Page 50 of Royal Rebel

Tense silence stretched. Then—slowly—Peter’s lips curved into a satisfied smirk. His thoughts were as clear as if he’d spoken them: he didn’t think he needed to fear Grayson, because he thought he could control him.Usehim.

He was wrong. He just didn’t realize it yet.

Peter folded his arms over his chest, clearly showing silent acceptance of Grayson’s refusal to kneel. His voice was unconcerned. “You failed me in Mortise. It was a simple task, Grayson. What happened? Why didn’t you bring Princess Imara to me?”

“I had no opportunity to abduct her,” Grayson said, his voice dark.

“Failure is failure. And it’s something you’ve done a lot of lately. You’re not quite living up to your fearsome reputation, are you?”

Grayson didn’t bother to respond. “What are your plans for Imara?”

“Oh, the princess will still be mine. But because of your incompetence, I’ll have to deal with some mild inconveniences first. Never fear, I’ll make you clean up your mess in due time.” Peter took a step back. “I want you to win Mortise.”

The words came out of nowhere. Grayson blinked. “What?”

“I want you to win father’s challenge,” Peter explained. “I want you to have the Mortisian crown. I want you to win Mia.”

The sound of her name on his tongue made Grayson’s protective instincts flare. He hated the easy way he said it. The familiarity, as much as the intrigue. He hated thinking that Mia had ever been in a room with Peter—that she’d beenalonewith him.

Peter didn’t seem to notice Grayson’s tension. His expression had turned musing. “Perhaps I should start calling herMeerah. The lost little princess . . . no wonder she fascinated me from the first moment I saw her. She’s just full of secrets.” He concentrated back on Grayson. “Tyrell wants her. I can’t decide if he actually cares for her, or if he just wants to steal what’s yours. But he will fight hard for her, and he’s already fought dirty.”

Grayson’s spine stiffened.

Peter’s lips twisted into a smug smile. “There are many things I could tell you. A lot happened between them while you were gone. But if you want to know what I know, you must give me your allegiance.”

“I don’t care what you know.”

“You say that now, but . . . did you know Tyrell gave her gifts? That she slept in his bed? Did you know he dressed her in beautiful clothes and tried to pass her off as his mistress?”

Grayson tensed. He couldn’t help it.

Peter’s smile stretched wider. “Did you know she wrote you a letter, and he said he sent it—but instead he kept it? He read it, Grayson. Her words for you, and he kept them. He stole them from you, and he lied to her about it.”

Grayson knew Peter was trying to rile him, but, fates it was working.

“Did he hurt her?” Grayson asked through his teeth.

Pleasure sparked in Peter’s eyes. “He certainly touched her, but I doubt he ever hurt her. He was trying to win her affection. And she was falling for his lies, Grayson. I saw that with my own eyes. I helped put a stop to that when I showed her the letter he’d lied about. And I can continue to help you, if you help me.”

“Help you with what?” He told himself he was asking not because he’d ever consider accepting Peter’s help, but because he needed to know his brother’s plans.

“When the time comes, I’m going to need someone to help me take care of a few people. I want that someone to be you.”

Carter snorted from his place near the door. “He couldn’t even manage to kill Princess Serene. I could—”

“Your particular skills will be useful, Carter,” Peter cut in. “As we’ve already discussed. Now, stay out of this.”

Carter bristled, but remained silent.

Peter turned back to Grayson. “My plans for Zennor are coming to fruition. But there will be some loose ends when all is done. Some rather dangerous ones. When I call you, I want you to eliminate them.”

Though his face still throbbed from Peter’s harsh blow, Grayson forced himself to remain focused. “Who do you want me to kill?”

“I’m not going to burden you with any details yet. Just be ready. In return for your service, I’ll make sure Father chooses you as the ruler of Mortise. You will get Mia, and Tyrell will get nothing. Do we have a deal?”

If Grayson were truly a spy, he might consider putting off leaving Lenzen, in an effort to try and learn something vital from Peter. But he wasn’t a spy—not really. His only true goal was getting Mia out of here tonight. So he merely bowed his head. “We have a deal.”

Peter stepped closer, and it took every bit of willpower Grayson had not to let instinct take over and attack him.

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