Page 69 of Dark Fire Kiss

I raised my dagger. “No farther, Uncle.”

He stopped.

Awareness tingled down my spine. And somewhere deep in my mind, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: He couldn’t come any closer.

My heart pounded, and the knowledge swelled, becoming larger and more profound.

I moved without thinking, reaching down and snapping the chain around my brother’s neck.

And he let me. Because he couldn’t move, either.

Because he couldn’t raise his hand to his prince.

The Blood had chosen—and it had chosen me.

The ring slid on my finger so easily, its weight perfect for my hand. I gazed at it for a moment, and the ruby winked up at me. A smile spread in my mind. Hello, beautiful.

I looked at my uncle, and the smile fled.

His eyes went wide. He sank to his knees, the knife slipping from his hand to clatter on the ground. “Princess,” he murmured.

The doors to the audience chamber burst open, and warriors filled the doorway, their faces stunned as they surveyed the scene.

Bram pointed at them. “Stay where you are, cocksuckers.”

Power rushed through my veins. Not dragons’ blood. The Blood. I’d felt it this whole time and hadn’t realized it.

I looked at Grigory. “You let my father die.”

He swallowed. “Everything I’ve done has been for the territory.”

“You killed my mother.”

He glanced at the warriors in the doorway. Then he raised his voice. “She’s a halfling! She isn’t fit to rule.”

No one moved.

“Kill her! She’ll set her creatures on all of you!”

I looked at Bram and Fergus, understanding passing between us.

They moved with supernatural grace, crossing to Grigory and hauling him up. He screamed, begging for mercy as they dragged him to the balcony. They paused, waiting for my order.

My heart pounded. The vampires in the doorway watched me, waiting to see what I would do. Gods, how was I going to rule over an entire territory? I was so not cut out for this.

But I wasn’t alone.

Fergus looked over his shoulder, his gaze steady.

I put my shoulders back and lifted my voice. “You ask for mercy, Uncle. I’ll show you the same mercy you showed my mother.” I nodded to Fergus.

He and Bram tossed Grigory into the sun.

My uncle screamed. In an instant, his body turned to ash. The dust filtered into the audience chamber and drifted to the ground.

I looked down to find Aleksander looking back at me. A puddle of blood had formed on the flagstones under him.

“You sent me to die,” I said, tears burning my throat.

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