Page 93 of Tortured Royals

“She never betrayed them,” King Dalton growls. “The witches betrayed themselves.”

I stare at Dad sadly. “But your plan didn’t work?”

The king’s expression falls. “No. When she returned to her kind. To get them to see reason, they turned on her, calling her a traitor. We were bonded by then, and instead of taking her word, they believed the bond between us was fabricated bythe demons. That I had corrupted her with my power, but that they could use it against us. The last anchor lay injured from the war, and they used her.” Dad’s eyes darken. “They used my Serafine. Conducted experiments on her, and manipulated the power of our bond to turn her into an artificial anchor, the first of her kind. But whatever they had done, she became not only an anchor able to access the magic of ancient past witches, but she also connected with a dark entity that had incredible power.”

He glowers at Reselle. “By the time I fought my way to her, it was too late. Reselle was already fighting to take control of her mind.”

My eyes burn, pain a searing lump in my throat. “Mom,” I whisper, imagining the horrors she had endured.

“That dark entity was an unknown force. A creature from the far reaches of the shadow realm. A creature even the queen of the shadow realm herself would never dare touch. And through Serafine, it would have given the witches unimaginable dark magic,” Dad continues.

“When that last big battle started, I thought it was over,” Dad says solemnly. “But the witches hadn’t realized one thing—she was pregnant with you.”

My heart stutters, and I can’t stop the tears that fall from my eyes. Prince Callan’s hand squeezes my shoulder.

“She says you spoke to her. And just when I thought the witches would win the war, Serafine managed to fight back against the power within her. Using unbelievable strength, she cut off the witches’ magic entirely, rendering them almost helpless. And with the allied realms fighting with us, it was enough for the demons to overwhelm the sisters and seize control.”

Reselle sneers at us from across the room.

“She…” Dad’s voice cracks. “She held onto that control for as long as she could, even after the war. Until you were born.And the moment you were in my arms, she begged me to lock her away. With the magic of the runes, we could keep Reselle contained in this room.” His hand slips to his belt, and he pulls out a familiar-looking dagger. The one from the shadow realm. The one he’d had me steal from the shadow queen, Queen Krosia, some time ago. His hand trembles as he holds the enchanted blade, tears blurring his eyes. I think of how I’d had to use it to save my mates during our last test in the Perstalian ruins. Dad has always been testing me, always preparing me. And now I know why… I can’t imagine what he must have done to get the blade back. If the creature, Reselle, is from the shadow realm, it stands to reason that this blade might also work on her.

Reselle smiles cruelly as she lets Dad finish his story.

“Why not kill her?” Alaric asks, and though his words make me flinch, it’s the same question I’ve been wondering.

His gaze slides to me. “Serafine was pregnant with Blake when they turned her into an anchor. The pair are tied, and when Serafine dies, it’s likely that Blake will turn into the new witch anchor. We also worried that if we tried to kill Serafine, Reselle might be strong enough to jump through that connection into Blake, especially if she was still a child. But now…we have another option.” He glances subtly at the blade when he says the last part.

Reselle’s smile never leaves her face. “All thoughts Serafine still believes are true. But you both remain so naïve. You still don’t even have a way to kill me, and now here I am. Your plan to keep us sleeping was admirable, but your daughter saw to it that we rose.”

Dad’s gaze flicks to the blade before meeting mine, and he subtly shakes his head. At first, I don’t understand what he’s trying to tell me, but then realization sets in.“Reselle doesn’t know about the power of the shadow blade Dad has,”I tell my mates.“She doesn’t realize it’s able to kill her.”I think ofthe marks over Dad’s skin, wondering if it’s all because she’s connected to Serafine and in turn, Reselle. When the witches experimented on Mom, had Dad felt it through the bond? Has he been sharing her pain all these years?

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “Mom never left us,” I say to Dad, more tears slipping down my face.

A tear drops down Dad’s cheek. “All she wanted was to see you live, daughter. Your mother still had her disguise when you were conceived, and when you were born with wings we decided to pretend you were an angel. But now that you’re ready. Now that you know the truth, I have to do my part.” His grip tightens on the enchanted blade, and he darts forward, moving so fast it’s a blur.

“No!” I start toward Dad, but I’m too slow.

Reselle lashes out with her power, a thick black coil streaming from her fingers, and she sends Dad flying back against the wall. His bones crack, and he falls hard to the floor. Gold flashes in Reselle’s eyes but it’s gone again in an instant.

Reselle’s lips stretch wide, and laughter spills from her. The sound is a dark cackle that fills the small space, thousands of voices making the walls vibrate. “Even now we can feel Serafine’s hope. Even as she claws her way through the darkness in her mind, trying to get to you.”

“Let her go!” I snarl, anger searing me from the inside out.

“It’s too late for that little half-breed,” Reselle replies, still cackling, and the floor starts to rumble. “I’ll be sure to send your mother your regards, but now, it’s time to finish what the witches started. I’m nothing if not loyal to my subjects.”

She sends a blast of power toward me, but Prince Callan grabs me and spins, and the black power flies past us, tearing a hole in the wall.

“The runes must have been created to keep Reselle in, but with the door open, the seal was broken,” Alaric growls. “And with that hole, there’s no trapping her.”

I’m not sure how, but I start hearing the chanting in my head then. Even without seeing outside, I know what’s happening.

“The witches are creating an enchantment,” I say to the others. “They must know she’s free and they’re helping to bring the building down.”

Nate curses. “The witches wanted us to come here.”

The walls start to crumble around us, and Reselle smiles. “Goodbye, mate,” she says to King Dalton.

A rock from the ceiling falls toward where Dad lays crumpled, but I’m there before it hits him, and I toss it to the side.

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