to see if the fear was genuine. Alex was convinced Julius could sniff out the real deal, and hoped there was enough of it to convince him.

“No, I would imagine not,” said Julius, finally.

“Please, tell me what kind thing you had planned—I won’t speak out of turn again, Your Royal Highness,” Alex insisted, adding the cherry to the top of the forgiveness cake.

Julius gave a dramatic sigh. “Well, Alex Webber, I will promise the freedom of your friends, upon the successful completion of the spell, by you,” he explained grandly, clearly thinking himself the most benevolent creature to ever walk the earth.

Alex didn’t know what to say. The offer seemed genuine, but he knew better than to believe anything uttered by the king, especially where good deeds were concerned. Glancing over to Venus, he saw a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips, and realized the offer must’ve had something to do with her hypnosis magic.

“Forgive me, Your Royal Highness,” Alex began, his voice tight. “Your offer is as generous as