Page 61 of Married By Treachery

“That is why I came, sire,” the guard continued. “We are under attack—”

“By whom?” roared the real Bear Prince.

“We can’t be certain, Your Grace, but Gorva swears she saw Sienne in their ranks.”

The real Edom cursed and ran to the window. “How many?”

“One thousand, Your Grace.”

Edom’s gaze whipped back in shock, King Issachar clutched his chest and slumped back upon his bed, and another explosion rocked the floor. Raquel wobbled unsteadily, but Jake caught her hand and didn’t let go.

Their gazes met—held.

“You,” the real Edom snarled.

Jake—still glamoured as his brother—released Raquel’s hand and moved to stand between her and his furious brother.

The real Edom took a step even as the floor rocked with yet another explosion. “I will kill you for this,” he snarled.

“No… wait…” King Issachar wheezed, his arm outstretched like a dying man reaching for what remained of his life.

And the real Edom charged his brother like a battering ram. They collided, both of them tumbling past Raquel, but then one Edom vanished. Just like that. If Raquel had blinked, she would have missed it, because he didn’t stay invisible for long. The real Edom was just trying to regain his balance when Fake Edom appeared immediately behind him.

The real Edom growled in fury. “Cowardly little gnat. Stand before me and fight!”

Edom reached for him again, but Jake vanished and appeared behind him again, a wide smile upon his face. His sword of light winked into existence, and he smacked Edom across the back with the flat of it.

“Is that better?” the Fake Edom said in Jake’s voice.

Edom whirled around like an enraged bear. “You’re pathetic. You always have been. Gripping the backs of my heels to pull yourself ahead.”

“You dare speak in such a manner to Canna’s heir?” Jake’s tone taunted.

Edom snarled and charged at Jake, but Jake vanished again. “Always running from the fight, just like when you were a sniveling little runt.”

The Fake Edom reappeared, and he smiled wickedly. “A sniveling little runt that just stole your blessing.”

Edom roared as he swung a massive fist, but the Fake Edom ducked away—or tried to. Edom caught the coat’s hem at the last second, and he pulled.

Sliding the coat right off of Jake.

And then Jake was himself again.

“There you are, little brother,” Edom spat, and he ripped the coat in two.

King Issachar cried out.

Jake glanced over as the king’s head rolled to the side, his milky eyes blank as they stared at the ceiling.

“Father!” Jake yelled and started for him, but Edom’s gaze settled on Raquel.

And Raquel ran.

She’d made it two steps before Edom grabbed her skirts and jerked her back. Raquel gasped in surprise, then slipped the blade from her corset, turned, and tried to plunge it into his chest, but he grabbed her wrist and wrenched it from her fingers, not caring that the metal cut his skin. Not caring that he bled.

He jerked her around and pressed the blade to her throat. “Enough!”

Jake stopped two paces away from them. His eyes were dark, his expression lethal as he stared at Edom, at the knife against Raquel’s throat. “Let her go, Edom. Your quarrel is with me.”

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