Page 6 of Tortured Royals

“I told them to follow us here,” I explain.

Prince Callan folds his arms across his chest. “What are your plans now, King Dalton?” His expression is hard, and I can tell the prince is keen to keep moving.

Dad lets out a heavy sigh. “Unfortunately, unless Queen Vespera agrees to receive aid, there’s not much more we can do here. I will return to Seral before matters get out of hand at home.” He fixes me with a stare. “But now that you have the archangel prince as your mate, I must request, daughter, that you travel to the queen and implore her to reconsider. Perhaps,when she learns what transpired here, she will be more receptive to hearing the truth.”

Prince Callan stiffens, tucking his wings in tighter. “Your highness, I must insist that Princess Blake returns with you to the demon realm. Queen Vespera is not known to be the most hospitable to?—”

“I will, my king,” I blurt, cutting Prince Callan off. Truthfully, I don’t care much to see the angel queen, but it’s obvious Prince Callan is going there, and the fact that my archangel mate suggested I leave him is pissing me off. Besides, Dad is right. The queen needs a wakeup call.

“Callan might be right in suggesting that Blake should return home,” Nate says, looking uneasy.

I cut a glare his way, and Nate lifts his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just sayin’, Queen Vespera is prickly on a good day.”

“We’re only going there to pass on the message,” I say. “We’ll keep our stay brief, and then we’ll be off to the demon realm.”

No one argues with that, but Prince Callan’s temple pulses with irritation.

When my archangel stays silent, Dad smiles. “Good. Then it’s settled.”

Chapter

Three

~ Alaric ~

Iwait silently in a crouch, hidden in one of the few town houses that wasn’t destroyed. The top window is cracked just enough that if I release my arrow, it could fly free of the building…and into the demon king.

Ordinarily, such a weapon wouldn’t be able to kill the demon monarch, but bright orange liquid stains the tip of my arrowhead, the unique poison procured from a witch I’d slain not too long ago.

King Dalton stands with Blake and the others, the group of them engaged in conversation, but while I’m skilled in the art of reading lips, my focus isn’t on what is being said. I keep my arrow there, aimed at the king’s heart.

During the battle, I had stayed long enough to ensure the witches would fall, and then I’d disappeared into the background, slinking away while the demon princess was distracted. Just the thought of how I’d left my mate has my scowl deepening, but I force the memory from my mind. Keeping mygrip on my bow and arrow, I let out a long, steady breath, ignoring the high-pitched ringing in my ears.

After an age of waiting, the chance for retribution is finally here. The demon who murdered my twin brother, West, stands unsuspecting, and my muscles tense as I let my anger flow through me, filling every part of my being. I’d planned to kill the demon king’s daughter. To make him feel something akin to the pain I’d felt when West had been taken from me, but it was becoming painfully clear that I wouldn’t be able to kill my mate.My Enchantress.She was a surprising twist in my fucked-up life, but right now it didn’t matter. King Dalton, the murderer himself, was before me, and simply seeing him dead would have to suffice.

I pull the arrow back another inch, tightening the drawstring even more. I shouldn’t be hesitating. I’m a member of the Drozac. An elite assassin, bound by a code that’s centuries old. The king still stands directly in my line of sight, his broad chest exposed. One arrow, and the vengeance I’ve sought for so long will finally be mine. One arrow, and I can finally get revenge for my brother’s death. One arrow, and my mate will hate me just as I detest the demon king.Blood for blood.

My fingers don’t move.

Growling under my breath, I close my eyes, trying to ground myself. This is all I’ve wanted for so long, but it was never meant to feel like this. My hatred wavers as thoughts of my enchantress fill my head. Of her soft skin and fiery spirit. Of the way she feels when my hand is wrapped around her throat, my thigh between her legs as she lets out soft pants.

Growling, I wrench my eyes open, and my heart almost stops. Because it’s not the demon king I have targeted now. A female with long dark hair and silky black wings stands in the way of my arrow, and fear spears into me, penetrating so deep it’s asthough an arrow has punctured my heart rather than the demon king’s.

Enchantress.Sweat breaks out over my skin, and I lower my arrow, loosening the bowstring as my heart pounds an erratic beat. A stream of curses whisper from my lips. There was a time when I’d dreamed of having the demon princess in my line of sight. When I’d fantasized about the demon king mourning her twisted and lifeless form.

But now that thought makes me sick.

Because the female is my mate, and no amount of denying it on my part will change that. Her soul calls to mine, and that…terrifies me.

I stare at my trembling fingers. My hands have always remained steady in the past, and yet here I am, my fingers shaking.

The she-demon is changing me, and I’m hopeless as I fight against the pull of fate, and the threads that bind us.

I don’t lift my arrow again.

Instead, I remain crouched, watching in grim silence as the king creates a new portal thick with red flames, and he disappears with the remainder of the demon guards.

~ Princess Blake ~

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