"Brother, this cannot be. You were chosen by the High Council to guard her and protect her because you refused to be king."
I look up, fury raging in me. "This isn't about being king. This is about Arianna and her life."
"She will not walk away so easily from us, brother. We still have her mother's soul. She will come back, and she will choose a prince. Or her contract will be broken and her mother's soul will spend eternity in hell."
My fist acts of its own volition, landing on Asher's jaw and knocking him out this time. I leave his body on the floor and walk away.
***
Five weeks ago, I stood in front of my father, the king, holding both our goblets of wine in my hand. Indecision plagued me.
One goblet contained poisoned wine. And how my father answered my questions would determine which goblet he received.
"You have never had a head for the long game," he said to me, in that patronizing way he always had. "You just want to stab your sword at a problem, but some things require more delicacy. More manipulation."
"You're talking about destroying your own people," I said, still holding the goblets.
My father paced the sitting room and continued to deliver his lecture about the greater good and the fate of this world and how we will never break the curse that plagues us if we don't sacrifice a few of our own.
When he asked for the wine, I gave him the goblet in my right hand.
I gave him the poison.
He drained it, and I waited for him to fall to the ground.
I expected the wrenching.
I expected the foaming at the mouth.
But I didn't expect his heart to stop.
The poison wasn't meant to kill him. It was meant to render him unconscious so he could be imprisoned and questioned further.
I acted quickly, setting the room to look as if he'd been alone, and leaving, allowing someone else to find his body.
He was declared dead.
He was interred in the mausoleum.
And I took over the hunt for his killer.
It was me the whole time.
But I didn't destroy his body. And I never understood how he died. Zeb's report told me one thing. My poison didn't kill him.
So what did?
Or who?
My wrist burns, pulling me out of memory and into the present. I look down at my wrist. My demon mark glows a bright red.
Arianna is summoning me. Calling me.
And I will find her.
TO BE CONTINUED
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of USA TODAY bestselling, award-winning authors Lux Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov.
Together, they write fantasy and science fiction.
Look for more from Karpov Kinrade in The Nightfall Chronicles and The Forbidden Trilogy. If you’re looking for their suspense and romance titles, you’ll now find those under Alex Lux.
They live with three little girls who think they’re ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.
Find them online at KarpovKinrade.com
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