Page 14 of Lethal Souls

“Vakeeli’s sake.” I dig into my pocket for another bloom. I need one if I’m going to get through this damn conversation. “Are you done with your tantrum now?”

Devlin raises the tip of the dagger at me again. “I’m done when I say I’m done.”

“I was wrong about you then,” I mutter as I spark my bloom. “You are just as stupid as Rami.” I snatch the dagger away again, and he stares at me, stunned.

“How did you?—”

“You do realize you’re pointing a bloody blade at me for a man who didn’t give a single fuck about you, right? I know the story, Devlin. The only reason you want to kill me is because the Rippies have been filling your head with lies and you think you have big shoes to fill, but trust me, Rami was walking these lands barefoot. There are no shoes for you to fill, which is why you are going to create your own. It’s fucking ridiculous that you can’t take a moment to think for yourself here.”

Devlin’s eyes grow wider, and I pull from my bloom again, studying him. “You’re slouching.”

“What?” he retorts.

“Monarchs don’t slouch. Stand up straight, like you carry authority.”

Devlin doesn’t do as I say straightaway. Of course not, the tyrant. He eyes me carefully, throat bobbing, before sighing and tipping his chin.

“Your threats are useless if they’re empty, Devlin. I don’t want to start a fight with you, but I will if it means protecting my territory. And believe me, Devlin, you do not want to make an enemy out of me. I’m giving you the chance to start fresh instead of dumping the sins of your father onto you.”

He holds my gaze, and I notice his fists clenching. He’s resilient, despite the disadvantage he’s in.

I can work with that.

“I was told I’ll have to teach you and show you the ropes of being monarch, so I will,” I proceed. “That is the only reason you’re still breathing right now. Had you been someone else, I’d have tossed you over the balcony and deemed it an accident.”

“Am I supposed to be grateful?” Devlin counters with a mocking smile.

“You should be, actually.”

At that, he grimaces. I stamp out my bloom after taking one last pull. “Believe it or not, Devlin, you have the opportunity to change where your territory stands. Everyone knows the Rippies as thieves, junkies, rapists, and liars. No one in Vakeeli respects you or your people, but with a new order and someone smart, it doesn’t have to stay that way. The truth is, Ripple Hills is a waste of space. There is nothing your territory has to offer the world, yet you all act like entitled, ungrateful idiots.”

“Watch it,” Devlin snarls.

I raise a hand. “Regardless, your worth can be amended. Instead of using your rage to come after me, work with me and become an ally so your people are better off.”

“My people would never forgive me if I allied with Blackwater’s monarch. Everyone in Ripple Hills says you should be dead for what you did to my father.”

“Yeah, well, your father tried to rape and kill my mate, so the bullet in his head was warranted.”

At that, he stares at me, baffled.

“Right. Of course no one told you the whole story, not even The Council. Fuckers.” I give my head a shake and step closer to him. “Look, you can reject my offer as an ally and keep trying to kill me, but I will come after you much harder.”

His frown deepens as he looks past my shoulder. The music swells, and I can now hear Willow’s thoughts. I smell perfume, and I hear Juniper going on about kissing someone at the lake. They’re coming back.

“Why would The Council choose you to guide me anyway?” Devlin grumbles. “I’m not a child. I can stand on my own.”

I huff a dry laugh and glance at the weapons in a pile next to him. “If that’s what you want to tell yourself.”

He shoots me another grimace.

“Yes, it’s frustrating that we have to work together, but this will make you better at ruling. This alliance will lessen deaths and prevent wars. A smart monarch would accept the offer and gain control while he can. A stupid one would turn his back and continue his weak attempts to assassinate me. Now which one will you choose to be going forward, Devlin? Smart or stupid?”

“Stop calling me stupid!”

“So you admit that you are? Stupid, that is?”

He growls and backs away, snatching up some of his weapons. “I don’t need this shit. You’re lucky you’re not already dead.”

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