Page 69 of A Surrender Of Hope

“How were the Caverns breached?” Bryton asks, looking to Mom instead of Father like he always does. My uncle is not the wisest man, and he should know better than to aggravate my Father more in this. Instead of answering, Mom looks to Father, who glowers at his brother-in-law.

“I’m not sure if they were weakened by age or not, but that is what I was trying to figure out when you so rudely interrupted!”

“It was Archer. Only the immediate royal family has access to the Caverns!” Bryton scoffs, frustration lacing his tone as he looks at Father.

“You can’t access the Caverns from the outside. Someone must have let them in from within,” Lord Carver mutters. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself, and I know where this conversation is going.

“Be wise with your next words,” Father grinds out as all eyes in the room turn and look at me. I ignore them, my attention moving to the doors where Creed leads Meyer into the room, his hand clutched tightly around hers. Their happy faces fall when they hear all the shouting, and my Beast snarls in my chest, not liking that these idiots have made my Pup upset.

I grind my teeth together, forcing my legs not to move when the predator inside me wants to grab her and sling her over our shoulder to get her away from these bastards. I knew his interest in my Pup was growing, but Meyer Smith obliterated all choices for her future the moment she threw that knife at the Wraith that had snuck up behind us. Not only had this been the second time she saved my life, but she had done it as I was shifted into the worst monster possible. One that had haunted her throughout her life. She hadn't cared about the dangers to herself, only to save a worthless monster she deemed good enough to continue living.

My Beastia decided then and there that she was ours; he didn't care if she disagreed. He looked forward to the fight she would bring at being claimed, loved the idea of her strength and anger, the way she hissed and clawed almost as much as our little orange feline back on Earth. And unfortunately, I’m having a hard time disagreeing with him.

“He is the logical choice! Three Lords have been killed in the four days they have been back, their magic drained, and bodies nothing but ash! How long must you ignore our concerns about the sons you have brought into your home? Our concerns were valid! Archer has turned on you, his death a ruse to gain access to the castle! That thing!” Bryton points at me with so much anger I can't help the manic smile that crosses my face as I imagine how many ways I could end his life. “Should never have been allowed to live past birth! His father created the very monsters seeking to destroy us, yet you welcome him into yourfamily with open arms. You both are fools, and if you won’t kill him, then I will!”

Smack!

Shocked silence follows the loud crack of my Pup’s hand as it connects with Bryton’s cheek, her strike holding more strength than I would have thought since the Lord cries out and clutches at his now pink cheek. Either my Pup has grown in strength, or Bryton is the biggest pussy I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. Creed's mouth forms a perfect ‘O’ as he jumps forward and snags a now furious Meyer as she lifts her leg and tries to nail Bryton in the crotch.

Jesthren steps back from her, startled by her sudden appearance, and holds up his hands like he’s afraid he’ll be attacked just by standing too close. He moves closer to Mom, watching my Pup with an almost proud smile, chuckling under his breath as he clasps his hands together and eyes the scene with gleeful amusement.

“You did not just call Razar athingand threaten his life!” she rages, twisting and trying to break free from Creed's arms, doing a relatively good job of it if my brother’s cursing is any indicator. “I’ll fucking kill you!” I lean back with a smirk, happy to watch my Pup go feral on my pathetic Uncle, but he recovers quickly, and my smile fades as he whips his head in her direction, fingers flexing and magic pooling in his palm.

My feet are moving before Father and Nox can even sense the threat. My hand wraps around Bryton's thin throat, squeezing just as he reaches out to grab Meyer by the arm. Nox’s dark magic is only seconds behind me, winding around our uncle's chest and squeezing.

“Aw fuck!” Creed whispers, eyes wide with surprise as he tries to keep Meyer under control. She's still cursing at Bryton, who now turns comically large eyes on me. All the bravado isgone now that I have my hand wrapped around his throat, his life quite literally in the palm of my hand.

“Don't touch what is mine,” I growl, my Beast lurking just under the surface, salivating at the thought of ripping his throat out and watching the life bleed out of those pathetic eyes. Pup pauses at my words and swings that delicious glare at me, making me relish in her anger.

“I’m not yours,” she snaps, and the chuckle I release sounds insane even to my ears as I swing my attention back over to her. She’s dressed in a simple black shirt and pants, the thigh holster I gave her last week strapped to her leg, and a new knife, which I didn't give her, sheathed at her waist. I glare at it, then look to Nox, who slowly stalks down the stairs toward us, murder in his eyes as he stares at Bryton. Did he give her that? I glower at him and then back at my Pup’s new blade.

Well, that won’t do. I’ll have to steal that one from her as well.

“Bryton!” Mom snarls, her voice low with an odd growl to her tone. I think she’s upset with us for a moment, but when she stalks toward her brother, I smirk as her glare stays on him. Father stalks protectively at Mom’s back, happy to let us handle this situation as Jesthren eyes the rest of the Lords, bloody hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword, waiting to see who will be stupid enough to move to help Bryton first. “Are you mad? You would use your magic on the Princess?” she hisses under her breath, stepping up to Bryton, toe to toe.

“That girl is not my Princess! She is a human! This is why we should have destroyed the Veil and eliminated them. Now, your son, my nephew, thinks he can mate a fucking human and declare her as his Princess? No! The people will not stand for this abomination. You weaken your bloodline with this filth!” he hisses, moving his attention to Father with his last words.

I squeeze my hand around his neck just a little more. Obviously, he’s not scared enough if he can still speak about my Pup like that. I look down at my mom, silently asking her permission to kill him before Nox intervenes. He’ll only take all the fun for himself and not share. Instead of moving to Bryton and ensuring he has a fast and painful death, Nox sidesteps us, walking over to where Meyer fumes in Creed’s arms, and cups her jaw, his enormous hands dwarfing her petite face as he bends down and presses a kiss to her lips.

“Calm down,” he whispers, hand moving to her wrist, hiding the now glowing red mark as he shakes his head at something she whispers. “No, you may not kill him. That is my right,” he responds, making me huff an annoyed sigh and glare at him. He better fucking share in the death, or I’m going to make sure our next sparring session hurts more than normal.

“You wouldn’t,” Bryton sneers, looking from Nox to Mom with way too much confidence in his situation. Mom only glares back at him, refusing to come to his aid despite the pain I see lingering in her eyes. “Viv, you can't be serious!” he snarls, his face paling when she doesn't say a word.

“It's not my choice. Nox has every right to take your life. You just tried to hurt his mate, you fucking idiot!” she whisper-yells, leaning closer to him. Bryton's eyes bounce back to Nox, and then he looks at Father, who grins from ear to ear, his Demonic form slightly smaller now that he’s not as upset. The only reason Bryton still draws breath and didn't die centuries ago is because he knew it would hurt Mom, and since he was a Lord, he needed an actual excuse to kill the fucker. But it looks like Bryton’s luck is about to run out.

“No! You can’t,” Bryton shouts when Nox steps away, Creed's hand now covering Meyer's glowing red mark. I chuckle and turn, forcibly moving Bryton with me, my hand still wrapped firmly around his neck. “I have supporters in court! They willriot if you do this! Vivian!” Bryton screams as Nox stalks toward him. Long claws extended, horns curling from his temples, and wings outstretched, my brother paints the perfect picture of the Devil. His glowing eyes are full of magic, and his evil smirk is the cherry on top as he stops in front of our Uncle, towering over the man by a foot at least.

At the mention of Mom’s name, Nox growls, eyes flicking to her with hesitation, knowing what her brother's death will do to her, despite him deserving it. Mom swallows hard and turns away, not intervening with Nox’s decision, letting her son choose her brother's fate as she steps into Father’s outstretched arms. Father watches Nox with a critical eye, probably wondering what he will do, and Nox curses, hands fisting, claws puncturing his own skin as he starts to pace in front of us.

“Bryton, I challenge you to a duel without magical interference. It will take place the moment I come back from the Earth realm,” Nox finally says, and I deflate a little at the lack of immediate bloodshed. “You will be held in solitary until the challenge can take place,” Nox grinds out, his voice deep and sure as he stares down our uncle.

“What? No! That could be months or more! You were gone for over a year. You cannot hold me captive for that long! Vivian, do something!” Bryton screams, immediately struggling against my tight hold.

“Be glad to keep your life for that time, Bryton. My son shows compassion where none is due,” Father grinds out, Mom sagging in relief at Nox’s words. Her hands fist in Father’s shirt for only a moment before she stands tall and turns, face the picture of calmness, all pain and devastation wiped clean as she looks over the room with an air of authority.

Nox looks at Mom, and she meets his eyes with a nod, making him huff and sigh and looks at Meyer, who smiles at him. “This is bullshit,” he grumbles so low under his breathI’m pretty sure I’m the only one close enough to hear it. The frustration on his face is clear, and I know he is itching for blood, but he chose to wait in order to calm down and think rationally. The guards that line the room spring forward at Nox’s nod, grabbing my uncle from me, careful not to let me touch them as they drag him from the throne room.

“No! You can’t!” Bryton snarls, struggling against them as they drag him away.

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