“I will only say this once, Gall, and you know I mean it: Kill him, or I, who hold the power of life and death, will take your child, and your mate…andyour crown.”
I went still.Why doesn’t he do this himself?
Gall’s eyes widened, but just as he sucked in a breath—bracing himself, I thought—a deep chuckle rose behind me.
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy watchingthis.”
Jann swept past me to stand on Gall’s other side, smiling in a not dissimilar attitude to Lucifer, which made my skin crawl.
I only scowled. “I always knew you were a traitor.”
“Funny, because I was certain I had you convinced—particularly once you left your mate with me and mine.”
I snapped my teeth at him, and Gall blinked, but he gathered himself quickly when Jann turned to lean around him to Lucifer and point between us. “It’s going to be fun watching these two finally clash. I’ve wondered who would win, now that you’ve strengthened Gall.”
Lucifer’s smile was blinding—and terrifying. “My son will win. He will always win, because he hasme,”he purred, locking eyes with me. “The only question is, how much damage Melek can do before he dies.”
“I won’t let him,” Gall insisted, stepping back to give himself room, and adopting the defensive stance I’d pummeled into him for years. “I know how he fights.”
Just as I tensed, mentally scrambling for a way to distract Gall from an actual fight, there was a blood-curdling scream outside the chamber door.
Lucifer frowned and tipped his head at Jann, who trotted to the door to peer out, then pulled it back, a look of shock on his face.
Two bloody bodies sprawled on the floor outside the door.
The two guards they’d left posted.
Jann, speechless, turned to look at Lucifer, whose eyes were flames.
I took one look at the cut throats, and the way the men had fallen right where they stood, and Ilaughed.
“You thought you could take me, and leave my mate alive? Dear God, for an immortal, you’re remarkably stupid.” I chuckled again and pretended to look around the room to see ifanyone shared my joke, while searching for items I could use as shields against Gall.
In my head, I prayed. Because if Yilan was already short on strength, she wouldn’t be able to traverse the palace easily—and if she had brought the army, this wouldn’t just be a matching of wits. It would be all-out war.
In my heart of hearts, I feared whether we had enough to win.
“Ignore him, he’s bluffing,” Lucifer said quietly, calmly to Gall, and put a hand on his shoulder. Gall took a deep breath then turned to stare murder at me. “Now, do it.”
Gall nodded.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Gall,” I said quietly as I sank down, loosening my knees, my hands poised for action, looking for any weapon either on Gall, or in the room, that I could use for defense without doing him harm. “I’ll defend myself, but you don’t have to worry. I won’t let you kill me.”
Lucifer hacked a single, humorless laugh as Gall’s hands tightened to fists. He looked down at himself—a flaw from his early years when he first started working with weapons, and I’d told him how to hold them. He always checked to see if he was doing it right, leaving himself open for attack, because he’d taken his eyes off his opponent.
A second later his head snapped up, eyes wide as he locked on me. I almost smiled.
He’d realized I hadn’t hit him when I could have.
I nodded. “I meant what I said,” I murmured. “I—”
“Use this,” Lucifer muttered, shoving a spear into Gall’s hands. I backed away immediately, towards one of the windows, because that weapon gave him reach and I needed some gauntlets, orsomethingto let me brace.
As I shuffled back, I realized Gall still hadn’t moved.
I hesitated, looking at Gall, and my heart swelled.
My son stood before me… trembling.
