Page 48 of Ruthless Royals

She shrugged, tilting her head at Edward’s bloodless face. “Niall, I noticed you haven’t killed the mortal yet,” she said, changing the subject, but I made a mental note to investigate why she cared about us finding Sebastian. I wonder if he ever made it to Azia with my letter.

“Where’s Astor?” I asked, evading her questions as she did mine.

Her stare latched onto mine. “He’s having a think about where his loyalties lie.”

I scoffed. “He’s in the dungeons.”

“And off limits,” she said, putting a finger in the air as if to tempt me, as if the entire fucking castle wasn’t listening to our conversation.

It took everything for me not to tear her head off in front of the crowd. If only I could guarantee she’d go to the underworld and fucking stay there after. “So, this is your big show?” I asked, my voice bouncing off the walls. “This is your version of mercy?”

“Of course. I could have killed you both for your disloyalty, but I didn’t. Your men paid the price instead. Let it serve as a lesson.”

Her eyes glimmered with a predatory gleam, and her lips curled into a smirk. I realized this was more about than just discrediting us; she wanted them all to fear her. Her posture was firm, defiant, wanting someone to challenge or disobey her. The men she’d murdered were from the same elite class as the rest of the people in this room. She had to be aware of what they might do, how they may want to seek revenge, but I knew she didn’t care.

“Do you think you're untouchable?” Adrian asked, his voice strained, the intense blue veins visible on his temples.

Her smile dropped, her eyes narrowing, the wild goddess behind them ready to attack. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s more than that!” He stepped forward, but I put my arm out to stop him, shaking my head. “You’re going to stop me?” he asked, side eyeing me. “I thought you'd broken free of your bullshit obsession.”

“Don't,” I warned, but knew there was little I could do to stop him. But I'd fucking try, anyway. I wanted to tell him everything, that we had to plan. Her killing our men could turn her allies in the castle into foes. All I could do was try to convey it with one look, because she needed us to react. Shewantedhim too.

“Adrian,” I said, clearing my throat. “What's done is done. We can't bring them back and we'll just recruit more.”

Adrian pushed my arm away, but I fixed my position, holding myself in front of him. I turned to face him, so she couldn’t see. Communicating without words wasn’t easy, but he seemed to relax a little when he saw my expression.

We had to play her at her own game. “You won’t hurt her,” I stated, hoping he understood my intentions. “I’ll deal with this.” I pivoted to face her, her lips pressed tightly together as she looked me up and down, her eyebrows slightly raised. “After all, I am going to be king.”

The room filled with hushed whispers. The nobility's guests cast cautious glances at each other, their faces solemn, many filled with surprise. I turned my focus back to Salenia, noticing a slight twitch of her lip. I would have easily overlooked the subtle gesture had I not been carefully monitoring her every move. “Isn’t that right, love?”

Her sharp inhale heaved her chest out, and I closed the distance between us.

The glass-stained windows around us shattered the moon’s light onto her snow-white gown, accented with crystals that seemed to mock the darkness of her actions.

“Niall,” she said, keeping the surprise out of her tone, but I could see it written all over her. “Do you have no loyalty to your Blood Brothers?”

I could hear the accusations in the air, whispers of me being a traitor. But I didn’t care. The prize was much bigger than my ego; Salenia, dead.

“I only have loyalty to the crown,” I drawled. “To myself.”

Her gaze narrowed. “What about the mortal girl?”

“She will be taken care of,” I assured. She lifted her chin, her easy smile making many of the centuries-old vampires squirm.

It was easy to become addicted to a certain power, the type that could bring kingdoms to ruin. The underworld wasn’t enough for the goddess. Her being here wasn’t just to find her lost lover or exact revenge, she wanted this world. She needed to mold it, to show her siblings that she was more than they were, to show how terrifying she really was.

Killing Penelope didn’t have that effect. That was a party trick compared to this. I extended my hand, and slowly, she placed her fingers between mine. I glanced at Adrian as I led her out of the room. “Clear them up.”

“You fucking—”

“Now!” I snapped, before he could finish.

I followed Salenia to her office, then lazed on the sofa, noticing the portraits of the gods piled over each other, leaning against the wall. A blanket covered the frames, and if it wasn’t for the gap showing Vaneria’s dress, I wouldn’t have known it was them.

My eyes slid to her, watching like a snake as she sat behind her desk. A sickly sweet scent of vanilla hung in the air, and I spotted a burning candle on the wooden mantel behind her. She sighed, not looking up from her papers. “That was quite the show.”

I peered over the desk, rising slightly, and noticed the papers were wax-sealed letters. “I could say the same to you. What the fuck was that?”

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