Her lips pinched even tighter.
“When your father was in charge of Erzos,” she started, her age filling her with a courage that most would not dare to have, “he would never haveattemptedto disrupt our village this way.”
I nearly snorted with derision.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say,Because he didn’tfuckingcare about this black hole of a place.Laras had been his glittering jewel. The main source of our family’s wealth. All the other provinces under his rule had fallen to the wayside, and it had been my brothers and me to build up the territories once more, especially after our mother’s death.
I care more for Erzos than he ever did,I thought. But I didn’t voice it. I wouldn’t ever, not to a stranger outside of my own family.
“I’ve had patience with you, Marr. Don’t test that patience again,” I said, my tone low. “I am still yourKyzaire, after all. I still own this land. And House Kaalium still owns all of Erzos. I can take your worries about the South Road into consideration. But that isallthat I am obligated to do.”
Across the courtyard, my eyes landed on a familiar human female.
I straightened, my jaw setting tight. The sea wind was blowing the opposite direction, which was likely why I hadn’t scented her first. Immediately, venom began to drip onto my tongue, the ache of my fangs making them elongate.
She was walking toward the archives, seemingly lost in her own head since she didn’t even register the crowd in the village’s center, especially this early in the morning. I watched as she slipped inside the tomb-like doors, disappearing from view.
The words from the brief letter flitted into my mind.
Millicent has decided to refuse your most generous offer,Kyzaire, citing personal reservations. But if you ever have need of another blood giver, RaanaDyaanwill be more than happy to accommodate you whenever you wish.
Personal reservations, she’d claimed?
Meaning…the human found it abhorrent to be fed from.
When my gaze came back to Marr, I watched her shrink a bit. My fangs were pressing into my bottom lip. I wondered what it was she saw in my gaze.
Good,I thought. A fortunate accident.
Marr’s nostrils flared, and she started, “You still need to—”
My patience snapped.
A animalistic growl rose from my throat—aberserker’swarning—harsh and angry and violent. My muscles bunched, tightening until I could swear I felt every last straining tendon in my back.
I was strung together like a chaotic tapestry, but I wondered what it would take for me to unravel completely. I was the ice to Azur’s fire. I was the calm brother. The logical twin. But lately…I had felt like something was clawing inside my chest, needing to break out.
Marr’s face blanched and she backed away quickly. The rest of the crowd in the courtyard wisely left too, until there were only a handful of unsuspecting beings cutting through the village’s center on their morning journey.
Kaldur and I stood like sentinels within the courtyard. My brother’s expression was surprised when I caught his gaze. Wary too.
“Kythel,” he said pointedly.
“I’m tired of her getting in the way,” I told him, feeling the muscles in my back slowly relax. My eyes went to the door of the archives. “It’s been endless for the last three months, ever since I announced the South Road.”
Kaldur blew out a breath. He glanced around the mostly empty courtyard. “You need to be more careful. Don’t forget our family’s history here. Or in Salaire. You don’t want to be lumped in with Jynaar, do you?”
“Of course not,” I grated, shooting him a glare. “Raazos’s blood, Kaldur, telling a female to back down is a hell of a lot different than public executions. Why would you even say that to me?”
“Perception,” he told me, his brow furrowing as he scanned my features. “Here more than anywhere else. I don’t envy you, Kythel.”
I looked away from my brother because I had the strongest urge to punch him right in his scarred face. Instead, I stalked a few paces away from him for good measure, feeling the thrum of energy in my body vibrate the damn cobblestones beneath my booted feet.
“Let them protest,” he told me. “But we all know, even Marr, that it won’t make a difference. The South Road needs to be completed, especially with war in our periphery.”
At those softened words, I glanced over at my brother, nostrils flaring.
“They don’t understand that. But we do,” he finished. “You’re doing the right thing.”
