Page 91 of Blood So Brutal

Great. Just great.

I prayed to the goddess that everyone would be too damn drunk at this thing to notice.

My bare shoulders contrasted deeply with the bright dress, making me look younger than I looked in a long time.

I didn't like to feel exposed. I liked to feel prepared. Ready. Powerful. I liked to wear all black and training leathers and layers and layers of clothing.

Not this.

I was just starting to hear voices outside as I secured my hair in a braid straight down my back, letting the shorter curls around my face hang loose.

Asmodeus wanted a damn show for this equinox celebration, and I had a bad, bad feeling that was exactly what he would get.

Chapter 30

Wolf

The castle was in full celebration mode. Normally, the equinox was a massive excuse to celebrate, but this year was even more so. Throw in a wedding—a royal wedding, at that—and you had every single worker in The Golden City preparing.

I forced myself not to think about Nathan, about everything that could go wrong tonight, about the danger we were all in if we failed. That wasn't going to help anyone.

Instead, I marched myself through the fully-decorated throne room, looking for my father.

But it was not my father who greeted me.

"Luseyar," I stated. "Did you ask to see me?" I straightened instinctively, though I hated myself for it. Luseyar was nothing more than the right hand of my father. It was nothing personal that he had to cut my wings off; it was simply business for him. He wasn't going to hurt me unless it was ordered again, which I certainly did not put above him.

"I did," he replied. His voice was low and sharp. I rarely heard him speak and certainly never so freely. "I want to talk to you. Warn you, really. Your father doesn't know we are speaking, and it would be best if you kept it that way."

I stepped forward, eying the angel. "Okay..."

"Your father—as rash as he may be sometimes—is not an idiot, Wolf."

"I'm aware." I kept my face blank.

"Are you?" His tone sharpened as he stepped forward, keeping only a few strides between us. "Because I have a very bad feeling about tonight, and I want to warn you that if you or your betrothed do anything to jeopardize this ceremony, there will be consequences."

I opened my mouth to lie to him, to convince him that there was nothing going on, but he held a hand up to stop me.

"He ensured that if you or Huntyr decide to go against this marriage, he would force you into it himself. Do you understand?"

Force us? What else could he do to force us into this? We were already willing to oblige. Nobody was dragging us to that altar against our will. Not physically, anyway. "Not really, no."

Luseyar dropped his hand, taking a long breath. In the years I had known this man, I hardly ever saw worry on his face, and certainly not like this. "Let's pray to the goddess you don't have to find out. Keep it together, Wolf. Don't try anything tonight. It will be much worse than taking your wings, I can promise you that."

He stormed out of the throne room, smacking my shoulder with his own as he left. Crowds were already gathering in the hallways of the castle. Voices streamed into the room as he opened the door, shutting it behind him.

It was a bluff.

It had to be a bluff.

There was nothing my father could do to make either of us back down, to not fight back.

Besides, he had no idea what we had planned. If he did, I would already be dead.

It was fine. It was all going to work out exactly how Nathan and I planned.

Fear crept at my chest and shortened my breaths, but I quickly swallowed it away.

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