Page 60 of To Bleed A Kingdom

“That's not a nice thing to say about your husband's mother.” I smirk, knowing full well it'll goad the heartless bitch. “Hello, sister.”

With blonde hair smooth as glass in a blunt cut that ends at the chin, porcelain skin, and light brown eyes accented by starlight and emerald jewels, the Nature immortal is considered beautiful to most. But with her waspish personality and her penchant to behave and dress like a whore, to me she'll always be a hideous shrew.

Theon rushes in behind Kiora and tugs on her arm. “Darling,” he pleads.

But she pays him no mind as she jerks her arm free, stalking towards me to spit at my feet. “You're no brother of mine!”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

Aurora leans forward to better look at the glob of spit. Crinkling her nose, she raises her glass of wine to Kiora. “That's attractive.”

“Fuck off, Aurora!”

Aurora stills. “Speak to me that way again, and I'll cut your tongue out.” Eyeing Kiora over her glass of wine, she takes a slow sip, then lowers the glass, smiling sweetly. “I don't think the males at court will want to play with you anymore if you no longer have a tongue. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to suck them off without one. Although, now that I think about it, they may enjoy you more if you can't speak.”

“Aurora!” Theon shouts, as a loud guffaw bursts from me.

This is turning out to be a much more entertaining night than I thought it would be.

“How dare you speak to me that way!” Kiorashouts at Aurora, her face pinched in open malice. “I’m a princess.”

“Not by blood.” Aurora chuckles, bobbing her crossed leg. “Unlike me.”

A strangled shriek tears from Kiora and she stalks toward Aurora, raising green, glittering hands. “You dumb cunt!”

Aurora bolts out of her chair, balling inflamed fists at her sides. I gleefully wait for her to knock Kiora on her ass with a searing hit.

A dozen thorns suddenly sprout from Kiora’s palms, black liquid oozing from the points as she shoots them towards Aurora with a flick of her hand, only for the thorns to be swept up by a whirling pillar of water that instantly hardens to ice.

A door slams.

“Can someone please enlighten me as to why you're having a shouting match within my chambers?”

At the sound of that cold, authoritative voice, we all turn to face the door that leads to the rest of my mother's rooms, watching in silence as Adelphia ambles towards us, each click of her heels more foreboding than the last. Garbed in the same gown and jewels she wore earlier in the day, her eyes are as arctic as the column of ice she stops beside, fixated on the thorns alone.

Her aquamarine and starlight jewels brighten as she raises a glittering teal hand. The ice melts and returns to her in a stream, vanishing into her palm as the thorns tumble to the ground.

“Poisoned thorns, Kiora?” she asks in a lethal tone with which I’m all too familiar. “You wish to poison my daughter?”

Kiora’s jewels illuminate and the dripping thorns disintegrate with a wave of her hand. “Of course not,” she says with a brittle smile. “I would never do such a thing to my dear sister.”

Aurora snorts and Adelphia gives her a warning look that she quickly heeds, returning quietly to her seat.

“What is the meaning of this?” Adelphia asks, her frigid gaze landing on each of us in turn.

Drawing her shoulders back, Kiora lifts a haughty chin. “Your son,” she sneers at me, “has arrested my brother on false charges.”

My mother’s pale green eyes snap to mine, narrowing minutely before falling to my nose, unable to hold my gaze for long. Fortunately for me, that hateful act lost its sting long ago.

“Darius,” Adelphia says, warning laced in her tone.

Kiora’s lips twitch into a smug smirk, I’m sure recalling the many instances over the years that Adelphia sided with her family over me. But in her blind arrogance, she failed to realize that in this instance, Jareth performed the one act Adelphia will never condone.

“I have ample evidence that Jareth has assaulted females and women on several different occasions,” I say, before adding, “among a litany of other crimes.”

Adelphia’s back stiffens as her gaze snaps to mine, and my stomach roils at the haunted look in her eyes. “Did he rape any of them?” she asks, a slight quiver to her tone.

I swallow thickly and shake my head. “None that has been reported, but I wouldn't be surprised if something eventually came to light.”

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