A knock sounded at the door, and I slapped away Arianna’s hands. Her sorrow filled the air around us, frying the little tolerance I held. “Sit down,” I snarled, disgust twisting my face at her whimper.
Rushing around my desk, she sat in the closest chair as the door swung open. Lords Vito, Elnir, Loic, and Oziel marched through the door, followed by a blank-faced Samian and Sybil. Sybil’s face was still pale from our earlier encounter, her red eyes setting off the green in her irises. I paused, my gaze refusing to leave hers.
When she first came to this realm, her eyes were hazel. But now, with the use of her magic, there have been minor changes in her recently. Changes that I didn’t think twice about until I found out she met Cassia.
Sybil paled under my scrutiny, her gaze moving to the floor as she stepped closer to Samian. Samian didn’t move, his face never breaking from his usual cold indifference. Yet, there was tension gathering in his shoulders, a tension that had been oddly missing since I had completed the bargain with Sybil. Samian had been territorial of Sybil since her arrival, to the point where he fought against me in the library the day I tried to seduce her. I had been too caught up in moving my plan forward to notice how Samian had distanced himself, chalking it up to his being angry with her for agreeing to the bargain. However, with this recent development, and with the murder of two lords, I can see that there’s more to it now. More than what Samian—and Sybil—were letting on. I opened my magic to them, hoping to get past their shields; however, I was met with nothing.
Moving my focus to the lords, I stood from my chair, moving around the desk to lean against the front of it. “As I’m sure you’ve already heard, Lord Bramwell was murdered last night.”
The lords began their incessant mutterings, their emotions unleashing and filling the room. I drank it all in—the fear,the anger, the restlessness. Raising my hand, a wave of silence crashed through the room.
“There has also been a new development. It seems someone in our midst has opened their mouth to the wrong people. The Goddess of Water from the Seelie Court decided to pay me a little visit this morning. There have been rumors floating around their court concerning Cassia’s detainment.” I paused to look at each of the lords, my gaze landing on Samian and Sybil. “Does anyone have anything to say? To confess?”
Silence was my only answer. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, letting it slowly fill my lungs. I needed to keep control if I wanted to keep these lords on my side. I let my magic wash through the room, feeling for any signs of betrayal. Yet I found nothing from any of the lords.
“Could it be the murderer?” Lord Loic asked, worry reflected across his face, though a hint of excitement trickled out of him. His territory was the closest to Bramwell’s. With his ambition for more land, I’m sure he was eager to take over Bramwell’s township.
“We’re not sure yet,” I sighed. “Lord Daelan is continuing his investigation. However, we are hoping to have some answers soon. There was a witness at the scene who was left alive. We are still processing her story.”
“What of Bramwell’s lordship?” Lord Oziel inquired, the other lords nodding their heads in agreement. “We still need to figure out what to do with Lowell’s since his wife and heir are still missing.”
I had kept Lady Lowell’s disappearance a secret until I could find out more, but with Lowell’s death and Arianna’s appointment to take over, I informed the lords of her absence, telling them she had disappeared the same night.
“Arianna has agreed to take over Lowell’s lordship. However, with Bramwell’s, it will pass down to his eldest son. We will sendan invitation to his family to join us in mourning, and I will pass the title to him during the ball, which Zarina will attend as a guest of honor.”
Lord Loic sneered. “Why is the beast returning?”
“To investigate Cassia’s disappearance. She wants to search the palace to make sure Cassia is not being held against her will.” I returned to my seat and leaned back, steepling my fingers in front of me, my gaze hardening.
“What do you suggest we do? If Zarina finds Cassia, she will kill us all,” Lord Elnir choked, finally breaking his silence.
I paused, taking in everyone's words and their panic filling the air. I had planned on keeping Cassia in the dungeons, letting her magic slowly weaken until she shriveled away to nothing. Pain shot through my chest from my bargain with Samian, warning me of my slight, but I ignored it. I had felt it earlier when I attacked Cassia, but I knew that wouldn’t kill her; it would have just weakened her further. That said, with Sybil learning about Cassia and a traitor hiding in our group, there was only one thing I could think to do.
“Cassia will be executed.”
Chapter 26
Arianna
“Cassia will be executed.”
A thrill shot down my body, my blood warming with the heat of my magic slipping from my control. She’s going to be executed. The bitch of a queen who took the power from my family, giving it to the rats that were beneath us instead, is finally going to die.
She will die, and I will officially become queen. Not just acting queen, waiting until Cassia “returned” from her century-long trip.Iwould be the one ruling this land by Ambrose’s side.Iwould be the one helping him remind the vermin just where they belong.
The lords sat stunned, their eyes widening in shock. Even that dog, Samian, finally broke out of his irritating mask. My gaze slid to Sybil as I anxiously waited for her to speak out of turn, to anger Ambrose enough that he would force her back into her dungeon cell for us to play together. My fingers twitched with excitement, craving nothing more than to make her bleed.
When she arrived weeks ago, I almost set my flames on her. I wanted to watch her burn when she blushed from Ambrose’s touch, acting like Ambrose was someone she could stand beside.As if she could be worthy of a male of Ambrose’s stature. No, only I could fill that role, even if he finds other females to dally with.No onecould do what was necessary to help him rise to where he is today. No other female would dirty their hands to ensure Ambrose would be king, not the way I have done.
Lord Vito was the one to break the stunned silence first. “Are you truly sure that’s the route you want to take? We could have her moved to another location while Zarina searches the palace.”
“No,” Ambrose said calmly, those deep ocean eyes shining bright. “Her death was always imminent.” Ambrose winced, his hand rubbing against his chest, but he continued, “We were just biding our time until she was weakened enough. She was severely wounded this morning, diminishing her strength enough that we’ll be able to get rid of her sooner. If we move her, she will gain enough strength to not only heal herself, but to fight against us. If she gets out of her cell, we won’t be able to trick her again.”
“Why wait until the ball?” Lord Elnir pressed. “If it’s that much of a concern, we can just get rid of her now.”
Ambrose let out a frustrated sigh, one that had my magic pressing to be released to punish the stupid lord for such a foolish question. I could feel the fire spreading through my veins, hoping for Ambrose’s permission to be set free.
“I’m sure the dragon bitch is keeping a close eye on our court. If we do anything to Cassia now, it will raise the alarm. We need to wait until Zarina is distracted by the ball, so preoccupied that she won’t notice us slip away to rid ourselves of the queen.”
