Page 26 of Twisted Kings

Dad’s jaw tensed so hard I was concerned for his teeth, but he didn’t move from his spot alongside me. Whatever the disturbance was, he wasn’t about to let it ruin the wedding.

“Should I… should I continue?” The priest’s eyes skittered back and forth. A few guests hurried toward the doors whilethree guards rushed into the room, making a beeline for Dad. He shook his head at them and they fell back.

Marku looked concerned by the commotion. His bodyguards clutched their weapons tightly. One moved away to talk to my father’s men while the other three edged closer, whispering nervously to each other.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Dad snapped. “Let’s skip to the vows!”

Father Raphael nodded, hands trembling as he clutched his bible like a shield against the evil in this cursed room.

“Theadora and Konstantin, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?”

“I have,” Konstantin declared in a firm voice, giving my father some side-eye as a distant bang echoed through the room.

Everyone waited for me to speak, but the words stuck in my throat.

“I…”

“Fucking say the words, Thea!” my father hissed.

Verity’s loud wail cut through my paralysis. “Thea!”

Torrance cursed and stormed across the room. When I turned around, Mrs. Gia sat desperately trying to soothe Verity while my sister fought hard to break free of her hold.

“Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church.”

“I, Konstantin, take you, Theadora, to be my wife…”

Verity screamed. “THEA! I want Thea!”

My brain tuned out the priest’s voice as he urged me to say my vows. As Torrance reached Verity, I broke free of my father’s grasp and shot across the room, fueled by adrenaline and fury.

The remaining guests scattered like bugs, sensing the ceremony was about to descend into chaos.

Torrance half-turned and smirked. Before I could reach my sister, he pulled a knife out and held it to her neck. Mrs. Gia dropped to the floor and crawled away, sobbing.

Verity saw me coming and screamed louder. She thrashed in panic, but Torrance’s arm around her waist held her firm. He grinned at me as the blade cut into her throat.

Ruby-red blood bloomed against milky skin, trickling down and staining the neck of her pale pink dress. My father yelled something, but I ignored him. My entire focus was on Verity and Torrance.

“I warned you,” he reminded me. “I said if you made things difficult, you wouldn’t like what happened next.”

13

Thea

The faint sound of sirens and yelling coming from outside registered in my brain. A door flung open and Marku’s guard burst back in.

“We need to leave, sir! There’s a fire.”

Konstantin did not look amused at having his wedding further interrupted. He threw a furious glare at my father, probably wondering why everything had unexpectedly gone to shit. He wasn’t the only one.

Was this an accident, or were we under attack?

An attack seemed unlikely. Nobody had ever staged an attack on our home before. In clubs and restaurants, sure, but here? The damned place was a fortress, so it made no sense.

Enemies who attacked in plain sight would encounter intense resistance, both from my father’s guards and also from the men who’d accompanied Marku. Yet none of the guards acted like the enemy was at the gate.

If someone had staged an attack, it was a very subtle one. Equally, it could just be my fairy godmother intervening to save me from a fate worse than death.

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