Page 38 of Blood Curse

Her gaze met mine again, warm and knowing. Later, it promised.

I turned back before the entire court learned too much about our plans.

“The Crown was made to push royal authority into vampire blood. Adrian spent a century teaching it to prefer forced obedience. Every careless order makes it easier for the curse to use Bryony. That means the rules in this house have changed.”

“What rules?” someone asked.

“Don’t kneel. Don’t offer blood. If Bryony gives a direct order and something inside you forces you to obey, tell us if you can. Fight it if you can. If you can’t, nobody in this room will blame you.”

The silver-haired guard glanced at Bryony. “How do we know when it’s you speaking?”

“You might not,” Bryony said. “It uses my voice perfectly. Pay attention to what I ask for. If I tell you to hurt yourself, offer blood or obey without question, assume the Crown is driving.”

“What if you simply want something unreasonable?”

“Then I’ll be deeply offended when you ignore me, but I’ll survive.”

“Can it command us outside Harrowmere?” another vampire asked.

Elias answered from the doorway. “We don’t know yet.”

“Does it control humans?”

“No,” Bryony said. “Harrowmere can use its doors and wards against them, but the Crown can’t compel a human body.”

The man who had asked about her title raised his hand like an anxious schoolboy. “Can it command Stellan?”

“Yes,” she said.

Unease passed across the room.

“It has done so more than once,” I added. “I can fight an order, but strength isn’t a guarantee. The best defence is to avoid giving it the obedience it expects.”

“Then why are you standing beside her?”

“Because she shouldn’t have to face a room like this alone.”

Bryony glanced at me. “Also because he’s impossible to shift once he’s decided to be noble.”

She wasn’t wrong.

The guard looked between us. “And if the Crown takes both of you?”

“Mara takes command,” I said.

Mara folded her arms. “I’ll separate you, Elias will deal with the injuries and the rest of them will help without doing anything heroic.”

“Define heroic,” someone called.

“Anything likely to get you killed.”

“What if it tells us to kill each other?”

The humour left Mara’s face. “Stop the person nearest you. Don’t fucking punish them. Don’t use a weapon unless a life depends on it. The command will end when Bryony revokes it.”

Bryony’s jaw tightened. “And I will revoke it.”

“You sound sure,” the guard said.