Page 190 of Lady for Embers

Nuri’s brows shot up, while Scarlett clamped down on her own surprise, keeping her gaze trained on Nuri. Sure, he’d made the Blood Vow, but she had never expected him to claim her as his queen over Talwyn.

“That is an interesting development,” Nuri quipped. She took a few steps forward, and Azrael, Cassius, and Razik tensed around Scarlett. Nuri smirked. Her gaze slid around the room as she said, “Three mortals in your company.” She raised a ?nger, pointing at Callan beside Azrael. “Prince Callan. Or is it King? Or just Callan? I really don’t know anymore.”

“King,” Callan said tightly.

“Cute,” Nuri replied, her eyes moving and her ?nger with them. “Drake. Nice to see you, but silly of you to come here.” Her gaze and ?nger moved again, settling on Hale. “You, however, I do not know.” Her head tilted. “But I would really, really like to.” She smiled wickedly, her fangs snapping out. “Care to introduce me, Sister?”

“If anyone is getting to know the new mortal, Sister, it will be me.”

Scarlett couldn’t keep the surprise off her face this time. Not as Juliette appeared from the passageway they had come from. She was dressed in all black like the rest of them, her red-brown hair braided over her shoulder, snaking out from beneath her hood.

Nuri sighed. “Must we really ?ght over him? You always got them ?rst.”

Juliette scoffed. “You were the greedy one. I had to ?ght you to sharetwins.”

“For the love of Silas,” Azrael said. “I cannot deal with all three of you in the same vicinity again.”

Nuri laughed, her insane, maniacal one, lifting her arms out to her side and spinning in a slow circle. “So many family reunions this night.”

“What are you talking about?” Scarlett asked, tone full of trepidation.

Nuri may be slightly crazy, but she never spoke in riddles.

“Hello, Drake.”

Scarlett’s blood went cold at the sound of Lord Tyndell’s voice. She whirled around to see Cyrus and Eliza pulling swords where they stood in front of Drake. Scarlett immediately sent her shadows to him, a panther snarling, eyes glowing, while a shield locked into place around the Rydeon King.

“Scarlett, my dear,” Lord Tyndell chided. “Do you really think I would hurt my son?”

“I amnotyour son,” Drake said loudly, but he was pale. Scarlett could see it from across the room. The color had drained from hisface, his hands curled into ?sts at his sides. She had been readyfor this; Drake had not, despite their best efforts to prepare him for this.

“Is that what they told you?” The Lord’s voice had gone cold at Drake’s words.

“It is the truth,” Drake retorted. “You are a Maraan. I am not. Tava is not.” He looked over his shoulder at the tombs behind him, then back at Lord Tyndell. “They are not buried here, are they?”

A muscle ticked in Lord Tyndell’s jaw, the only sign of fury Scarlett had ever seen from the man. “That piece-of-shit king is,” he ?nally snarled.

“And her?”

The Lord’s face instantly softened. “She was buried in a ?eld of wild?owers in the western part of the kingdom.”

“You killed her? Like you killed him?” Drake demanded. “Why not me too?”

“This is not the time nor the place for this, Balam,” came yet another voice that Scarlett recognized.

Sybil. The current High Healer in the Black Syndicate and Juliette’s mother appeared next.

Nuri clapped her hands once in excitement. “It’s like a party.”

“Mother,” Juliette said curtly.

“My disappointment of a daughter,” the High Healer replied tersely. “I am not surprised to ?nd you here.”

“It must irk you to no end that I became the Oracle while you are stuck serving at the feet of another,” Juliette replied.

“I gave you everything and more,” Sybil snapped.

“I know exactly what you gave me, Mother,” Juliette said calmly. “I know what you gave others too. How you reported all of Eliné’s movements to Alaric.”

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