Page 163 of Blood Curse

“A little help,” she said.

“You looked busy,” Elias replied.

He dropped the cup and caught the woman’s wrists.

The man in brown tore free of his ruined coat. Stellan let the fabric go instead of using it to wrench him backwards. The man swung. Stellan ducked, stepped inside the next strike and locked both arms around his chest.

He could break him.

He didn’t.

“Back away if you can,” Stellan said to the court. “Don’t touch the blood.”

It wasn’t a royal command. His voice carried power because everyone in the room had decided to listen.

The vampires moved farther back.

The Crown jerked my chin up.

“The rest of you⁠—”

I bit my tongue.

Pain burst across my mouth. The command broke into a wet cough. Blood touched my teeth.

Every vampire went still.

The Crown tried again.

“The rest⁠—”

“Fuck off.”

The words came out rough, but they were mine.

Red light flooded my sight. My knees buckled. I hit the floor on one hand and kept my injured palm pressed against my chest.

The man in Stellan’s arms snapped his head back. Bone caught Stellan across the mouth. Stellan’s grip loosened. The man twisted towards the blood on the stones.

“Bryony,” Stellan said.

He didn’t order me to speak. He didn’t leave the man to catch me.

He trusted me to do my part.

I pulled in a breath that tasted of my own blood.

“This Crown used my authority.”

The points dug into my scalp.

The woman tore one hand free and clawed at Elias. Mara caught her wrist before her nails reached his throat.

“Keep going,” Mara said.

I forced my head up.

“I revoke the order to drink from that cup.”