Page 123 of Blood So Brutal

“Oh really?” I asked. “Rest assured, nothing you’ve heard is true.”

Rummy smiled and nodded to Voiler. “She was telling us that you practically planned the entire attack, that you’ve been planning this all for months now.”

I stiffened, suddenly wishing Huntyr and I were alone so I could explain this all privately. I told her many times that I had a plan, but she never knew the depths of it. She never knew I snuck off to meet with Nathan to plan this entire uprising.

Jessiah nudged my shoulder.

“Some of that may be true, sure.” I glanced at Huntyr, looking for any sign of anger, but all I got was a flare of her amusement through the bond.

“I couldn’t have done it without Nathan, Voiler, and the others.” I quickly deflected the attention. “How did you get Luseyar’s sword from him, anyway? He’s been glued to that thing for as long as I can remember.”

She shrugged. “Going unnoticed is a skill of mine. As soon as the arrows started flying, he was wide open. Everyone was too busy panicking to notice me stealing his weapon.”

Everyone nodded. “Very impressive.”

She shrugged. “Not as impressive as actually killing the archangel.”

I met Huntyr’s eyes again, and this time, she beamed with pride. There was no hiding her true emotions, there was no denying that gratitude that lingered there.

“Killing Asmodeus wasn’t the end of it. His people will come for us. They’ll try to take what we’re building here.”

“They can fight all they want,” Huntyr said. The sound of her voice made my heart race. “But they can’t take what’s ours.”

I only tore my eyes away from her when an older vampyre approached our group. I recognized him instantly, I had seen him around Scarlata for years. He was one of the survivors that stayed here to fight.

“You look just like her,” he mumbled. Huntyr—along with everyone else—spun to face the man.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“You look just like your mother.”

Chapter 47

Huntyr

My mother?

I stared at this stranger dumbfounded, waiting for someone to explain.

“I’m sorry,” Rummy jumped in, “you knew Huntyr’s mother? You knew the queen?”

The man smiled softly and nodded. “It was a long time ago, but yes. I knew her well. She was one of the strongest women I ever met. Brave, too. And she looked just like you when she was your age.”

There weren’t many survivors that lived long enough to remember my mother, especially when she was my age. My hands shook as nerves began to take over, but I didn’t let them control me. This man likely knew more about my mother than anyone else here. I suppressed my questions for long enough. It was time to get some answers.

“Can you tell me about her?” I asked. “What was she like?”

The man smiled again as his gaze got lost in the distance and his mind wandered in thought. “Claudia was very strong. Stupid at times, too, but always protecting what was right. She was everything this kingdom needed. She had a dream of unitingeveryone, of fae and angels living in peace. Her and your father both wished for that.”

Even the fire seemed to quiet as he spoke.

“My father?” I asked. I felt someone moving closer and I half-expected it to be Wolf, but relief flooded me when Rummy’s hand slipped into mine and squeezed. “Is he still alive?”

The man’s smile faded. “No, he isn’t. Your father was a good man. He was a powerful fae who lived here with us, proving that the fae and the vampyres really could live together. He fought for your mother until the war. Even then, he still fought.”

I said nothing. Rummy squeezed my hand again. “That sounds a lot like Huntyr.”

“We all thought you were killed in the war,” he started. “If any of us knew you were still alive, we would have fought to get you back. We would have fought for you, Huntyraina.”

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