“The war isn’t over, then?”
“We had reached a truce, but Lucca killing Boone in cold blood changes everything.”
Boone was no saint. He was a sadistic male who took pleasure in killing vampires and humans alike. I’ve never met Lucca, and if the rumors are true, he’s just as ruthless as Queen Tatiana’s heir. And yet, I don’t believe Lucca killed Boone in cold blood. I’m sure Boone deserved whatever happened to him. But I keep my thoughts to myself.
“What ails Queen Tatiana?”
The rage gives way to worry in my father’s expression. He rubs his face and looks away. “No one knows. I haven’t been able to see her in months. I don’t even know if she’s aware her son is dead.”
“If she’s sick and Boone is dead, who’s going to lead us?”
He squares his shoulders and stares straight into my eyes. “You, my dear. You will lead us.”
“Me? I don’t understand.”
“There’s something I never told you before. It’s about your mother.”
My heart clenches in a painful way. Very few things can make me feel anything, and my mother’s abandonment is one of them. She didn’t want me, so my father raised me alone. I’ve always wanted to know who she was and why she didn’t care for me, but Father always evaded my questions about her. Now he’s willing to tell me about the female without a prompt.
“What about her?”
“It’s Queen Tatiana. She is your mother.”
My stomach seems to drop through the earth while my heart hammers inside my chest. I shake my head. “No, it can’t be.”
“It is, my dear.”
I think about all the times I interacted with the mercurial queen, and not once did she show me any form of kindness. She always watched me as if I was an insignificant gnat, a nuisance.
Tears prickle my eyes. “She loathed me.”
“No, she didn’t. That was all for show. She feared your life wouldn’t be safe if the court knew about you. It was all for your protection.”
I want to believe my father, but his words sound hollow to my ears. Queen Tatiana doted on Boone, her heir, so I know she’s capable of showing affection. Perhaps my father is only saying she cared for me so I’ll remain loyal to her.
“Did she say she wants me to ascend to the throne?”
Guilt shines in his eyes. “No, she didn’t say. But I know that’s what she would have wanted if she and Boone were gone. We cannot let those savage Della Mortes win the war, Sophie. They’re vile, and they’d rather see our race perish than accept defeat.”
“Queen Tatiana isn’t dead, though.”
“No, but while she’s sick, I…wemust take the reins. Only chaos awaits us if we don’t take action now.”
In that regard, my father is right. We can’t rest. It’s thanks to the Della Mortes that the Nightingales closed off the portals, taking their magic with them. Our race is weakening because the usurper king betrayed Queen Maewe, the most powerful Nightingale queen.
Even though I’m still lost about everything, I square my shoulders and say, “Tell me what you want me to do.”
“We must end the Della Morte line, but Raphael is heavily guarded. We’ll start with his nephew and avenge Boone.”
A shiver runs down my spine, and my heart rebels against the idea of doing anything to avenge that asshole.
“It’s a good thing I’ve kept you hidden all this time,” he continues. “The enemy doesn’t know who you are.”
“You want me to kill Lucca?” I squeak.
An almost fanatical emotion shines in his eyes. “Yes.”
“He’ll be heavily guarded too.”
