Page 30 of Blood So Brutal

I turned my attention to Wolf, then to Jessiah. They both sat there with guilt dripping from their features.

“You knew about this?” I hissed to Wolf. “You knew he was going to force me to marry?”

Wolf tried to reach for my hand, but I pulled away. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped. “Tell me the fucking truth for once, Wolf. How long have you known?”

He couldn't meet my gaze. “Not long.”

This was unbelievable. All of that before about helping me? About playing the game? All of that was so he could marry me for himself, take all the power I had to offer, and deliver it straight to his father.

Betraying me once a-fucking-gain.

I pushed myself up from the table, desperately trying to put space from myself and, well, everyone in this damn castle. Iscrambled away from the tightly packed dining table but tripped over the long dress, crashing down on my hands and knees. Asmodeus laughed. Wolf and Jessiah both moved in an instant, coming to either side of me and lifting me by the elbows. “Leave me alone!” I hissed.

Laughter only increased, not just from Asmodeus, but from everyone in the ballroom. Taunting me. Enjoying the fucking mess that was my life.

Asmodeus tsked behind me. “You hadn’t told the blood queen of her future wedding day?” he said through a fit of laughter. “Well, well, let me be the first to congratulate our beautiful blood bride.”

He walked over to me, both brothers still flanking my sides. The amused smile faded from his lips as he announced, “You will marry one of my sons. I care not which you choose, but come the equinox, you will marry. My family will rule the blood kingdom, and I will rebuild Scarlata to be my kingdom of loyal, deadly warriors.”

I grimaced at the words.Play the game by their rules,Wolf had said. Meanwhile, he knew all about this. He knew, and he didn’t even think to warn me.

Heat flushed my cheeks—humiliation, hatred, all of it. I couldn’t control it anymore, couldn’t hold back the wave of brutal demise that fueled every single one of my senses.

Nausea threatened me. I had been suppressing my hunger for some time now, but all this emotion, all this heat in my body, only added to it. I sucked in a hiccupped breath, smoothing down my now-wrinkled dress. I needed…I needed…

“Come with me,” Wolf whispered.

“Like hells! I’m not going anywhere with you.” I heaved another breath.

“I’ll take her.” Jessiah stepped in, holding his hand out.

I slid my hand into his. He was part of this too, but at least he wasn’t Wolf. At least he hadn’t been lying directly to my face.Again.

“Over my dead fucking body,” Wolf growled, his eyes lighting up. He wrapped an arm around my bicep and yanked me away from his brother before I could protest.

Then, we were moving, though I could only comprehend some of what was happening as Wolf dragged me through the room now filled with chants and laughter and taunting.

How could this be happening? And why did I care so much?

A sob crashed through my body as Wolf pushed open the doors to the hallway. He dragged me a few more steps, my feet barely hitting the ground as he navigated us to a more private area of the castle, an area where I could no longer hear the sick angels and fae in the other room.

Tears were already falling down my cheeks by the time Wolf stopped walking and released me. “Let me explain, Huntress.”

“Explain?” I hiccupped another pathetic breath. “Explain what, exactly? How you’ve been promising me an escape when, this whole time, you knew I would have to marry one of you?”

He came closer, reaching out almost as if he were about to touch me. I flinched away, watching the hurt slide over his eyes. “It’s not like that, and you know it. He just recently told us his plans to marry you off. I swear to you, I’ve only known for a few days.”

“I should have been the first fucking person to know!” I was crying hysterically now, unable to keep everything suppressed. I pressed myself against the wall, running my hands across my wet face and through my mess of hair. “I can’t do this. I can’t fucking do this.”

“You can. You can because you have to, do you understand me? Youhaveto do this.”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now. I don’t even want to look at you.”

“I swear to you, I am going to get us out of this.”

“What do you think he’ll do once we are wed?” I blinked through the tears to glare at him. He stood with his hands on his hips now, his chest rising and falling with each rapid breath. “What do you think his plan is once that is done? He’s going to control me for the rest of my life, Wolf. And you and Jessiah are helping him!”

He lowered his voice as he said, “We are not helping him.”

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