Page 108 of Wicked Heirs

“We don’t murder our enemies.”

“Really? What about the wars of ages past?”

“That’s regrettable, obviously. But with this you’re talking about premeditated murder of a threat.”

“The distinction is bullshit.”

“Not toExemplar.”

“Do you really think sentencing him to Valmont, your ivory prison in the mountains, is going to suffice? No prison can hold him!”

“That’s your assumption, not a fact.”

My father scoffed. “Come on, Abigail.”

“No,” she said, holding up her hand. “You’re forbidden from meeting with him again. Should you violate that, you’ll face charges yourself.”

“Your arbitrary moral lines will sentence us all to destruction. He needs to be eliminated.”

“Denied.”

He glared at her. “You’re a Fallen for a reason. Live up to that, instead of leaning so heavily on the former angelic aspect. We’re not in the heavens. We’re down here where things are complicated and gray, not black and white.”

“I’m sure that’s what you tell yourself when you have your detractors here in your kingdom tortured to within an inch of their lives.”

“Those are just rumors.”

Actually, they were far from just rumors. It was one of the things we disagreed so fiercely on when it came to running the Kingdom. His harshness and brutality.

But as far asExemplarknew, there was no proof that he’d done anything like that. Just hearsay.

“Regardless, you will be charged and arrested should you continue to meet with Constantine Vale.”

“This is your personal vendetta against what the Dark Fae Kingdom stands for.”

“It’s the law.”

“No, Fallen. It’s your law. Your foolish law. If I don’t do something here, we will all suffer.”

“And as I’ve imparted to you, it’s not your job to do anything. Stick to your kingdom.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then you run the risk of losing everything. I already have you on consulting with him. That’s enough to besmirch your name, to cast the kingdom in a negative light, and to make theDark Fae Realm the pariah of the supernatural world. It will ruin you.”

“You mean you will.”

“You won’t listen to reason, you leave me no choice.”

“Then so be it.”

I choked out a gasp.

He was essentially making himself an enemy ofExemplarand taking the entire Kingdom with him.

My father, with his sensitive Fae hearing, heard me and swung his head in my direction.

He didn’t say anything and ordered Abigail instead, “Get out of my home.”

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