What he was asking was child’s play.
“You just love getting my dresses dirty, don't you?” I asked and took a step forward.
He let out a chuckle.
“No one asked you to get decked out today.”
I hadn’t. This was my normal princess uniform. My hair was curled, up and out of my face, so it fell around my shoulders. My dress was mostly black with hints of deep red, with a corset and skirt that hugged my body. The sleeves fell off the shoulder, and I wore a large jewel necklace that sat heavy on my chest.
Underneath it was my own little secret. The only thing that mattered.
My heels clacked as I lunged forward to grip Roman's hair, studying him with one hand on his shoulder. He looked at me with fear in his eyes. With betrayal. Like I should be saving him.
“Please don’t,” his son forced out.
It was useless. There was no negotiating with my brother. And I had the image of a cruel princess to uphold.
In a blink, I ripped his head from his shoulders. The lack of hesitation caught him off guard and made it easy for me to end his life without much of a fuss.
His son, on the other hand, was already running down the bright red carpet. I followed, bolting down the steps of the platform the throne was on, and yanked him to the ground.
He thrashed and pushed me, and if I hadn’t had the experience of fighting the rogue with Cedar and Vesper, I might not have been able to pull this off.
My chest ached every time I thought of them. But even doing that was dangerous. I forced images of their green and golden eyes away from my mind. Tried to forget the way their heated touch felt against my skin. How their lips tasted. How their moans?—
I forced my heel onto his chest, digging the sharp point in as he let out a pained yelp. I leaned down and grabbed his head between my hands.
“Please, princess, I never meant any harm. I’m loyal to you?—”
It took a good part of my strength to pull his head off. Dark vampire blood sprayed all across the carpet and, of course, my dress and face.
As I looked up at the throne, my brother was already staring down at me with a smile. I held up the head for him.
The vampires lined up to my right knew better than to gasp, but I could feel their eyes on me as I dropped the head to the floor and motioned for one of our vampire staff to clean it up.
My eyes lingered on General Lee. If he was who he said he was, this would be cause enough to report me to the council.
But his face just twisted into a smile.
“Next!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the room.
The next pair went up, but instead of looking at them, my brother's eyes were on me the entire time, that same playful smirk on his lips.
I could smell who it was long before he spoke.
“Quite a show, princess,” General Lee said, meeting me in the long, covered hallway that showcased the now all-black roses surrounding all sides of our palace.
They had once been a brilliant red that made the castle itself stand out like it was floating in a sea of blood. But just like with everything here, my brother had brought it into ruin.
His whole slogan was that he was going tobring itback, but all I could see was the careful, systematic way in which he was destroying it.
“I’m sure Kyan would love to hear about it,” I said, not looking at him as he joined me by the window.
The sun had fallen, the stars bright above us. The moon was full and shone a light directly on us, putting us in the spotlight.Is this Krae’s way of watching us?
“You and I both know the council doesn’t care about these things,” he replied, inching closer. “But I did hear something interesting about yourpet. Do you want to know?”
I couldn’t stop my body from reacting. The bond in my chest might be dulling, but it was still there.Shewas still there.
