Page 41 of Princess For All

“We areallHer children. She gave us strength and power to protect all of Her children. Our job was to keep the shifters and humans safe, and millions are fucking dead! We have failed in that job, and I will not allow us to keep failing. That is the point in all of this. We save as many of Aether’s children as we can. Welive. We survive the apocalypse to livebetterlives.

“Not to make humans food and shifters our pets. Byallthe gods, hear me and believe me on this because I would rather wipe out all vampires before I allow that mindset to fester in my fucking coven.” I nodded when people couldn’t hide their shock. “No, I’m not kidding. I don’t bluff. And yes, I will do it. I willkillvampiresto protecthumans.”

“My Princess, you should know it was his sister who turned him in,” Cerdic informed me when I tried to get myself under control. He nodded when I did a double take, glancing at the two women with them.

“Speak,” I told the one closer to him.

She dipped her head to me. “He has grown increasingly disrespectful and full of himself. He was afraid of Bahati—we all were. But now he says things like this coven is run by men, men have learned better and will the bosses.”

“Shut up, you—”

“No!” she snapped. “I will not let you drag us all down with you. I will not stand by as you talk the same bullshit others have to us while paying lip service that women were really ever in charge! We all knew it was lies.” She met my gaze again. “My grandmother used to say that Bahati’s descent into madness started the day her older brother raped her because of his jealousy.”

“What?” I breathed.

She nodded. “That he couldn’t stand that she was special and he was just another noble, and as small men do, he used his strength against her and took what he thought he was owed. That broke her, and the result was so many suffered. Instead of protecting the one chosen to protect all of us and seeing his real role—”

I blinked and she backhanded the man, Ceawlin hurrying to drop the other guys and restrain her.

“You pressured that poor woman who wasnice to you,you monster! She’s been nice to all of us after all we’ve all suffered. Zombies and crazies and—you barely do anything while boasting that women will now serve men as it should be. Aether is our Goddess and in charge. You have gone crazy because you cannot accept you are insignificant.

“Instead of working harder to become someone of substance, you will just take what you want. Act like it’s owed you and pressure people but not have the courage to stand up for what you think is right because you know it’s against the rules. You’re a coward and I’m ashamed of you. I’m not beneath you because I havebreasts!”

“Hear, hear,” several said loudly.

“And since I’m at the top and have breasts,” I chuckled darkly. “I say she’s right and my vote has the most weight here.” I moved closer to the man and studied his eyes. I shocked everyone by spitting in his face. “You’re a pig. There’s no regret in your eyes. Only anger. Onlyspiteand rage.” I pointed to the woman. “You upset her.

“Another living person. You scared her and traumatized her. If you regretted it and realized you’d gone too far or could—maybe if this was some sort of smack upside the head that you had gone too far, but there’s no remorse in you. Only upset that we found out.” I was glad when I saw Tian there and went over to him, opening his jacket much to his surprise.

Because he always kept throwing knives on him. Sure enough, he had a vest with a dozen of them.

“I’ll give them back,” I promised as I pulled out four. I moved faster than most would think and stabbed the first in the guy’s gut. “Why did you think you would get away with this in my coven? Are you delusional or have others done this? Tell me if you heard this from someone else or I will make your death as painful as possible. By Aether, I promise it.”

And then I offered one of the knives to the woman he’d wronged.

She swallowed loudly but then met my gaze. “It’s not in me.”

I gave her a kind smile. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m a fighter. I’m not good at comforting. We can’t be all things.”

“You did a great job comforting me, Princess,” she argued. “This is—there aren’t words for the comfort you’re giving to every woman who has suffered at the hands of a man.”

Fair enough.

I nodded before turning to the guy and stabbing another knife in his shoulder. “Tell me.”

“I didn’t hear it from anyone,” he bit out. “She was easy. She giggled and flirted. She wanted me and—”

I stabbed him in the groin. “That is not for you to decide!” I backed away and looked out at everyone. “Hear me that consent will be given in this coven. At all levels. I don’t fucking care whatyou think. Nothing is implied or insinuated. You do not pressure people or imply they owe you. They owe younothing.

“The only one people owe ismeandmine, and you know what we ask? Not fucking sexual favors or blood. No, we ask people work and help. That’s it. Everyone works and helps. You do that or you’re out. You keep to my rules or you’re out. Or dead. Very dead. If that is unclear or you will not adhere to that—leave. Leavenow!”

“Have you fed from anyone else?” Cerdic asked the guy. He looked relieved when the guy said no and Sundar confirmed it.

“Do you know of anyone else feeding from any human of this coven?” Sundar asked, all of us sighing in relief when he said no and it was true.

Then that left only one thing.

“Did my husband tell you that feeding from humans wasn’t allowed in my coven?” I asked him. “Did Jaxon tell you that you were not allowed to touch any human in this coven and then we worked out the system with the shifters and that was the only way to feed?”

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