“Thatlowborn whore—” she sneered “—was my fucking sister.” Alistair’s eyes widened, to Ciena’s delight. Her long, sharp-tipped nails dug into his skin, causing blood to trickle to the surface. “And as you can see, she is not so lowborn. I do not care what your preconceived notions are about her, you do not utter her name. You do not so much as think of her, or I will tear your throat from your body and feed it to my dogs.” She tilted his head so he had no choice but to stare into her eyes. “Are we clear?”
“Get off me, you witch.” He struggled to get the words out, but she only tightened her grip.
“Are. We.Clear?”
Alistair nodded once, and she let him go. His body collapsed onto the table as he sucked in great heaving breaths. Ciena didn’t look back once as she walked back to her spot and dropped into the seat. Trystan grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to it, offering her a semblance of comfort. Luka looked at the two uncomfortably, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
Trystan had been faithfully loyal to Erina, but perhaps seeing the closeness between them had him wondering how genuine his feelings were. But I felt the situation was heightened given the events and revelations of the past week. It was jarring, and everyone’s nerves were frayed.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Alistair spat, rubbing the spot on his neck where Ciena left her mark behind. He looked at everyone, wide-eyed, as if he could not believe no one had come to his aid. “You’re all fucking crazy,” he shouted. “I was just assaulted!”
The only one who seemed mildly concerned was King Airyn of Kidora, but it was possible it was due to his younger age. Untested, he’d never experienced the high stakes anxiety of these council meetings before. The rest of us understood how volatile a situation like this could be. When you get this many high-strung individuals in a room, especially on the brink of war, it was likely to cause some rifts.
As for my sire, he was always one to push the boundaries of what was acceptable. He was full of fire and malice. Now that he was in power, I expected it to be much worse than it was before. And it would seem I was right. And my mother—that sad, cursed woman—had stayed by his side through it all.
I wanted to hide her from the world. Give her the opportunity to restart her life and do something that she loved. And it broke my heart when she told me no every time.
She didn’t believe I could save her. Though I knew it wasn’t true, I couldn’t help but feel like she chose him over me. Perhaps it was my own guilt, knowing how she suffered after I left.
“Is no one going to do anything?” Alistair said, throwing his arms wide. But again, no one moved. His eyes settled on Ciena, who watched him with rage burning in her own blazing gaze. “You will pay for this. I don’t care how long it takes, but I will take this payment from your own skin.”
“Is that a threat?” she asked, stepping away from Trystan, but he held her back and shook his head. Not here. Not now. She would be excused for her earlier outburst if Alistair pushed for punishment, but if she rose to his taunts now, then it would not fall on her side.
Alistair barked a bitter laugh as he pressed a napkin to his wound. It gave me some sort of twisted pleasure to watch it turn red under his hold. “Come Vana, we’re leaving.” He stood quickly from the table. The chair groaned as it slid against the rocky floor. My mother looked at him with wide eyes before turning her gaze to me.
For just a moment, I thought she might have changed her mind. The look on her face told me how desperately she wanted to run to me, but I shriveled as she gave an imperceptible shake of her head.
I stepped forward, my gaze pleading. “You don’t have to go with him. You can stay here. Withme. We can get you help.” Nerin placed a hand gently on my mother’s elbow and nodded, supporting my claim.
But just as I knew she would, my mother moved to Alistair’s side. He reached for her, his fingers digging into her skin and causing her to wince. He’d likely bruised the location already. Nerin looked to her husband, but there was nothing any of us could do without it being an act of war. I knew better than most because I’d dreamed of ways to work around and get her out, but couldn’t find a way.
He pushed her forward, and she stumbled slightly before catching herself on the edge of the table. No one said a word as they left. We did not even know if they would be back, or if the insult to his dignity was too much for his ego to handle. The room remained silent, not even the sound of shifting feet echoing off of the stone flooring.
All I knew was I had failed her again. Rage flowed through my veins, another reminder of the ways my father had cursed me from the day I was born. I reached out and grabbed my goblet from the table. With a shout, I turned around and threw it against the wall behind me. The wine ran down the wall, a red stain that reminded me of the flow of my father’s blood.
Suddenly, Renai was in front of me. Her hands clasped on either side of my head, forcing me to look into her eyes. “Breathe,” she commanded, mimicking the act as she sucked in a deep lungful of oxygen before blowing it out. She did it three more times before I finally gave in and followed suit. Her thumbs swept across my cheekbones in soft, swift movements. “Breathe,” she said once more, and I closed my eyes and let her words sink in.
Though I was vaguely aware of the whispers around me and the clattering of chairs and plates, I remained focused on Renai and the movement of her fingers across my skin. I opened my eyes to see her smiling softly up at me. She’d always been there for me, in ways that Matt never could. While he understood my familial issues, Renai understood the trauma behind my decisions. She knew what I was going to do before I even did it. I pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting her go and returning to my seat. She clasped my hand, squeezing once before sitting down.
It was these quiet moments that made me wish I could give her what she needs and deserves. They taunted me, reminding me just how much of a piece of shit I was.
“Allow me to apologize for my outburst,” I said, meeting the gaze of every ruler in the room. “It was—”
“Fucking terrific,” Eamon muttered. “Alistair is a cunt, and it is about time someone knocked him down a peg. I’d pay good coin to watch you wipe that slimy look off his stupid mug.”
A few laughs around the table told me he wasn’t alone. I nodded my head in thanks, a polite smile crossing my lips. “Nevertheless, this was not the time or place.”
I looked toward Ciena to see if she would agree, but she kept her chin held high. She was not one to apologize for her actions, and she wouldn’t start now.
“Why does this happen every time a large group of us gets together?” Queen Hermina said, chuckling to herself as she drank deeply from her goblet. “It is never a dull moment spent with the likes of you lot.”
Eva mumbled her agreement, lifting her glass in a silent toast before bringing the cup to her lips. Our gazes collided, and I knew instantly she would not let the omission of my sire go. Hurt danced behind her eyes before she blinked rapidly and broke our stare.
“Right,” King Alric said, clearing his throat. “I’ll leave the decision to keep this meeting going to a vote.”
Nerin raised her hand. “That is unnecessary, Alric. Having Alistair here was merely a formality. We all know who he has already aligned himself with.” She shot a glance toward me and cringed before continuing. “He will do anything to maintain the power he has now, and he would be desperate to grow it further. Lachlan would be the greatest ally to him, if that were the case.”
Every ruler in the room nodded in agreement, except for King Airyn. He furrowed his dark brows, his skin gleaming beneath the sun, which shone down through the window. “If that is how you all feel, then perhaps I should leave as well.”
