Page 88 of Prince of Storms
“Uh, it’s most likely my sister through there?”
“She’s alive?”
“Yes?” I frowned. “You knew that?”
“No, no, I didn’t!” she said. “I assumed that, you know, you’ddealt with herbefore you decided to host a ball. That’s, like, providing your psychotic sister an all-you-can-eat buffet!”
“Maybe,” I agreed.
“You brought me back here and put me in danger?” she asked. “Without telling me?”
“You knew she was alive.”
“Again,” she said hotly, “I thought you would have done the sane thing and killed her before you brought all these people here.”
I grimaced. “Mia. You aren’t in any danger from her. You just have to trust me on that.”
The doors flew open with a tremendous crash, drawing my attention away from my mate and my conflicting feelings. After all, she was right. I’d brought her into danger. I shouldn’t have done that.
But there was no time to dwell on it because the sight in the doorway stole all my attention.
“Uh-oh,” I muttered as my sister walked in, wearing a sparkling blood-red dress down to her ankles. The slit up the sides revealed that her heeled boots went up past the knee. Her hair was drawn back into a strict ponytail that was tied off every few inches right down to the base.
The darkness of her eye makeup flowed into the evil intent of her gaze, mirroring the anger and hatred on her face.
All of that was a statement on its own. However, it all paled to the fact that she entered flanked by a quartet of Vorgans, two to the front and two to the rear. Each shadow beast walked on six legs, their heads jutting forward from their lean bodies, wings tucked tight to their sides. They walked with a predatory gaze that had the other dragons shying away from them.
“Brother!” she cried upon spotting me, the shout echoed by screeches from the Vorgans.
Dragons drew back, standing behind Mia and me.
“Why am I still standing here?” Mia asked. “I should go.”
“Just stay behind me,” I said. “Everything will be fine.”
I could feel her shock. “How are you so calm? Do you not see what’s in front of us?”
“I do,” I said, putting on a bored smile as Rica closed the distance, until her pet Vorgans were less than a dozen feet from me. One of them snarled silently, as if straining against an invisible leash.
I wagged a finger at it while making atut-tutnoise.
“This is very lovely, brother, but you did not have to go to such lengths for me,” Rica said, waving a hand around. “A coronation ceremony? Too kind.”
“You’re delusional, sister. None of this is for you. But if you want, I’ve got a long wooden box out back you can have.”
Rica barked a laugh. “I hope it will fit your bloated ego, brother.”
“Threatening me already?”
Her expression hardened. “That depends. If you abdicate peacefully, then I won’t be forced to use … unpleasant methods.”
The Vorgan heads swung outward hungrily at her last words.
“How generous an offer,” I drawled, standing my ground, not moving back as some others did.
“I’m not without mercy. You give the throne to me, and you and your human lover will be allowed to live peacefully. Here on Earth. The same offer dear old daddy gave to me.”
I marveled at her ability to get those words out seriously. Did she truly believe she could be considered merciful?
