Page 105 of Royal Lies

"Akasuki, you know I love you. I would do anything for you, you know that-" I begged trying again to make her see reason only for her to shake her head as she stared up at me.

"No- you're not answering the question. Do youloveher, Eli? Hell, you gave me up, I think the answers pretty clear." She began as she tried swiping away at her tears.

"No. No. No, baby please don't cry. Please don’t. Like I said he wasn't going to have you. Notreally, I was going to end his life as soon as the bargain was done. He wasn't going to lay a hand on you-" I repeated but Akasuki was shaking off my attempt to soothe her like I was nothing but one of those nasty insects buzzing in her ear.

"You promised me- you promised me you wouldn't do this-" She began before a violent tremor shook the ground momentarily halting her tears as confusion broke through.

Suddenly the doors to my room exploded open.

"What the hell are you two doing?! There's been an attack! The castle is under siege!" Snow bellowed her hair a mess of webs hovering in a light blue halo around her as I frowned. What?!

Akaskui and I shared one last look of something, hurt on her part and pleading on mine before both our emotions were locked behind a steel bar. Biting my lower lip I vowed that after whatever foolish stunt this was I was going to make Akasuki see my side of things. That I would haveneverallowed for her to be taken by that bastard of all fae.

Quickly, striding over to the window I looked out to see nothing but black.

Smoke was everywhere, bodies upon bodies of guards and shadows were going about it. More blue uniformed guards were lying against the ground gasping for air than a shadow was. Wait, shadows? I thought Everetta had taken care of them before the ball. How were they able to regroup that quickly?

Suddenly Fletcher’s little warnings came back to me. But that couldn’t have been Akasuki said she went and checked it out but there was nothing. It didn’t make any sense how I was not able to sense them. Surely an army this big couldn’t possibly be untraceable.

In my confusion, I didn't notice that Akasuki was standing by my side. Her tears mopped up; to not show weakness in front of my little sister. No doubt a glamour to hide her red-soaked cheeks.

"Eli- Oh my demons what the fuck the fuck is that?!" Akasuki was pointing as I looked down at a fifteen-foot-tall werehound and that wasn't even the worst of it. There, fighting with Lucarious was a red… shadow? What the hell? What's worse was Lucarious truly taking a knee? It was like the monster had Lucarious pinned down. His claws clamped down against one of Lucarious' bleeding shoulders. The thing's claws dug into hissoft skin, pressing Lucarious down against the mud. But that couldn't be true, Lucarious was a monster in his own right. So how? I watched as blood dripped down from Lucarious' right shoulder. The wince and strain to fight back, to get back up, was evident against the throbbing grit of Lucarious' fangs as he bellowed a mighty roar. His pearly whites had already turned into jagged rows upon rows of razor-sharp daggers in his mouth.

Lucarious had rarely liked being called the King of Blood and Shadow, he much preferred fire and flames to being called a shadow. But that was what he was, a shadow. No one knows why and the man never liked to acknowledge it despite the obvious signs in his magic. You could see it in his flames, in the shadows that loomed in the background of each spark. Lucarious had twisted himself into a shadow, or at least half of himself. Hypocritical of him to look down on his sister for using dark magic when he himself used it.

No. There was no time to assess the situation. I have to get down there. I need to help my people. Whatever the problem is, I'm sure I can handle it. Gripping onto Akasuki's shoulder I allowed for her to teleport us down there onto the battlefield. She must have sensed the dire situation because whatever emotions we might have had before we knew when to shelf it. As I threw myself into the battle.

We were rulers first above all else.

I was not losing my crown when I had just gotten it back. Thrusting my hands into a werehound's heart I yanked it out. Sure a nice fun way was to aim for the target at the tops of their head but another way, like for any living creature, was to go for their hearts. I wasn’t like Everetta or Lucarious. I took no enjoyment in dragging things out. In putting up a front of entertainment to appear weak. I will do it if I must but not now. Playtime was bloody over.

Spinning backwards I enhanced my leg muscles with my magic, swiftly cleaving the werehound in half. I made my way towards the right edge of the castle trying to get to Lucarious. I knew Akasuki could handle herself, if not I knew Snow was with her. Their energy signals were close to one another. If that ass hole still needed help I was going to give him hell for worrying me.

From the looks of his knee still on the ground, he was going to owe me a large favor after this.

The only reason I was helping that bastard is because I can't touch those lords forsaking shadows without my magic. Only Lucarious and Everetta could.

But as I lunged for the next werehound to slaughter something stabbed me from behind. What? I turned frowning as I faced- Everetta? No, this wasn't her. This was a man?

Had Everetta turned herself into a man?

No, surely not. But the energy level. It was similar to hers. So similar in fact, no wait. Was that my magic too? It couldn't be. Everetta and I never had a child.Iwould know. We never even once tangled under the sheets. So why is it that this boy-? Ugh!

A sharp pain coursed through my body as I was stabbed with something again and again. Then my magic. What the hell was going on with my magic it was like it was being sucked away. Like it was being drained from my body. Everetta. Where the hell are you?! Everetta!

I need to get a message over to her now! Please lords please let this work. I'd only seen her do it a couple of times but perhaps with my abilities I might be able to, "Everetta! Everetta! We need you. The castle is under attack!"That was the last thing I could get out to her before everything became an agony of pain and searing burns.

Chapter 32

Luna

I could hear the dripping sounds of water as it dripped against the cool molding stones beneath me. The rancid smell of urine and piss was everywhere. The fabric of my strapless gown clung to me from my own defecation. Trapped for I don't know how long since the ball that night I hung against the wall.

I should have known better. She wastheirsister after all. She had caught me off guard, the little princess of this court.

I should have expected it. I should have known they would have figured it out sooner or later, that the bastard of the Winter Court would betray me. Each night since coming to this frozen wasteland of a castle I had been poisoning her. I smirked at my little victory against that vixen. The credit didn’t only go to me, however. I only made the poison. I wasn't the one who injected the drugs into her system.

Eli had claimed he wanted me to bring the courts back to what they once were but instead of my brother, he wanted me on the throne.

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