Page 19 of Blood So Brutal

“This way.” Luseyar turned toward the door to the gardens. The deadgardens, rather. “He’s expecting you both.”

He waited at the door while Jessiah and I both entered. This place used to be beautiful and lush. Greenery used to cover every stone out in this garden. But it had been years since any plant dared to bloom here. I didn’t blame them. The death and decay was much more fitting.

My father sat on a stone bench in the middle of the dead vines and black roses, waiting. “There you two are,” he said. “Finally. We have much to discuss.”

“It’s the middle of the night,” I added, and Jessiah gave me a warning glance as he walked forward.

“It is, and that’s why I’ve summoned you both here now. I find it difficult to sleep at night, knowing the queen of the blood kingdom is in my grasp, and yet I still have no control over her.”

“I’d say you’ve got pretty great control, actually. She’s still here.”

A flare of his magic fluttered through the air, forcing my chest to tighten on instinct. “Do not test me, boy. I will not hesitate to take what is mine, no matter who gets in my way.”

“And she’s in your way?” Jessiah added.

Asmodeus took a long breath. “If she’s not willing to help us, then yes.”

Jessiah and I shared a glance. “She’s coming around. I need more time to earn her trust back.”And to think of a way to get us both far, far away from here.

“Time is precisely what we do not have,” he retorted. “She’ll be a mature vampyre very, very soon. If my sources are correct, she’ll be turning twenty-five in a few days.”

“Your sources?” I stepped forward. “Who are your sources?”

“That’s none of your concern,” he said. “But it won’t matter if she becomes too powerful to control—which is why I have a new plan.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to steady my breathing.

New plan? This could not be fucking good.

“Huntyr will marry one of my sons. One of you will become king of the blood kingdom by marriage.Then,we will have control.”

A second of silence passed. I could have sworn the crows stopped cawing in the distance.

And then we both asked, “What?”

He raised his head to look at us for the first time since we’d entered. “One of you will marry Huntyr. I do not care which, but the ceremony will be on the day of the equinox.”

I took a long breath, pushing aside the absolute delusion that my father fell victim to. Marriage? As if that would help anything; as if that would somehow allow him to get closer to Huntyr.

“That’s impossible,” I insisted. Panic crept up my body and tightened my voice. “How is marrying her supposed to give us more control? Nobody even knows she is the blood queen!”

“They will,” he said. “We will make the announcement then, after it’s done. We’ll gather the vampyres and rebuild Scarlata one by one, withourfamily in charge.”

Fucking hells.He had a track record of insane, chaotic ideas, but this topped them all.

“She’ll never agree to that,” I pushed. Jessiah stood with his arms crossed and his mouth shut, but I could practically feel the arguments inside his mind.

“She’ll agree to it, or she’ll die,” he insisted. “And when she begins to fully mature into her vampyre heritage, she’ll be more willing to accept her role as their queen.”

This was so, so wrong. Huntyr was never going to agree to that. She already made it very clear she would die before shehelped him. A forced marriage? Goddess above, we were about to rip apart every ounce of freedom she had left.

“You are dismissed,” he ordered. “Keep an eye on her. I will prepare for the equinox. You have eight weeks.”

Eight fucking weeks.I had eight weeks to figure out how we were going to escape this fate, how we could shut Asmodeus down before he became drunk on his own power.

If it wasn’t already too late.

“Let’s go,” Jessiah whispered as he turned. My father went back to pretending we weren’t even there, weren’t even in front of him.

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