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“And I’m no princess,” she leans in, whispering. “I’m a fucking queen of your own making, this is my kingdom and you have no place in it. You wanna play medieval times, old man? I’m game. You disrespect the king, you get hung, but doing as little as putting your eyes on the queen without permission? Lose your hands, then your feet, right before you’re beheaded for all to see. Or maybe we’re talking the Romans. I could throw you in the ring, let you battle for your life against my strongest man. You tell me, Graven? What era we playin’ tonight with arranged marriages and family debts owed?”
He pushes against her, so her left arm comes around to add power to the blade and a small drop of blood rolls down his Adam’s apple.
“You know this is where she held the gun,” she whispers suddenly, and my eyes fly to Cap then back. “Just like this.” She tucks her hand up more, the blade disappearing under his chin. “Cocked it back, ready to take me to the grave with her. Wanna know what she said to me?” She doesn’t let him speak. “She said ‘he doesn’t get to have you.’”
He tries to bait her, asking, “Where is your mother, Raven?”
Her jaw starts to shake, eyes narrowing. “My weakness,” she whispers and his eyes damn near fucking sparkle.
She slides the knife against him, not even a centimeter, but his nostrils flare as the blade cuts a little more.
“You’re a cunning piece of shit,” she rasps. “You didn’t need the blood from her, but you showed up on her doorstep anyway, didn’t you? Shared the news, finally a Graven and a Brayshaw. You knew she’d come, and you bet on me. You knew I’d protect him at all costs. Risky move, Graven, but knowledge is dangerous, right? You needed to eliminate the last and final threat that could fuck you from what you believed you deserve.”
“Where is your mother, Raven?” he repeats with a sneer. He knows he’s a goner, nothing left to do but try to tear at her.
But he doesn’t know Raven like he thinks he does.
“Same place she’s been since the day you raped her.” Donley’s face turns red with anger. “In Hell. If only you could see past the meat between a man’s legs, hm? Then we’d have been yours to mold. Bet we could have landed us a Brayshaw so easy, too,” she taunts.
We?
My muscles constrict, and I flex my fingers at my side.
Donley frowns at her, causing Raven’s smirk to grow.
She swiftly steps back, and my dad shifts closer to Donley.
Raven flips the blade in the air, catching the sharp metal in her palm and Royce takes a step forward, but my hand flies out and he halts his movement, glaring at me.
I frown, watching.
She glances behind her, half spinning and holds her arm out, her eyes flying to Victoria.
Victoria tenses, but the longer she stares into Raven’s eyes, the more she eases. She steps forward, wrapping her hand around the silver handle, around the words of Brayshaw.
Raven gives a hard nod, and Victoria yanks it back, blood spilling from Raven’s closed palm to the floor.
Captain’s eyes fly to mine, tension lining his brow, but I give a small shake of my head.
Let her be.
Victoria looks from the blood to Raven, to Donley, and then steps closer. Without hesitation, Victoria palm seals around the bloody blade, and she yanks the handle back. Her hand falls to her side, Raven’s bloody one slipping into it.
They step closer.
Raven pulls her hand from Victoria’s, slapping it against Donley’s face, and dragging it across his jaw. When the base of her palm meets his chin, she shoves his head back, forcing his ass to meet his feet.
Donley tries to swallow, but coughs, making a dark chuckle leave Raven.
She smiles wickedly. “Does our blood sicken you, father? Is it not thick enough, not dirty enough? Or maybe it’s too dirty for the man who traded one daughter for information on the other?”
What. The. Fuck.
All three of our eyes fly across each other’s, landing on our dad’s who frowns.
He had no clue.
I look to Raven and Victoria, both standing in front of Donley, both bleeding before him.
Sisters.
“I was never supposed to live, was I? You ordered an abortion, but my mom saw an opportunity. She’d taunt you every day and from miles away. She knew she’d be in the back of your mind, hiding in your darkest corner where your fear lies, just like you were in hers.” She laughs again, but it cuts off sharply, her eyes flying to my dad.
“Mero Malcari, the man you gave your other daughter to, raped me when I was twelve years old,” she says monotone, her eyes sliding to Victoria. I can’t see Victoria’s face from here, but Raven’s eyes tighten, and she looks away, swallowing whatever was on her tongue.
