Page 169 of The Powers of Nyx

My heart pounded. I made a move to step away from the males holding me, but Hawk’s hand tightened on my wrist in warning. I shot him a look, but he kept his eyes trained on the dais.

Don’t even think aboutit, Orion said, arm locking around my waist to keep me at his side.

“People of Nyx’s Domain!” Dante shouted. “I come to you, not as your prince, but as a vessel for change. For so long, we have lived within the constraints Nyx has given us. But we didn’t always! Once, we survived without a Queen. We didn’t need a figurehead for Nyx and herdivinepower.”

He turned to Greer with a sneer. “The Queens of Nyx have weakened us. Our people. And I vow to bring us back to glory. To remind you that we were once powerful. That we once ruled overallthe lands!”

Some cheered. Others remained quiet. My heart pounded, blood rushing in my ears.

“The rule of Nyx and her Queens must come to an end.” He pointed his danger at his mother, a grin morphing across his face. “A new era starts now.”

The soldier holding Greer back crumpled, dropping their dagger. Shocked gasps filled the air, and again, I tried to move, but they held me back.

The Queen stood, and her power radiated through the room. “You are not the king you think you are, Dante. And you have no idea what you are doing. It is this way for a reason. There cannot be a king.”

His grin transformed into something twisted. He stepped up to his mother, pressing the end of the knife into her abdomen. “The people demand a new kind of rule.”

“You should know better,” she replied calmly, barely glancing at the weapon. “If you choose to continue down this path, my son, you will die. So will everyone in this room. There is no Avalon, no Faerie or Underworld, without a Queen of Nyx. Have you not listened to a word of your lessons?”

He snapped. The dagger plunged into her stomach. Greer’s mates cried out, their pain like fuel to the fire. Somewhere in the back of the ballroom, there was a crash, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Greer. The crown she always wore, the one that featured in my nightmares, disappeared.

The prince cursed under his breath. “Where is it, Mother?”

Greer reached up and cupped her son’s cheek. “Only the Daughter of Nyx will see that crown, Dante. But it is not the crown that makes you king. It is not your arrogance that will determine whether you are fit to rule. Not even your army will help you, my love.”

Pain burned in my chest as what was left of her magic crashed into me. Tears clogged my throat; I wanted to scream, to run to her side,to fightlike the Goddess had commanded me. But Hawk and Orion held me to them, forcing me to watch as Dantepulled the dagger from his mother’s torso. The crowd descended into chaos; from the dais, Greer’s mates roared with anger, and from the other side of the ballroom, I heard the defeated cries of her children.

Bloody knife in hand, Dante turned us, a grim smile playing at his lips as Greer dropped to the ground. Blood pooled across the marble, like her gown had only an hour earlier, and I watched as the last of her magic dispelled from her body as she released her final breath.

“Death to the Queens,” Dante said, voice ringing out across the ballroom. “Long live the true king.”

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