Page 84 of Princess For All

I understood. I felt that way all of the time. “Poor Inez.”

“She’s blessed to be Aether’s champion,” Anise said with a snort.

“Think of how you just felt. She deals with this all of the time. Moved around like a chess piece—her life not her own even worse than we always know. She’s achild, Anise. She’s not even thirty and fighting for Aether in the apocalypse.”

She held her hands up in surrender when it was clear I was going to yell more. “I apologize. You’re right and I’m—no, I do not want to take her place. I will help though.”

Good.

“Give me ten of your oldest vampires to help guard her while she’s not at the castle,” I muttered, studying the mine. “Please. Whoever is your best. I can’t—we can’t lose her. I promise it will be worth it.”

She considered that a moment. “I will do you better. I’ll send my oldest and most lethal noble to stay at her side until I’ve received my pound of flesh and payment for the noble of her coven trying to rape my beloved daughter. Just as Nora sent Jamelle but under other pretenses. I will send others to help with hunting and watching her castle, not fight. I won’t sign them—”

“I understand. I do. Yes, I understand.” I let out a long breath.

I more than understood.

We packed to leave, and right before we did, I had to sit down as both Nora and Hanna sent word that they had mines near them loaded with corrupted as well. Nora’s note was full of her charm saying it was lovely they gathered so they could drop big booms down it and bury them, but I could sense it shook her.

Me too. I was glad that Olivia took it seriously, but so far she hadn’t found anything. I was the one really helping Inez and I was moving around to do it. Nora and Hanna were the smart targets especially for someone limited and young like Keres.

Still, we wouldn’t make the mistake of leaving the mines open to be used next. We would have to get maps of everything still open or—we’d have to fill everything in.

How long would that take? How manyweekswould that distract us and keep us chasing our tails instead of killing more of Erebus’s soldiers? The thought left a bad taste in my mouth already, so when I arrived where Inez was, I was less than thrilled that the first person I came across was Sundar.

He didn’t hide his surprise well. “Matilda? Why are you here?”

“My daughter-in-law is here,” I drawled. “Why are you still here? I thought you never wanted to be a part of any coven or the insanity ofservinga princess? And yet you served one of the worst, so I figured you’d—”

“I wish to do my part in saving this world I live in just—”

My power lashed out without me making the decision. I’d had it under control for over a thousand years, but Henry’s betrayal and realizing so much of my life was a fucking lie left me a bit more unstable than I liked to admit. A small gash formed on his shoulder, cutting through his sweater as well. I almost smirked when he didn’t hide his shock.

But really, all I felt was pain. Some hurts never really died.

“First, you don’t address me as you should and now you interrupt me? I knew you never respected me as you should, but please try to have some sort of manners, Sundar,” I bit out. “Sharing a princess with my son doesn’t make you my equal or friend.” I looked him over. “You burned that bridge long ago.”

I swallowed a sigh when Jacob went stiff next to me, clearly not knowing of our history. No, few did, and I doubted that Sundar even told Ceawlin.

It probably wasn’t important enough to even bother with given how long ago it was.

Important enough to him.

“I never disrespected or looked down on you, Princess,” he whispered as he moved closer. “I made many mistakes, and I regret so much of—”

“Save it,” I bit out.

He searched my eyes. “I don’t understand this anger. We have met since and—”

My power lashed out again and I cut his other shoulder before I turned away to find Inez… Except she was watching withsteamcoming out of her ears. She looked at me like she’d never seen me and so disgusted like I was being a bitchy princess who she’d misjudged that it hurt my heart she could think it of me.

Bollocks. I have to tell her the truth.

“I can explain, and please give me the chance to,” I breathed in her ear as I leaned in and gave her a hug. “Please, we have history.” Relief flooded me when she gave me a genuine hug then.

“Come with me.”

“We need to put on a performance first,” I warned her, nodding to who was with me that she didn’t know… And made Vitor nervous because he was old. Not as old as Vitor but damn old.

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