Page 50 of The Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny)

My hands clenched at my sides. “That’s rich coming from the man who literally beheaded his father at dinner.”

“Exactly my point.” Kazimir’s eyes flashed silver. “I didn’t keep Vargus around to chat about his motivations.”

“Well I want my memories back.” The admission burst out of me, raw and desperate. All those blank spaces in my mind, all those stolen moments with my mother—they haunted me more than any tower ever could.

“Congratulations.” He leaned down until we were nearly nose to nose, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Now your father’s free to create new traumatic memories for you.”

We glared at each other, magic crackling between us. His shadows writhed. My own power hummed beneath my skin, ready to match him if necessary. The swamp around us had gone silent—even the insects were smart enough to avoid two powerful mages having a domestic dispute.

But underneath my anger, some part of me listened. Emotionally compromised. Was that what I was?

“You think I’m being weak?” My voice cracked. “If that’s what this is about, I locked him in a cell just like he locked me in a tower.”

Kazimir’s expression shifted, some of the anger bleeding away. “Arabella—”

“This is Griffin’s fault,” I said, needing to deflect before he could finish that thought. “He thinks ‘oops’ is an acceptable response to catastrophic failure—”

“Griffin’s an idiot,” Kaz allowed, letting me change the subject. “But he’s my idiot. Your”—he bit the word out—“friend is the one who encouraged him.”

“Sebastian was curious! It’s not his fault Griffin has the impulse control of a toddler with fire magic!”

A scream cut through our argument. High, terrified, and definitely human.

We looked at each other.

“Apparently, your father’s found something worse than us,” Kaz said.

Another scream, this one cut short. My heart hammered against my ribs. Despite everything, despite the tower and the lies and the stolen memories, hearing him scream still made something in my chest twist.

“We should probably hurry,” I said.

“Probably.” But neither of us moved, both caught in that strange space between our fight and whatever came next. Kaz’s hand found mine. A third scream, followed by maniacal laughter, reminded me that I didn’t want the decision taken away from me. My father’s fate, whatever it may be, needed to remain in my hands.

I sighed. “Let’s save my horrible father from whatever’s trying to eat him.”

“The romance never ends with us, does it?”

We started toward the screaming, hands still linked. Kazimir’s strong presence grounded me, reminded me that I wasn’t that helpless girl in the tower anymore. I had power now. I had choices.

“Next time,” Kazimir muttered, “we’re executing prisoners immediately.”

The screaming got louder. We walked faster, then ran toward the sound, splashing through puddles and leaping over roots. The screams were accompanied by another voice—harsh, demanding, slightly unhinged.

We burst through a wall of hanging moss into another clearing where Sir Darian Lightbringer had my father pinned against a tree. The knight-commander looked even worse than when I’d last seen him—his hair wild, eyes bloodshot and desperate, hands wrapped around my father’s throat.

“I know you have it!” Lightbringer was screaming. “Give me some!”

My father’s face was turning an alarming shade of purple.

For a moment, I froze. There he was—Lord Atticus Evenfall, the man who’d controlled my entire life. Now he was the one gasping for air, helpless and terrified. The girl he’d locked in a tower would have found poetic justice in it. Would have wanted to watch.

That girl was still in there, I realized. Still angry. Still helpless. Still checking the tower door, hoping today would be different.

But now I had power.

“Enough,” I called out, stepping into the clearing.

Lightbringer spun, dropping my father, who crumpled into the mud. The knight’s eyes were wide and frantic. Whatever Auremar had been giving him, the withdrawal had driven him past madness.