His fist closed around a marble sculpture from the mantel?—
And he hurled it with such force that when it collided with the wall, the entire structure cracked and collapsed, leaving a gaping hole.
Dust billowed, the air thick with destruction.
Balthazar’s chest rose and fell, his power thrumming through the room like an approaching earthquake.
“WHERE’S MY MAID?” His voice boomed, reverberating through the house. “BARTOLOMEA, GET IN HERE!”
A small woman scurried out from the back of the house, wringing her hands. She curtsied deeply, her head so low she nearly folded in half.
“H-how may I s-serve you, my lord?” she stammered.
Balthazar’s eyes flashed as he pointed toward the wreckage. “Clean up that mess!” Then, his lip curled as his gaze flicked to Tristan. “And clean up him. He’s a disgrace. I can hardly stand to look at him.”
“At once, my lord,” the maid whispered, ducking her head even lower before fluttering away like a frightened bird.
She returned within seconds, her hands shaking as she dabbed at Tristan’s bloodied face, her breath shallow, rapid.
I could see it?—
She was terrified of him.
Everyone was.
And for good reason.
Balthazar’s laughter erupted, wild and deranged, as he threw his arms wide.
“No one stands a chance against me,” he declared, his voice thick with arrogance, madness dripping from every word.
“I am the most powerful man in the world.”
Then, his eyes darkened, his expression contorting into something unnatural.
“I will get the Sun Dagger back and bring Alina back to life.”
My stomach turned.
Balthazar’s hands lifted skyward, his laughter climbing into something chilling, unnatural, inhuman.
“She will be my queen!” he howled.
“We will rule the world together!”
I watched him, jaw clenched, stomach churning with disgust.
He was completely fucking insane.
A total lunatic.
To think he could bring someone back from the dead?
Porcelain fragments clattered into the wooden bucket as the maid silently cleaned the wreckage. She worked swiftly and efficiently as she scrubbed the floor, her breath barely more than a whisper.
When she finished, she rose to her feet and bowed low, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground.
“Will that be all, my lord?” she asked softly.
