Page 32 of The Blood Crown

Chest heaving, he finally tore his eyes away from her to look at his father, resignation in the set of his broad shoulders. With cold resolve, he strode forward, murder in his eyes as they glittered with an unspoken promise toward the guard that held her.

Coming to a halt, Ven’s gaze dropped to where Roheer knelt before him.

“Who were the others?” he asked, his voice laced with ice.

Roheer fought the command. His jaw clenching and his teeth grinding with the effort. As if somehow he could physically resist the pull of Ven’s compulsion.

In the periphery of her vision, Aurelia noticed others from the crowd began to peel away—or tried to.Guards were posted at every exit, blocking the path of the members of the court who attempted to flee, damning themselves in the process.

Red spittle bubbled from between Roheer’s lips. His jaw clenched so hard that she wondered if his teeth might shatter.

Ven did not repeat the question—he didn’t need to, and Aurelia wondered how easy it would have been for him to break a lesser male.

Roheer put up a valiant fight, but at last the names were pulled from him. Wrenched through his teeth like a gag as the conspirators’ identities poured from his mouth.

Ven’s expression was detached as Roheer choked out the last name, sweat beading across his pale brow as he slumped forward.

The throne room rang with silence.

“Valea,” the king commanded, quiet triumph written on his face.

Ven’s half-sister stepped from the shadows. Raising her outstretched hand, red flame engulfed Roheer.

His screams of agony echoed through the cavern as thousands of red eyes watched. The fire became so blindingly bright that his kneeling form was no longer distinguishable from the flames as his cries finally stopped.

Valea lowered her hand, her fire banking until only a pile of ash and embers remained of the male that had been there moments ago. Her face remained a mask of grim duty, and for a moment—Aurelia wondered if maybe the Captain didn’t enjoy doling out the king’s justice.

The room fluttered back to life, shouts of protest ringing out through the cavern as other members of the court were hauled into the tunnels branching off into darkness, disappearing along with the ones who had tried to escape.

Tension was coiled tightly throughout the court, palpable even to an outsider like herself as a low murmur passed through the remaining nobility.

The king raised his glass, silencing the crowd. “A toast—to a new era.”

A group of humans were herded into the hall, and the thin veneer of civility cracked as the Nostari descended on them.

The men and women were docile enough that they didn’t fight back—and even if they had, it wouldn’t have mattered. The Nostari were cruelly-crafted predators.

But maybe it was a small gift that there were no pleas for mercy, no prayers uttered to deaf gods.

Feral sounds echoed through the room as half of the humans were killed instantly—their throats torn out and their blood drained. The other half were dragged off into the darker corners of the room with the more disciplined nobility.

Aurelia stumbled forward as the guards at her side released her, turning away from the scene and hating herself for not having the stomach todosomething.

The dull, lifeless looks in the humans' eyes were enough to tell her that her efforts would be futile. She would only paint a target on her own back if she got between those beasts and their prey. This must have been a rare benevolence from their king if even the nobility were ravenous for blood. Even her guards seemed unable to resist the offering of fresh blood as they left her . . .

The sudden freedom made her heartbeat thud in her chest. She glanced around the room, searching for an exit. A few pairs of red eyes trailed after her, but no one moved to follow as she slowly backed toward one of the carved doorways.

She turned, freedom only a few steps away—

A lean silhouette stepped into her path.

Aurelia couldn’t read the expression on her face, whether it was mild amusement or irritation as Valea lifted a pale hand and examined her cuticles. “You should be careful wandering these halls,” she drawled. “It would be easy to get lost—or go missing,” she added with a pointed look.

A threat, then.

Glancing over her shoulder, a little of the fight drained out of Aurelia as she watched the guards scan the room for her. “My escorts will see to it that I don’t.”

Valea’s silky voice dripped with venom as she replied, “Have you considered the guards are there to keep you safe?”

---