Alas, my husband did not stop.

“You have given me nothing in this marriage. Not a thing, Ha-Lah. What little I have you made me earn. The barest scrap of your attention, your history, any part of you. I should likely praise Triton and Medusa both that you did not make me scrape and beg for morsels of you. But I fear I’m in no mood to praise our gods right now, my queen. There are ankles to noose and throats to slit.”

I winced.

“Absolutely,” he spat decisively when he caught my reaction. “You don’t have the stomach to be queen.” He leaned toward me. “In all this change, my wife, that I will bear on my realm after this bloody ludicrous journey is through, there will be one more. When I get my heir, he will not be saddled with the greatest beauty of the land. He will pick who he wishes. She can be ugly of visage as long as she’s kind of heart and lustful for his cock and desirous of his company and supportive of his thoughts. What he will not have is he will not be burdened with a queen the likes of you.”

At that, I flinched and took a step away.

It looked as if his lip would curl as he watched me do this, but he caught it before he did.

And instead, he dealt his mortal blow.

“We will battle this fucking Beast. I do not know of destiny, of the supposed power of these unions of man and wife, except it seems naught but nonsense. But when it is done, we will sever ties, you and me. And then I will find a queen that suits me. A queen that suits Mar-el. And she will give me an heir. Then I will change the laws of our land so my son will know nothing but happiness.”

On that, he spun again and stalked to the door.

“King Aramus,” I called.

He twisted at the waist and barked, “What?”

“I am truly very sorry for the loss of a man you cared for so deeply.”

“This I believe,” he bit.

“And I am further sorry for the loss of you, for I was falling in love with you, my king, and your brother died an honorable death, protecting his king and queen. I will carry him in my heart as well, for as long as I am breathing, grateful for the sacrifice he made for you and for me. But in the fury of your grief, you killed something not as precious, but it was coming to be precious to me. And I will mourn its loss, not as you clearly mourn, but I shall do it all the same.”

As I spoke, he turned fully to me, his neck inclining, the rage seeping out of his expression.

It was then I turned away from him and moved toward the bath and my dressing room.