Page 243 of Lady of Ashes

“Those transitions were quiet, happening naturally. Much like this one would have been if certain assets had been kept under control.” Alaric’s piercing stare settled on Mikale, whose hands clenched at his sides.

Scarlett winced in mock sympathy. “How many times have I evaded you now? You might need two hands to count.”

Mikale opened his mouth to say something in response, but Alaric was already speaking once more. “The plan to take this throne has been in place for decades, and sometimes those plans must be altered,” he said, moving to stand behind the king. The royal family had all been forced to their knees, Queen Meredith trembling beside her husband. Princess Eva’s face was pressed into her mother’s side, her small body shaking violently, and all Scarlett could see was Tula trying to cling to Juliette.

Moving as fast as a Night Child, Alaric had a dagger dragging across King Theodore’s throat. Queen Meredith screamed, but it was cut short when the same dagger slashed across her neck next.

“No!” Callan bellowed, releasing his hold on Tava and lurching towards his parents. “Spare her! I beg of you! Let Eva live!”

“A Solgard heir cannot remain alive,” Alaric said casually, already closing a ?st around the princess’s light brown hair. The little girl screamed around the gag in her mouth as he jerked her head up.

“Please! No!” Callan was yelling, trying to get to her, but Mikale and Lord Tyndell were holding him back. Drake was clutching tightly to Tava. Sorin was still bound by the vines, unable to move with Tarek holding his leash.

“Stop!” Scarlett cried, shadows leaping from her and creating a shield around Eva. “Alaric, stop!”

The dagger halted, unable to pierce her shield, and she grunted at the effort to keep it in place.

“Stop!” she panted.

Alaric shrugged, sliding the dagger into his belt. “You will not be able to hold that shield in place forever, my Wraith. By all means, please drain that power. You are far more amenable when weakened.”

He strode for the dais, stepping up and settling back onto the king’s throne.

“That is not yours,” Scarlett snarled. “Callan still lives.”

“For now,” Alaric agreed, propping his head on a ?st to apparently wait her out.

“So this is what? All for you to become the king?”

A slow smile lifted on his lips. “You know what is required of you for that information, Scarlett.”

“Never,” she sneered.

He sighed heavily. “Did you bring the keys?”

“Did I … What?” she asked, thrown by the sudden change in subject.

“The keys. I assume you have found them all by this point. It is why I allowed you to be retrieved all those weeks ago.”

“Allowed me to be … You did notallowme to escape.”

“I knew they were coming for you that night,” Alaric replied, his dark eyes studying her.

“Impossible,” Sorin snarled.

He arched a brow, looking at the Fire Prince. “I knew you would come for her at some point. You are all under this delusion that she is yours.”

“She is mine,” Sorin growled, jerking against his binds.

“She has never been yours,” Alaric said sharply, and Scarlett couldn’t help but wonder why he wasn’t using that power he possessed against any of them. He could easily control them all with a ?ick of his wrist if what he’d done to Finn and Sloan was any indication. Why had he not just done that to the king and queen? Or Princess Eva?

“How did you know?” Scarlett asked, swallowing thickly, trying to hide the tremor working its way through her limbs. Tarek was right. She hadn’t drawn nearly enough from Sorin to be expending this much of her power. She still had ?re and water, but she needed to save something, anything. “How did you know they were coming that night?”

“The Contessa told me,” Alaric said simply.

“The Contessa?” Scarlett repeated. “How would she have known?”

“I suppose that was not her title at that time,” Alaric mused, relaxing back against the throne. “No, that didn’t become her title untilyoudelivered the former Contessa directly into her hands.”

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