Page 159 of The Throne's Undoing

"How is that even possible?" Myra gasped, more to herself than her brother or anyone else.

She had witnessed the guard chop off Mynhos's hand in that cell. Those screams that erupted from his lungs echoed in her nightmares every night. She had seen the blood. And yet...

Myra stepped backward, horror flooding her entire body as she looked up at her brother. "That's--that's not possible," Myra said, her voice shaking.

He clicked his tongue. "You never did pay attention to anyone but yourself, did you? Always too caught up in the emotions of the world to see what was happening directly in front of you."

"What are you talking about?" Myra demanded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Laurince maneuvering slowly toward the door, dragging Rian with him.

"You are not that special, Myra. The king didn't wantyou. By the gods, he didn't even know you bore a gift! You were merely a bonus prize that fell into his lap, a helpful tool to manipulate the princess and increase his progress." Mynhos huffed a laugh. "Iwas the true prize. And now because of me, he is one step closer to his goal."

Myra's lips parted, her breathing growing shallow, yet she forced herself to ask, "What did you do?"

"Myra," Laurince whispered, his voice taking on a sharp edge, "we really need to--"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Mynhos interrupted, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, tsking as he shook his head. "You should have never betrayed our king. You could have joined me. We could have been at his side together. The king rewards loyalty, and he has rewarded me well."

Mynhos took a step away from the shadows, allowing the light of the flames to pour down upon him.

Laurince called her name, but Myra was frozen to the ground as her brother lifted his head and removed his shirt. But it was his eyes that Myra was paralyzed by.

Once, the two siblings shared their mother's soft, hazel eyes. But now? Now, the softness in Mynhos's was long gone, replaced with something monstrous and cold as his irises glowed as bright and red as rubies, the flames of the torches dancing within them.

Myra didn't realize what was happening until her brother was in front of her, and a gust of wind struck her face. Myra fell back onto her hands as her brother hovered above her, a sneer plastered across his lips as he glared at her.

"What the fuck are those!" Laurince shouted as he placed the king behind him.

Myra was too struck to move or do anything as she spotted large wings protruding from Mynhos's back. She couldn't understand what she was seeing. Her brother had become one ofthem--the rabid creatures from the tunnels under the temple.

This was what they were working toward.

This was whatshehad helped the king create.

"You like them?" Mynhos asked, a hunger filling his gaze. "They're new, courtesy of Frenzia. You should see some of the other men you have assisted the true king with. Some of them are truly impeccable. Though, I am partial to mine, of course."

"Oh, fuck no," Laurince spat.

The sound of metal sliding through its sheath rang in Myra's ear, but she was unable to look at Laurince as her brother continued hovering over her, his head cocking to the side as his wings flapped. The air coming off them kept her plastered to the ground, her hair flying across her face.

He clicked his tongue. "The king should have taken the chance to harvest more of your gift when he had the chance. But of course, he thought he had more time, and who am I to question His Majesty?"

Myra gasped as she recalled those first few weeks in cells. The guards had often taken her blood, claiming to be checking her vitals. How had she not realized it before? How had she been so naive?

Seeing the realization and horror flood her expression, Mynhos smiled wider, the stretch of his mouth twisting Myra's stomach as an eagerness poured from him.

She was going to be sick.

She was going to--

Mynhos screamed and spun around in a flurry. He ripped a throwing knife from his side with a long hiss. As blood seeped from the open wound, he spat, "You're going to regret that."

"Doubt it," Laurince retorted, already lifting his sword high.

Her brother tossed the blade to the side, and it hit the floor with a sharp clang. Then, Mynhos charged.

But Laurince was ready. The moment Mynhos closed in, the captain swiftly swung his weapon, and Myra could barely keep up with them as fear overrode her body.

Mynhos deftly evaded Laurince's attack, his wings beating hard as he changed course. With a roar, he lunged, but Laurince managed to dodge the blow, narrowly escaping as he rolled.

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