Page 25 of Heart of the Villain

Of course Ryanna followed. “So you do know his name.”

Marlena fingered through her dresses. “Yes, Mother, I know the future commander of Tolevarre’s name. I also know all the other future seat holders too. Should we go through a list and see if I get them right?” She came across a satin gold dress she’d worn underneath a fur-lined coat last winter. Her mother had said it was too revealing—it’s perfect.

“You will watch your tone with me,” Ryanna barked, taking a step forward.

Marlena spun around quickly, pointing a polished finger at her mother. “You will watch your next move.”

Ryanna froze, her heels squeaking from the abrupt stop. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll ruin the night and put an end to the very reason Lucius is here with his son. He wants a marriage between me and Bridger. He wants to unite the families.”

Her mother’s eyebrows drew together, but she corrected the movement quickly. Never scowl. It causes wrinkles.

As if they got wrinkles in the first 150 years of their life!

“Since when?” Ryanna asked.

Marlena dropped her dressing gown and stood completely nude in front of her mother. She unzipped the back of the gold dress and slid one leg in at a time. The satin gripped her hips tightly. Once she had the strapless top situated around her boobs, she turned her back to her mother. “Will you give me a zip?” Marlena made eye contact with her in the mirror, a memory of mirrors fluttering through Marlena’s mind.

Ryanna’s gaze scraped over every inch of Marlena’s body in her new skin-tight dress.

Ryanna scowled. “I asked you a question.”

Marlena sighed, rolling her eyes and turning around while one arm held her dress in place. “Are you not the one who told me I needed to start building relationships with the other territory leaders?”

“Yes, but I figured that’s what you’ve been doing in Littera.” It was the first time either of her parents had brought up the time she’d been spending in Littera, and Marlena kept her lips sealed tight.

She didn’t wait for her mother’s help—she’d never get it. Marlena took a breath, concentrating on the way the air around her shifted through her open palm. With the flick of her pointer finger, Marlena sent a small burst of wind up her spine. Like the air had little fingers, it zipped the dress for her. Ryanna watched, hiding the wave of astonishment washing over her features as a sly smile slid over Marlena’s painted pink lips. “If only you paid closer attention, I guess.”

Marlena wiped the underside of her wrist across her lips, smearing the pink lipstick. Gone was the sweet Marlena who played nice.

It was time to show people who she’d grown into. “Imagine what an alliance with Fortis would do. It comes with Ardor and Fraus. A ceasefire from all the trouble the territories have been causing. We could take control again.”

I can take control.

Her parents’ reign was coming to an end. Slowly but surely… it would fall.

And Marlena would be the one to take them down. They would beg for mercy, and if they were lucky, Marlena would let them live out their days in peace… locked away somewhere deep and dark where they couldn’t hurt her anymore—where they could never touch her again.

“And you think you can pull this off?” her mother asked, watching Marlena’s every move as she slipped into a strappy pair of gold heels. “That you can get the Dimico boy to fall in love with you?” Ryanna followed Marlena into the main room.

Marlena leaned into her vanity mirror and traced a blood-red lip stain across her plump lips. She pressed them together, rolling her lips for the perfect application. Finally dressed and ready, Marlena turned around slowly. “I don’t want love, Mother. I want power, respect. I want everything you’ve told me I don’t deserve, and I want to watch you watch me get it.”

Marlena didn’t look back at Ryanna as she left the room on a gust of wind, pulling on the pin that held her hair up. Her straight blonde hair fell over her shoulders, settling down the middle of her back.

The party had already started, music from the live band pumping through the halls. Marlena kept her head high as she strode through the double doors, making her own entrance.

Heads turned, and the sound of whispers broke out amongst the guests in the ballroom. They were seeing the Marlena who was rising from the ashes, the girl who was no longer allowing herself to be treated as less than who she was—no longer standing in her parents’ shadows.

The gold gown was a choice. A decision to pick the accent color of the wardrobe Marlena knew the commander and his family would be donning tonight—and every other night they were in the public eye.

A match made for revenge.

“Mar.” Vega’s voice broke through the chatter, her jaw agape with the slightest hint of a smile behind the shock. “Holy shit.” She spun around Marlena, reaching out to touch the smooth satin of her dress. “You look amazing.”

Their argument was still fresh in her mind. “It’s like I don’t even know who you are these days.” But Marlena pushed it aside.

This was her sister. Her Vega.