Page 96 of Blood So Brutal

Huntyr

Luseyar led us to the grand ballroom. He said nothing. I said nothing. Wolf said nothing, though his presence was the only damn thing holding me together.

Lord was working with Asmodeus. Hehadbeen this entire damn time. It sounded like a sick, twisted joke, one that should be appearing in my nightmares, not right here in the flesh.

“This will be over soon,” Luseyar said without looking at us. “Don’t do anything stupid.” The warning from the angel shocked me, but I was out of any emotions to feel. I became a shell, a void in this body.

The closer we got to the ballroom, the louder the space around us became. Voices flowed through the air, music followed, and then there was the rapid pounding of my heart that I knew was louder than all of those.

“This can’t be happening,” I mumbled to myself.

Wolf stopped walking when we made it to the large doors. He turned to face me and put both hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him.

“Hey,” he started. “Don’t you dare lose it now, okay? You’re stronger than any of them. You’re the damn blood queen, and people are counting on you to survive this. My father wants toshake you up. He’s doing all this to get a reaction from you. Don’t let him see you break.”

I was way beyond breaking. I was ready to crumble entirely into a pile of ash. The fact that Wolf put up with his father for so long was a damn miracle to me. That man was pure evil, and the only person I hated more than him right now was Lord. Fuck, I couldn’t even think about him right now. “I don’t think I can do this, Wolf.”

“You can because youhaveto.” His words were sharp, but they pierced that wall of grogginess and fog that clouded each of my senses. “Do you hear me, Huntress?”

Darkness crept around my vision, caressed my entire body, wanting to pull me under, but Wolf was right. Asmodeus wanted to show me that he was in control, that he was the powerful one.

He wanted to show me he controlledeverythingsince I was a damn child, but I wasn’t going to let him break me. I wasn’t going to let him be the reason I finally cracked, not after everything I’d done to spite him.

I didn’t trust myself to speak. I nodded in Wolf’s hands, feeling the wave of relief roll through his body at the sight of it.

“Good.” Wolf straightened, letting go of my face and slipping one of his hands into mine. “Focus on me. Don’t think about anybody else. I’m going to get you through this.”

I closed my eyes and took a long breath, letting the reassurance from Wolf’s bond cascade through my own body. He was forcing it, I was sure, but it still helped. His calm, determined essence washed around me until I opened my eyes again.

“Alright,” Wolf said to Luseyar without taking his eyes off me. “We’re ready.”

Luseyar put a large hand on the door ahead of us, paused, then opened it.

The music and voices halted the second we came into view. I instantly spotted Jessiah waiting at the head of the room right next to Asmodeus.

And Lord.

I tore my eyes away from them, though, and just focused on Jessiah’s figure ahead.

One foot in front of the other.I could do this.

I could fucking do this.

I had to do this.

Wolf’s hand never left mine as we were led forward.

A few people whispered as we passed, but I didn’t dare lose focus.Get this over with. Get this over with. Get this over with.

Wolf was pushing as much love and peace through our bond as he could. I knew it was for me, I knew he was doing this to help me. There was no way he wasn’t also freaking out over what just happened, over Lord being here and working with Asmodeus, especially if he didn’t already know about it.

One step forward. Keep your head up.

We made it to the front of the room before I felt like my legs might finally give out beneath me.

“Welcome, everyone!” Asmodeus announced, moving to stand ahead of us.

Wolf turned, the two of us facing the crowd while he clasped his hand around mine.

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