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His nostrils flared, and he sped to me, arms outstretched. I darted out of his way before he could reach me. My mom's wings expanded outward as she forced herself in front of me, but I stepped out of her shadow. “You don’t need to protect me. I’m stronger than him.”
A trail of saliva glistened on his lip as he bared his teeth. “You are lying.”
“I am not,” I said simply. The shift in power filled me up. Never again would he lay a hand on my mom or tell me what to do. Challenge burned into me as he poised himself to fight, and I simply stood, unbothered by his stance. “The crown is rightfully mine, and you will hand it over, or…”
“Or what?”
“Or you’ll die.”
He stilled; even my mom tucked her wings behind her back, her jaw slack. “Olivia.”
I whipped my head in her direction. “I told you not to call me that.”
Sadness laced her features, softening them. “Seraphina, then,” she choked out. “You wouldn’t. You are no murderer.”
“I am carrying out an order from the gods.” I pressed my hands together, pursing my lips, trying not to show the regret bubbling inside. Killing was not something I was sure I even knew how to do or wanted to learn. It was commanded of me, but now that the time had come, I hesitated. He was my dad, after all. But the gods wanted this. Yet, my heart ached as I said the words.
He flung his arms out, hiccupping out a mocking laugh. “You can try, but what will you tell the court if you even succeeded? What makes you think they would take your word on behalf of the gods? The gods are not here and cannot hurt me, which is why they sent you. While you may be immortal, I have centuries of experience in the art of death, and you will not best me.”
My mom looked from me to him, and back again, her eyes widening. “Stop this. Neither of you will hurt each other. This is ridiculous. It has to be a misunderstanding. Perhaps you heard them wrong.”
“Why would you assume that?” I tilted my head at her. “Because I have been weak in your eyes my whole life? Because finally, I have more power than you—or him?” I pointed at my father, the tip of my finger shaking as my heart galloped. “They want me to rule Sanmorte, and you insult them and me by thinking there could be a misunderstanding. I was born into royalty, a secret you kept from me, and now I’m willing to accept my fate and rule.”
He shook his head, the crown sliding down an inch. “You are almost twenty, naive to how the world or politics works, and disliked by most of the vampires in this castle. The gods may want you as queen, but the people of Sanmorte do not, and do you know what makes a king? Do you think it is just an anointment or a royal bloodline? Kings have risen from less. It is the people. They enjoy me as their ruler because I offer them what you will not.” He clicked his tongue, glancing up at the lightening sky. “You may be strong, perhaps even stronger than me, but not even you can take on a kingdom of vampires and live.” His eyes squinted, his nose scrunching as he closed the distance between us. “The world with gods is forgotten.”
I clenched my teeth. “You worship them.”
He wetted his lips. “It is an illusion. They can only reach us in death, but it is the realm of the living in which we live. Here, I am king and will not hand over the crown. Not even to my daughter. What you have done is high treason,” he seethed.
“Sargon.” My mom turned on her heel. “You will not threaten her with that. She is still our daughter and clearly is only following orders. It has nothing to do with her love for you.”
I balled my fists. She was still trying to protect me against him. The gods gave an order, and he thought himself above them. They created this entire world, and all he had done was destroy what they had tried to mend.
Their sister’s mistake had cost mortals. Salenia created the curse to punish her lover, and by doing so, had punished millions. How many families had been torn apart by vampires? How many lives ruined by being forced into this darkness without redemption—like Sebastian, who never wanted to become one? Now she was in the underworld, trapped in a prison she had made, and the gods were in another realm.
And I was alone.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this. Why would the court—or anyone else—believe me? Even if I could persuade some, it wouldn’t be enough. My being queen would take away their ability to traffic people, something I was planning on putting an immediate stop to.
I hated to admit it, but my father was right. No one would accept me even if I did kill him. Why did I think they would care about the gods? They only worshiped them while they could live the life they wanted, and if that worship required sacrifice and discipline of their darker nature, they would throw those beliefs out.
Father spoke after letting out a long exhale. “I will not have your head, because they have clearly filled yours with nonsense. However, if you speak of this again or try anything stupid, I will lock you away and allow you an eternity of loneliness.” He looked at my mom. “I won’t kill my daughter, but Iwillpunish her.”
“Please,” she begged. “Oli—I mean, Seraphina won’t. I’ll talk to her. This is a mistake. She’ll be a good princess.” She glanced at me. “Won’t you, honey?”
I gritted my teeth, the rage in my fingers blending with my magic, wanting nothing more than to melt him into a puddle of skin and blood. But I couldn’t be hasty. He made some excellent points, and I needed a pause. To stall a little. “Yes. I won’t try anything.”
He didn’t respond, and I knew he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t call for me to leave and that was enough. I did not know what to do from here, and realizing I was in over my head, hurt. Suddenly, standing in the brisk air, I only cared about finding Sebastian.
EIGHTEEN
Sebastian
Howling wind tore through the mountain paths as I glided over them, my wings carrying me to colder heights. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as the castle disappeared behind an ocean of evergreen and rocky peaks. Blinking away snowflakes, I exhaled sharply.
Pockets of air hit the insides of my wings, swerving me sideways. I propelled between mountains towering into the clouds, misting the tips from view.
Steadying myself, I flew with the gusts from the south, basking in the warmth of the sunrise. Glacier-blue lakes shone from below, carved between jagged edges and smooth rock, a deadly trap to any mortal who dared to try and escape the castle.
