I rope in the sisters—who are just as guilty—until I know I have all three of them under my power. Thrall lassos around them, and a deep satisfaction blooms inside me as I watch them become as helpless as Cinder was.
“Feed on yourself.”
My words come out with a monstrous intonation.
All three women bite into their own wrists, red dripping from where their fangs penetrate. Whimpers of pain escape all of them. Drusilla lets out a muffled scream.
I know what they suffer all too well. It’s the worst pain any vampire can endure, a kind of self-imposed cannibalism that twists the guts up before a stabbing sensation relentlessly drills into the entire body.
Our blood howls, a tortured symphony of agony that courses from our fangs to our toes. The brain cannot escape any of it, held captive by something so wrong that it’s captured entirely by the horror of it.
“Enough.” Someone else’s words cut through my thrall, releasing the women.
They drop into sobbing heaps.
No! I’m not done with them. They aren’t finished reaping the rewards of their sins.
I turn to find Cinder blinking at me with either surprise or horror, but behind her is the one who broke my thrall, the King. His brows are furrowed and there is a dangerous glint in hiseyes. I can practically feel the anger radiating from him as he takes a step towards me
He can try. But not before I kill these monsters.
“You can thrall,” Cinder murmurs.
Her words break through my fury. Making her family repent can wait. I need to get her to safety.
“It’s okay now,” I assure her, taking a step to hold her in my arms. Cinder recoils, stopping me in my tracks. My arms drop.
“What’s going on here?” More voices add to the din as people file out of the ballroom, with the ambassadors at the forefront. I watch my father’s demeanor shift like a snake’s, to appear levelheaded and cool though I know he wishes to punish me violently and without remorse.
“They attacked my bride,” I snarl. “And it isn’t the first time. But I guarantee it will be the last.”
My chest and shoulders heave from the intensity coursing through my body. The women cry piteously, but I have no sympathy for them.
More chatter kicks up, mainly discontent from the ambassadors. My father’s eyes slide over to them, calculating, measuring.
“This is unacceptable,” the King finally says in a loud tone that causes the hallway to quiet. “We cannot stand this threat to the crown, to the relationships we are trying to build.”
I can’t believe it. My fucker of a father is using this moment to pander to the ambassadors.
“You three are despicable. We do not treat our familiars or allies with such callous, abusive regard. For this, you three are all banished from this kingdom. Stripped of all title, rank, and wealth. You are to live with the rogues on the outskirts.”
Marisela’s eyes roll up with a wild look, the whites nearly consuming her irises. “No, you can’t.” Her protest comes out with a desperate shriek.
“I can and it is done.” My father says, staring at her with disgust he doesn’t have to fake.
The ambassadors hum in approval around him, and I realize I may have inadvertently given him more power than he had before.
And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the more power King Charming has, the more he abuses it.
Chapter 45
The Sun Also Bleeds
CINDER
Iwant to go home.
I’m going back to the Common World, and I might not come back. But I haven’t had a moment alone since my stepfamily got banished.
