“He’s as cruel as our father ever was. Perhaps even worse. But I was alone, Drae. You weregone, running after her”—Atlas gestured to Esmyra—“and Elowynne was captured. It was never meant to be permanent.”
His jaw tightened, regret seeping into his voice. “Varis has overstepped in ways that are considered treasonous to the crown.He’sthe one who ordered the shard placed in her spine.”
A cruel, hacking laugh slipped from the prisoner, earning all their stares. “I didn’torderit. I did it myself.”
Esmyra froze as Draevyn inhaled sharply, the sound more like a growl than a breath.
The weight she’d carried, the endless pain she’d endured—it washim. It was fuckingVaris, the man who had been an extension of his father. And now, it allowed the late king’s cruelty to live on through him.
Draevyn took a step toward the bars, then another. His hands trembled with the kind of rage that demanded blood.
Atlas watched, a small smirk forming as he handed Draevyn a rusted key. “So, here’s my peace offering. Delivered to you, Brother, to do with as you please. There will be no trial held for treason. You are granted to be his judge, jury, and executioner.”
Silence fell heavy in the brig, broken only by the distant creak of the ship’s wood and Varis’s slow, mocking chuckle behind the bars.
Draevyn’s pulse thundered in his ears, and Esmyra’s wrath was palpable from where she stood next to him.
Atlas only leaned against the frame, arms folded, eyes glinting as if he relished watching the storm he’d just unleashed. Maybe, just maybe, his brother could still be trustworthy after all.
Draevyn’s gaze moved to Esmyra, his voice edged with venom. “What do you want to do to him?”
For a moment, her eyes shifted from the shackled man to him. The dim light in the brig sharpened the hollows of her face as her head tilted, contemplating his question.
“The kill is yours,” she finally said, and Draevyn’s brows furrowed. “My only request is that he suffers. Just as I did.” She paused and then whispered, “Just aswedid.”
Something dark and satisfied brewed within him at her answer. “Oh, I can absolutely do that.”
The key scraped against the iron lock as he swung the cell door open, and Varis’s bravado cracked as he realized this was far from an empty threat.
“I’m going to need you to sit still,” Draevyn said, stepping in.
Varis sneered as he pushed himself to his feet and spat at Draevyn’s boots. “Go fuck yourself, Phoenix.”
“Tempting.” Draevyn tilted his head, amusement creeping in as he watched sweat line the man’s forehead. “But I have a goddess for that.”
Before he could move, Esmyra was already there. Her fist slammed into Varis’s jaw with a sickening crack, the force so brutal his skull whipped back and slammed against the wall. The iron cuffs rattled as his whole body slumped sideways, blood spraying from his nose. She glanced down and ripped the velsinyte ring from his finger, tossing it onto the floor.
“Youwilllisten,” she demanded as she stepped up to him, looking into his eyes.
Esmyra reached out, her taloned hand grabbing him by the throat as she shoved him back into the wall. Her glacial eyes shifted, morphing into those serpent-like slits. “You will do as you’re told. You will remain still and only move as instructed. Am I understood?”
Varis’s face went slack, his eyes distant as he said, “Yes.”
Draevyn’s grin widened.Wildfire.
“Flaming balls of Irah,” Atlas whispered. “That’s uh… that’s really something.”
Esmyra stepped away from the prisoner and gestured to him as she looked to Draevyn. “He’s all yours, baby.”
“You heard her,” he said, his voice cruel as he stepped up to Varis. “You’re going to suffer.”
“Would you care to help me remove his shirt?” Draevyn glanced over at her, his grin turning razor-sharp. “It might get a little bloody. I would hate to ruin it.”
Her talons snapped out in a blur of motion, slicing through cloth and skin alike. Varis’s shirt fell in tatters, crimson welling where her claws had kissed flesh.
“Oops,” she said softly. “Hope you don’t mind a little venom.”
Almost instantly, the man let out a strangled scream, back arching, but unable to move otherwise, as the toxin began to fester in his wounds.
