Page 109 of Clash of Kingdoms

Harlow and I went next and ran to the castle. We could see the difference already along the way, vampire guards posted in different districts, and when we got to the castle, there were no humans, just vampires.

I kept Harlow behind me as Cobra and I struck the vampire guards down before we entered the castle.

“The throne room.” Cobra led the way, taking me up the stairs and to the right, killing our own kind along the way until we reached the throne room, a room I’d never seen because Huntley seemed to never step foot in the place.

It was a horrific sight. Huntley was bound by his ankles and his wrists, on his knees on the floor while my father held a blade to his neck. I saw two red marks on his neck and a streak of blood, like someone had already fed on him. Behind my father stood one of his commanders, Ravine, blood in the corner of her mouth.

Ivory wasn’t in the room, so she must have been ordered away.

“Let him go!” Harlow sprinted into the room with her sword in hand, ready to take on my father—which would end in disaster.

Huntley’s face contorted in terror as he saw her rush to him. “No!” His scream was nothing compared to the agony inside his chest, the indescribable terror a father felt in fear for his daughter.

My father felt Harlow’s murderous intention and turned the sword on her instead. It happened so fast, my father feeling no empathy for her whatsoever, ready to strike her down. Huntley tried to rise, but all he did was tip over and scream.

I got there in time, blocking my father’s sword with mine and shoving her back so hard she rolled across the rug.

My father stared at me.

I stared back.

He was the first one to pull away, but he didn’t turn his back to me.

Huntley looked at Harlow and mouthed to her, “Run.”

She remained on the rug, angry tears in her eyes.

I lowered my sword but kept it in my hand. “What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?” I said every word slower than I normally would, pissed off and overwhelmed by his betrayal. My father had questionable moral fiber, but I’d never expected him to be this traitorous. “I asked you to save them?—”

“And I did. I have no intention of hurting or killing these people.”

“Then cut the king’s bindings and let him stand.”

Father glanced at Huntley on the floor, who was bruised and bloody from the battle he’d lost with my kind. “He’s no longer King of HeartHolme or King of Kingdoms.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “I am.”

“You’re fucked in the head, you know that?”

My father grinned like that was a compliment. “I saved them from annihilation. Now it’s time to pay the price. These are my lands now—and so are the dragons.”

“The dragons belong to no one,” Harlow snapped. “They will turn on you the second you try?—”

“Harlow.” Huntley tried to silence her with his suppressed growl.

“If they don’t cooperate.” Father pressed the blade to Huntley’s neck again, close enough to make him bleed.

Harlow started to cry again. “Please stop.”

“Sweetheart, I’m okay,” Huntley said calmly, caring more about being there for her than his own demise.

“Then I’ll slay their beloved hero,” Father said, the tip of his blade remaining against Huntley’s skin. “We’ll dig to find those crystals. Not only will we be immortal—but invincible.”

I had to make this stop. “Father, you’re King of Kingdoms in our lands. How much more power do you need?”

“All of it,” he said simply. “All the power.”

“Mother would be disgusted with you.” I was disgusted with myself for siding with him for all these years. For treating humans so unkindly when they were far better than we were.

“We’ll never know,” he said without emotion. “Because her soul has been used like logs in a hearth.”

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