Page 232 of Owned

Valen’s eyes met mine, searching. “I don’t think so. Not if she can control it.”

“Can you?” Bastian asked, as he joined Valen within my circle. His gaze was intense, probing. “Control it?”

I flexed my fingers and deep violet smoke twined around my fingers. My pale magic mingled with Lucian’s deep red. “It’ll take time, but I’ll get the hang of it,” I answered truthfully. “It’s... different from before. Hungrier.”

The candlelight flickered, and for a moment, all four of us glanced at Lucian’s corpse.

“We won’t let that happen,” Titus said firmly, as though he could read my thoughts. Finally, he stepped forward to join his brothers. “We won’t let you become him.”

I looked at the three of them standing within my circle of power, the last men in Messana who might oppose me, and felt a strange vulnerability despite the magic that coursed through my veins.

Power wasn’t the same as belonging.

Strength wasn’t the same as loyalty—realloyalty.

And ruling wasn’t the same as being loved.

“I need to ask something of you,” I said in a voice that sounded steadier than I felt.

They waited, these three men who had become more than stepbrothers to me—who had become essential in ways I was only beginning to understand.

“I’ve taken Lucian’s power,” I continued. “The power he stole from every Sage and Necromi. Everyone who betrayed him or stood against him… That power is now mine. Withermarsh recognizes me as its mistress. The Necromi will follow whoever holds this position, at least initially.” I paused as I tried to process what was happening. The words were coming to meeasily, as though I had rehearsed them. “But I don’t want to rule alone.”

Bastian’s eyebrows rose. “You’re asking forourhelp? After all this? You don’t need us.”

“Yes. I do.” I met his gaze directly. “I’m asking for your loyalty. Your guidance. Your... presence.” My fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of my ruined wedding gown. “This wasn’t just about freedom for me. It was about freedom forallof us. Fromhim.”

Titus’s expression remained guarded. “Bastian is right to ask,” he said. “Do you even need us anymore?”

His question struck deeper than he could know.Was he right?With Lucian’s power flowing through me, with Withermarsh itself responding to my command, did Iactuallyneed them?

The truth was simpler and more complex than that.

“Idon’tneed you,” I admitted, and saw something flinch behind his eyes. I reached out and my fingers hovered just short of touching his face. “But Iwantyou.Allof you. Not as servants or subjects, but as equals.”

Bastian’s chin lifted and his pale eyes sharpened, eyes of a predator assessing not prey, but a potential mate—dangerous, but intrigued. “You could rule alone. You could cast us out and take revenge for how we treated you. And we’d deserve it.”

I had a feeling he wanted to be punished.

“Is that what you think I want?” I asked, genuinely surprised.

“Isn’t it? After everything?” Bastian’s smile was sharp and appraising. “Power corrupts, little sister. And you’re swimming in it now.”

I shook my head, and a laugh bubbled up in my throat. “If I wanted vengeance, I would have let Lucian live and made him watch as I took everything from him. I’m sure my father wouldhave enjoyed it. But this wasn’t about revenge. Not really. It was about survival. For all of us.”

The brothers exchanged glances, a silent communication passed between them that years of navigating Lucian’s fluctuating moods had perfected.

“What exactly are you asking for?” Titus demanded, practical as always. “Inspecificterms.”

“Stand with me,” I said simply. “Help me lead the Necromi. Help me understand the power I’ve taken before it consumes me. Help me build something better than what he left behind.” I took a deep breath. “Be my counsel. My confidants. Mypartners.”

“Partners,” Valen echoed, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Not subjects.”

“Never subjects,” I confirmed.

Titus stepped closer. His massive frame blocked the candlelight and cast his angular face in shadow. “And if we disagree with your decisions? If we challenge you?”

“Then we’ll find a way forward,” I promised. “I don’t want blind obedience. I want... collaboration.”

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