Page 74 of Nightingale

“And here I thought that I was the second born.” Teminos hummed in fascination, as if he’d just discovered that the order of their birth was a lie all along and that Eamin had actually come before him.

“No, put him in a room and make sure it locks from the outside.” Vrea argued, pushing past her elder brother to the second eldest. “He’smyprisoner, if one at all.Ibrought him here, not you.Iget to decide where he goes until our mother has a better look at everything and makes a decision for herself.”

The crowd had fallen away, leaving just the five of them as Amir remained beside Rian.

“Have you grown attached to him, is that it?” Eamin laughed quietly in a cruel way as he rested his hand on the plain but sturdy sword at his hip. “Is he a littlepetthat you want to sleep at the end of your bed, perhapsinit? I’ve heard stories of how the fifth Prince fucks, but perhaps you wanted to test that theory out for yourself, hmm?”

Teminos sucked in air, and she could see the faint laugh he swallowed out of perth peripherals as she fought back.

“None of that is why I claim him. You claimed Daria when she came to our doorstep, you had your hold over her far more than I would ever try with Rian. But he ismycapture.Iam the reason he is here.” She was tempted to punch him, to remind him that even if she was a girl, that she could still make him suffer.

Rian let out a staggering puff of air from below at the mention of his youngest sister, of the one that her brothers, half of whichstood in front of her, brutally murdered before flinging her broken pieces across the border for all of Carylim to see.

“She has a point, Eamin.” Teminos uttered from the sidelines in a hushed voice that almost replicated a song. “Mother would side with her, not you on this.”

“You two love to team up on me.” He insisted, tucking a strand of darker nutmeg behind his curved ear. He kept it around his shoulders, longer than hers but far shorter than Teminos’s long braid.

Teminos tsked, finding enough disappointment to muster it into his lean features. “Is it really teaming up on you, when it’s justcorrectand youare not?”

Their brother’s eyes flashed in anger, a trait they all bore and proof that they came from the same womb. As was their bloodlust, dark skin set, and desire to prove themselves.

“We’ll see what she has to say about this all.”

A flood of cold water rushed through her at the thought of Eamin spinning her story to better suit his vain needs, to usher their mother onto his side and make sure that Rian followed in the way of Daria.

She couldn’t let that happen.

But as Vrea opened her mouth to argue, Teminos stepped in on her behalf.

“Don’t go bother her now, not whilst she’s in the middle of a council meeting.” He clicked in clear admonishment, like Eamin was a young boy no older than four in need of a scolding and a swift hand to the backside. A punishment that they’d all received in their youth, for various crimes. “You can wait until she’s finished. And even then, I highly suggest that Vrea be the one to approach her, as it ishermatter of concern, not yours.”

“It is a concern for usall.” With that, he turned on a hasty heel of his boot and disappeared up another level, vanishing into Vasthold without another disagreeing word.

“It’s good to be back.” Vrea sarcastically slid out of her mouth. “The homecoming feels especially warm.”

“Did you expect anything else? He’s disappointed that you didn’t kill the Prince,” Blue eyes met blue as Teminos studied Rian, “Which I do have my own questions about, or that he didn’t lose another sibling in the attempt. Even if he’s next in line after Alpheus, you are primed as Mother’s favourite. There is a delectable joy in the idea of your death.”

“I’m assuming that you also think that way?” She propped an arm along the stone railing. It was cool, crumbling under her. So many things had withheld the testament of time, this magnificent fortitude included. It often reminded her of their mother, strong willed and resilient.

How she hoped to be one day.

Mighty and proud like Vasthold. Fierce and regal, like their mother. Clever and quick, like Teminos. Strong and stubborn, like Alpheus. There were some other traits she longed for as well, ones that reached far across the lands and towards the otherside. Powerful and cunning, like Rian. And there, within the back portion of her mind, a seed of Castil that she envied. Cold and cruel, allowing none to get in her way.

Teminos sighed. “Not exactly. I like having a similar mind to converse with. And there’s no desire in the throne or crown inside me. Therefore, I am not a threat to you and you don’t need to wipe me out in the middle of the night.”

“Sounds like the opposite, if you ask me. A ploy, to throw us off your scent.” Vrea chuckled, relaxing in the sound of her own enjoyment. It had been too long since she’d laughed, for real. “But, It’s good to see you, Tem.”

He lowered his braided head, “As it is you. I had a feeling that you were not dead. If anyone could survive three years in Carylim, it would have been you, Vrea. Welcome back to Niroula, to Vasthold and your home.”

Thirty Six

Amir guided Rian to a guest room, one that locked from the outside on the first floor, nearest to the cells in case of an incident as Vrea refused to move until he was out of her sightline. Amir wouldn’t take him anywhere else, not when he swore to follow her instructions but they were in a castle known for killers and murders. There was no question that Eamin would try something, even Alpheus.

The Prince didn’t fight, didn’t try to argue, didn’t do anything but allow himself to be led away for a controlled, watched-over seclusion. He found her once, meeting her eye level as his throat bobbed. Strain swirled in the bright blue that had darkened, worry that whirled with silvery waves, tension that coursed through the male. She couldn’t blame him, but it was his turn to trust her. He’d asked the favour of her, now she was requesting it in return. With a slight roll of his neck, he signalled that he did.

Amir tugged him into the corridor that led towards the part of the castle where he’d be set, until a decision could be made over his fate. Until Casta could make that final call after hearing all sides of the argument.

She had yet to see her mother.

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