Page 70 of Fated for his Flame

“I told you,” my father hissed as he stared at me, gloating. “I told you she was a liar, that she wasn’t here to mate with you. Did you listen? No, of course not. You defied me, leaving a proper mate hanging in the wind, so you could go off and have your dalliance with a human of all things.”

It was just like my father to ignore the fact I was hurting and betrayed and instead focus on himself.

“This all could have been avoided if you’d just listened to me,” he continued. “Taken any one of the dozens of good mates I’ve introduced you to. Then you would be happy and content, and this thing would never have happened. It’s as I’ve been telling you for years, son, you need—”

“No.”

He blinked at my icy denial. “What?”

“You don’t get to call me ‘son’,” I snarled. “Not anymore. This could have been avoided if I listened to you?”

“Yes, you—”

“I SAID ENOUGH!” I bellowed loudly enough the sovereign’s guards stepped forward from their positions behind her chair.

“You don’t get to call me ‘son’,” I repeated to his face. “Because you’re a real piece-of-shit excuse for a parent. You might be the man who lent his DNA for my creation, but you aren’t a father, and you definitely aren’t my ‘dad.’ Because that implies you actually give a shit about your kids. And you don’t. It’s all about you-you-you. This all could have been avoided if you had listened to me, Father.”

I spat the word at him dripping with scorn. “You’re the fucking disappointment. I could have been happily mated years ago if I’d been allowed to choose my own mate, I’m sure. Instead, you did what you wanted, without any care to what I wanted, and now, look at what you’ve done. You’ve ensured I have no mate, and I hate your guts. Good job. Now, leave. This has nothing to do with you.”

My father gaped at me. Never had I defied him so blatantly in public. I didn’t look over my right shoulder to confirm, but there was no doubt in my mind Caine was gloating. He and his sons were very close. Likely because they were all pieces of shit together, but still, he had a close bond with his children. Unlike my father, who’d driven us all away.

“Please excuse us, Azarel,” the sovereign said softly after several moments had passed. “Your s—Silas is right. This doesn’t concern you.”

Duly dismissed, he tried to gather some of his dignity and pride, drawing himself up to his full height before spinning on his heel and marching out the door.

“I’m sorry about that, my Sovereign,” I said as soon as the door closed. “That should have been handled privately.”

She waved it off. “It happens. And Caine?”

“Yes, my Sovereign?”

“Wipe that grin off your face. Now.”

“Yes, my Sovereign,” he said with stiff formality. “However, I must insist we proceed with proper punishment.”

“Do what you want with her,” I forced myself to say. I didn’t want them to hurt her, but what was I supposed to do? It wasn’t like I could intervene. She’d been caught spying on the entire kingdom. That could not be allowed to pass. “I’m just sorry I didn’t catch onto it earlier.”

I turned to go, but Caine blocked my way.

“She’s not who I want punished,” he growled. “I was talking about you.”

“Me?” I was so unprepared I could do nothing but echo him.

“You have greatly embarrassed my house,” Caine growled. “Dallying about with a human and a spy after so publicly turning down my daughter. That is an insult of the greatest order. I demand satisfaction. Under the Old Laws.”

I stared. “A duel? You’re challenging me to a duel? You?”

It was the stupidest thing I could imagine. Caine was no slouch of a fighter, but he was decades my senior. I was in my prime. There would be no contest.

“Yes. It is my right under the old ways. The ways that still govern our houses and their conduct,” Caine growled. “You will meet me.”

I stared at the sovereign, hoping she would intervene and shut this down. It was insanity. There was no version in which Caine won. That would only invite further humiliation and likely a full-on blood war between our houses.

To my surprise, she was shaking her head.

“He’s right,” she said. “He can demand it.”

“This is wild. Shut it down. You’re the sovereign. Overrule it!” I shouted.

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