“Ah.” Her smile widened. “Well, it’s good of you to admit that a feeding relationship preceded the feelings of attachment. How... convenient for the vampire.”
I felt heat creep up my neck as I realized how much ammunition this was giving her. Anything I said to defend what Valen and I had would be used against him, against us both. Nobody would ever believe that we actually cared for one another.
“Enough,” my father’s voice cut through the conversation as he stepped into the foyer behind us. “Rose, take Amelia to her room. Constantine Pemberton and his family will be her next week to begin the arrangements for the marriage. And we still need to find a suitable match for Archer before all this gets out.”
My heart stopped dead in my chest. Marriage? They were already arranging Amelia’s marriage? And looking for someone for me too, like I was livestock to be sold off to the highest bidder?
“No,” I said, the word slipping out before I could stop myself. “Absolutely not. I won’t marry some stranger just because you’ve decided my feelings aren’t real.”
My father’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You will marry whoever we choose, Archer. Your little dalliance with that bloodsucker has proven you can’t be trusted to make appropriate decisions about your future.”
“I’m twenty-one years old!” The words exploded out of me, months of frustration and rage finally finding their voice. “I’m not a child you can just sell off to make political connections!”
“You’re acting like a child,” my mother said coolly. “A foolish, infatuated child who’s been manipulated by a predator. The marriage will help you remember who you are and your place in this family and in magical society.”
I looked desperately at Amelia, hoping for some sign of solidarity, but she was staring at the floor with her jaw clenched tight. She was probably trying not to say something that would make this worse for both of us.
“What about what I want?” I demanded, turning back to my parents. “What about my happiness?”
My father laughed, the sound cold and mocking. “Your happiness? Archer, your feelings on the subject cannot be trusted now that you’ve been manipulated by that creature. Now you’ll do what’s necessary to repair the damage before it’s too late.”
The casual dismissal of everything I cared about caught me off guard. These people who were supposed to love me, supposed to want what was best for me, saw me as nothing more than a chess piece in their political games. Up until this point I thought my father was cold, not that he didn’t care about me at all. The realization was a bit hard to swallow.
“And if I refuse?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Then you’ll find yourself cut off from the family entirely,” my mother replied smoothly. “No money, no connections, no magical support. You’ll be on your own in a world that doesn’t look kindly on witches without family backing.”
The threat was clear. Submit to their will or lose everything I’d ever known. It should have terrified me, but instead I felt something that surprised me completely.
Relief.
The idea of being free from their expectations, their manipulation, their constant control, suddenly didn’t sound like a punishment at all. It sounded like liberation.
“Fine,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Cut me off. I’d rather be poor and free than rich and miserable.”
My father’s face went dangerously pale. “You don’t mean that.”
“I absolutely mean it.” I straightened my shoulders, feeling stronger with each word. “I love Valen, and I’m not going to let you destroy that just because it doesn’t fit your narrow view of what my life should look like.”
“Love?” My mother’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “You can’t possibly love a monster like that. It’s… unnatural.”
“So that’s what this isreallyabout,” I retorted. “You wouldn’t care if I had run off with another witch without your approval. You’re mad that I’m in love with a vampire.”
“Of course we’re upset about that!” my father roared, throwing his arms in the air. “Why wouldn’t we be? Your mother and I have spent our entire lives building this empire that you two would inherit. One that would last for generations. And you want to throw it all away on a penniless monster that has to drink your blood to survive? How could you evenremotelybegin to defend a decision like that?! And you!” My father turned, pointing a finger at Amelia. “You’re just as bad as him! We’re trying to defend you both, to make sure you have a good life, and all either of you can do is argue and stomp on all the work we’ve done like ungrateful little brats!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Amelia shouted, the dam finally breaking. “Since I was ten years old, you’ve done nothing but prepare me to be sold off! You’re going to stand here and tell me you know what’s best after treating me like that? When you’ve never even let me have a say in what dress I wear, much less how I feel or what I want in this life? Fuck you both you fuckinghypocrites.”
My mother’s hand went to her mouth, stifling a gasp. My father, however, stood there, his fists shaking at his sides.
“She’s right,” I added, taking a spot at Amelia’s side. “You’ve always done that to her. And for me it’s always been perfect grades, perfect magic, and perfect manners. Nobody has ever once asked me what I wanted, what I cared about, or how I wanted to live my life.”
“So…” Father said, his voice shaking. “You’re both going to run off with some monster to defy us one last time? To prove that you’re both individuals?”
“No,” I said, feeling braver with every passing second. “We’re going to run off with the people we love because we love them. Not because we got your approval.” I linked arms with Amelia. “We’re sure as hell not going to stay here and become Purity Front sympathizers like you two.”
“Is… Is that what you think of us?” Mother asked, finding her voice once more. “That we’re those kinds of people?”
I felt a bitter laugh escape my throat at her shocked expression. “What else would you call someone who believes vampires and other supernatural beings don’t belong in magical society? Someone who uses phrases like ‘creatures’ and ‘monsters’ and ‘unnatural’ when talking about the people I love?”
