Page 29 of Tortured Royals

Yes, just like that. Let me in, little demon.An ancient voice speaks in my mind, but I don’t have time to realize what its presence might mean. Power builds within me, filling my every pore, and tattoos appear on my body. Only, instead of my tattoos that shine with golden light when I’m with my mates, the intricate lines are like black tar against my skin.

I don’t question it. I direct the dark power inside me toward Queen Vespera, and she’s helpless to stop it. Dark power erupts from me, spearing through the magical barrier around the royal box, and it takes the queen, climbing down her throat until she explodes, becoming a mess of blood and bone.

Mirelle jerks her head, the princess staring at her mother in shock, and I fall from the sky, crippling exhaustion making me drop like a stone.

Down. Down. Down, I fall, the air whistling by my ears and tearing at my wings.

Shade screams in my head, and then there are strong arms around me.Mason.

He flies down, landing on the arena floor, but he doesn’t let me go. The queen’s remaining archangels don’t move around the arena. They merely watch us from a distance, confused now that their ruler has been slain.

“Blake!” I feel Dante’s hands on me now as well, and Alaric is nearby in his smaller form again, his scent of dark chocolate in my nose. The dark power that had been inside me moments before is now completely gone, and slowly, my energy begins to return.

“We’ve got you, princess.” Dante’s voice is soothing, though worry shines in his dark eyes.

Prince Callan’s gaze is full of regret, and he stands near me, but he doesn’t approach.

There’s a muffled cry, and it’s only then that I remember the cage. “Nate!” I’d thought when I killed the queen he would be spared and whatever magic was tied to the cage would be broken, but my shifter is mere inches from the scorpions now. They gather beneath him, their golden tails glinting. White flames still cover the bars of the cage, and my gaze connects with Prince Callan’s.

“Sister!” Prince Callan calls out. “Release him! It’s over.”

Dante gives me a look like he’s reluctant to leave my side, but I struggle from Mason’s arms, and we all move into action, circling the cage and looking for a way to get Nate out. The golden wire is still wrapped around the shifter, but the fire on the bars is the first barrier. Nate struggles more, and blood drips from where the wire has cut into his skin.

Mirelle flies from the royal box, landing on the sand of the arena a few paces away from us.

And she smiles.

Chapter

Eleven

~ Prince Callan ~

Ican hardly meet Princess Blake’s gaze. I’d warned her not to come here, but even I had not expected this. I peer at the queen’s bloody throne in the royal box, and no sympathy goes through me. Queen Vespera deserved this, and the ash continuing to float around us is a reminder of how ruthless the queen could be.

“Release the shifter,” I tell my sister again as she lands not far from us. “The queen can’t control you any longer.”

I expect my sister to remove her flames from Nate’s cage, but she stands there watching us.

“Now why would I do that?” she says calmly, her voice as smooth a silk, and nothing like the voice of the timid sister I loved. “After all, he has wronged me,” she goes on. “In my mother’s eyes, he tried to kidnap me, and in yours, he left me behind to rot, not honoring your agreement to take me to the beast realm. Either way, he should be punished.”

Her words surprise me, and I study my sister. She stands tall, a smile spread across her face. She looks nothing like the cowed girl my mother abused for all these years. I should be happy to see her appear so free, but there’s something about her smile that makes me pause.

“With the queen dead, as the rightful heir, Andal will take the throne,” I remind her. “End this now, and our new king can place judgement on the shifter.” Our eldest brother has turned a blind eye to the queen’s actions in the past, but I feel without her influence, he may prove to be a fair ruler. In any case, I should be able to break the shifter out by then.

“Andal?” Mirelle laughs, and it’s a strange sound. Nothing at all like the soft peals of laughter my sister has let out on rare occasions in the past. “You are out of touch, brother. Didn’t you hear? Just days ago, the queen declared me to be her heir. I guess, she sought to honor all my past sacrifices.”

Sacrifices? She says it as if she had a choice.

Princess Blake walks forward, her expression livid despite the lines of exhaustion that remain around her eyes. Mason stays by her while the others stay next to the cage.

“Release my mate,now,or you’ll receive the same treatment as the queen,” she says, her voice cold.

I step between her and Mirelle. “Stop,” I say to Princess Blake. “Queen Vespera deserved her fate, but no one has endured more from the queen than my sister.” The promise that I made to Mirelle a long time ago rises to the forefront of my mind:I’ll get you out of here and away from her. I promise.

I’ve held onto that promise, staying here in the castle, close to my sister, but the queen has been ever vigilant.

Nate drops another inch, and Blake’s anger continues to simmer. She grits her teeth. “I understand you believe Nate has wronged you, but you can’t kill my mate.”

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