Page 54 of Merciless Is My Crown

“Weeks now. And I did.” Adele stepped away. “Five days left. That’s how long we have.”

Lucius was up and moving, pouring a pitcher of water on the fire, steam hissing as he doused the logs.

“Fuck.” Dane raked his hand through his hair and paced away. “Fuck. Why didn’t you say something?” He bared his teeth at Tavion, snarling. “Why didn’t you tell me she had the scion mark?”

“I don’t even know what that is.” Broken porcelain crunched beneath Tavion’s boots as he crossed to me, pulling me into his arms, and it didn’t escape me that he had positioned himself between me and my own mother.

“Explain yourself,” I hissed at Adele. “Since it seems someone has problems understanding boundaries. I have had enough of your secrets.”

“The scion mark is the mark of the rightful heir to the High Barrens throne. The witches have a strict system of succession. Only those with witch blood can inherit the crown, and only the strongest can sit on the throne.”

“We know all that,” I snapped. “What did you do, Mother? What happens in five days?”

Adele shrugged. “The scion mark fades.”

I laughed, relief turning my knees weak. “Perfect. Then we wait this out and?—”

Dane exploded. “You cannot wait this out. That mark…oh gods. We have to get out of here. Now.” Lucius was already moving toward the door, Dane shoving his arms through his coat sleeves. Both males were in a panic, their faces ashen white.

“Father. Uncle. What is happening?” Tavion didn’t let me go.

“That mark is a challenge to the current High Priestess,” Dane hissed, his fangs flashing. “A challenge for the throne, for the priestess’s power. A magical challenge issued the moment that tree was etched in Anaria’s skin.”

Every one of us turned to look at Adele, who only tipped her chin up. “A challenge my daughter will not back down from.”

“You threatened the High Barrens Priestess. Those witches will come here in five days if we don’t get to them first. I’m surprised they aren’t here already, slaughtering us like cattle. You endangered everyone in this castle, woman,” Dane hissed, dark eyes flashing.

“Not if we leave right now.” Adele rounded the table, sat down, calmly picked up her coffee, and took a sip as if everything was going to plan.

“My daughter killed the Fae King. She brought back the wild magic. In five days, she will be seated upon the High Barrens throne as the High Priestess of the oldest, most powerful coven in the world. Everything Anaria was destined for shall come to pass, and there is nothing any of you can do to stop it.”

The kitchen burst into activity while my mother sat like a stone in the middle of a rushing river, utterly unperturbed by her treachery, how lethal Tavion’s glare had turned, or how Dane’s fingers flexed every time he looked at her, like he was debating whether to snap her neck.

Right now, I wasn’t sure I’d stop him.

Adele’s betrayal seethed through my veins like an out-of-control fire.

Every fragile hope I’d had for us crumbled as I stared at my mother, sitting there, coldly sipping her coffee, her pale blue eyes dancing with triumph when they lifted to mine.

I built an ice castle around my heart with layers of protections, a wall I would never again allow to melt for her. All I could do was protect myself from this caving in, this collapse of myself, of my hopes, of the future I’d imagined.

What a fucking fool I’d been, trading my love for…her ambition. I wasn’t Adele’s daughter or even her child. I was a pawn in her quest for power, and she’d spend me, just as easily as Carex or Torin or the Oracle.

I ground my teeth together. Swallowed down the accusations I wanted to hurl in Adele’s face, but ignored her while I took a cup off the shelf instead.

“You get everything ready outside,” I told Tavion as I filled the cup to the brim with coffee and wrapped some bread and meat in a towel. “I’ll wake Tristan up and tell him he doesn’t get to sleep in after all.”

I bumped the door open with my hip, then instantly whirled around to give a very naked Tristan some privacy as he tugged on his trousers.

“Sorry, I should have knocked. I figured you’d still be sleeping.”

“Been up ever since Dane opened his mouth and announced his arrival to the entire fucking world.”

I had to smile at that. I backed awkwardly into the room, keeping my eyes averted, though I had to turn enough to sneak another peek. Fuck, he was built. And for the first time, I got a good look at the mark on his chest, a circle with a serpent through the center. I almost chuckled at such an obvious clue.

No wonder he’d hidden his mark from me.

“I brought you coffee and some food. I figured you were starving.”

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