Page 57 of Tortured Royals

Ivar’s nostrils flare, but he schools his expression before speaking. “If I rule, the clan leaders would become my advisors, and they would have their say in the laws that are created. For example, I could make it that there is no punishment for visiting the human realm. Why shouldn’t we feast on such easy prey? They are the ones who call us. All we’re doing is giving them what they seek. Wouldn’t you agree, Noah? We all know your leader, Dante, has a habit of bringing humans here.”

I’ve said the same thing to Blake many times when she’d caught me with humans, but now hearing it from Ivar’s mouth makes me sick. I never harmed the humans, and my demons only bedded those who consented. Within hours, they were also returned to their homes with little memory of what occurred. There was good reason for the laws against demons taking advantage of the humans, and I hadn’t realized how damaging my actions were until now.

I avoid Blake’s pointed stare though I can feel her attention on me.

Ivar stares at me expectantly, and I’m forced to give him the answer he desires. “It would be a…relief to have some of the laws lightened.”

The demon leader’s eyes shine with approval. “You see! I can make Seral a much more…pleasurable city to reside in.Togetherwe can reshape the city.”

In theory, I do see some sense in Ivar’s argument. It’s a pity that the demon is as untrustworthy as they come, and I highlydoubt he would listen to the voices of the demons for long, if at all.

“For such an impactful change, the demons should have the chance to vote again. To voice whether they wish to disband the clans,” another demon says.

Ivar’s eyes twitches again, and he forces a smile. “Something we can discuss when I’m on the throne.”

There’s a beat of silence as all the leaders digest this.

“I may not always agree with King Dalton,” Gloria says slowly, “but he’s maintained peace for this long. We’ve not seen another war since the witches, and I believe the princess would uphold his legacy.”

“His legacy?” Ivar sneers again. “Since the war with the witches, the king has hardly offered much to our realm. He’s been so concerned with keeping us battle ready that he closed himself off to any other possibilities that might present themselves.”

“Other possibilities?” asks Scyro.

Ivar noticeably shifts, not necessarily uncomfortable, but uncertain. “Possibilities that could mean big changes for the demons. Since the war with the witches, we’ve been seen as the realm that needed to call for aid. The ones who couldn’t handle our own when the time came.”

“Any realm would have needed assistance,” Gloria counters. “It was simply unfortunate the witches targeted our realm rather than one of the others.”

“None-the-less the demons don’t hold the respect that we once did. But I can bring that back. When I’m king, I can make Seral great again.” Ivar’s eyes sparkle, and I don’t miss the fact that he said ‘when’ not ‘if.’

Ivar has always been a vocal leader, but he’s never been this brazen before.

“You speak of taking out the king before the princess arrives. King Dalton is one of the strongest demons to have lived. How exactly are you proposing that we defeat him?” Scyro asks.

Fuck.That’s all it takes for the conversation to change.

Ivar beams at Scyro. “Going by my intel, the king is weak. It’s why he’s retiring. So now is the time to send in an assassin.”

“An assassin? Presumably, one who won’t fail this time?” Gloria mocks.

“This time?” I drawl, curiosity getting the better of me.

“Careful, Dante,”Blake warns, though from her intense gaze, she’s as interested in the answer as I am.

Grabbing the dagger he’d stabbed into the table, Ivar pulls it out, examining the sharp edges of the blade. “We had a Drozac assassin on board to help us some time ago,” he says, surprising me with an answer. “Assigned by the order. Unfortunately, the king turned up during my initial meeting with the assassin, and I had to make it seem as though the assassin had come after me. It was unfortunate timing.”

A Drozac assassin?My brows lift, and my gaze goes to my bond brother in the cage before flicking back to Ivar. “And what happened to this assassin?”

Ivar shrugs, spinning his blade, handle upward on the table. “The king had been quick to take care of him, with my assistance of course. It was a disappointing time for all involved.”

I nod like it’s the answer I expected, but considering the sudden pale shade of Blake’s skin, I know she heard every word. Alaric squares up his shoulders and he pulls away from Blake, his eyes blazing with fury, but then Blake and the others are there, surrounding him. Blake runs her hands up his chest, trying to soothe him.

“He’s talking about West,”Alaric growls, his fury rumbling like thunder in our minds.“I was told West was killed in Seral when he tried to assassinate a clan leader. But if what this Ivarsays is true, then it was only a cover up, and the leaders of the order of the Drozac were involved. West was never here to kill a clan leader. He was here to kill the king.”

“And Ivar turned on him,”Blake says softly.“I’m sorry, Alaric. All I knew was that a Drozac assassin had tried to kill a clan leader and was executed. I never knew who the clan leader was. I promise we’ll make Ivar suffer before this is over. But not now. Not yet.”

“So, who is the assassin this time?” Gloria asks. “And how do we know they’ll be able to get the job done?”

“We need to know this won’t be traced back to us,” another says. “If the king hears of this, it’ll be us in the royal dungeons.”

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