Page 128 of Vicious Princess
Let go.
The second arrow pierces the heart of the second target.
The warmth that spreads over my body, from the tips of my fingers on the arm that holds the bow all the way to my chest, makes me dizzy. I draw another arrow.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Let go.
The third arrow sinks into the third target’s heart.
My bow purrs in my mind as if it’s part of my core being. The sound drowns out any noise around me, the frantic shouts and cheers from the crowd.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Let go.
When the fourth arrow lands true in the target’s heart, I can physicallyfeeltheir heart stopping, as if in my own body.
I’ve never experienced the euphoria that soars through me and makes me feel as if I’m walking on a cloud. I turn to face the crowd that cheers for me loudly enough to shatter glass.
I should feel shame. Or horror. Something close to grief.
My heart should break.
But all I feel is clarity. Power—cold and bright and endless.
The part of me that clung to honor, my inner compass, my father’s voice—it’s all gone.
I raise my arm with the bow above my head, and it strikes me like lightning.
The name.
Scorpio, the Whisperer of Havoc.
This is who I truly am.
The fire that turns the world to ash.
CHAPTER FIFTY
The moment I step foot out of the iron gate, Roman’s tall figure moves into my path. I still feel lightheaded after what just happened.
“You won!” Roman shakes me by my shoulders, excitement pouring out of him in heaps. “That was a damn good show!”
I nod absentmindedly.
Scorpio, the Whisperer of Havoc.
I glance at the bow in my hand. It hums quietly, assuring me as I hold it. Finally, the missing pieces clicked. It accepts me and has given me its true name. In the weirdest sense, I feel…whole.
And I didn’t even know I wasn’t before.
“Hey, princess—are you okay?”
