Page 110 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

The Moroi hadn’t always looked down on the Velesians or feared the Furies, the Velesians hadn’t always been so distrustful, and the Furies hadn’t always been so isolated. The Moon Blessed were falling apart.

I refused to believe that using magic to control them against their wills was the answer though, because what was the fucking point of that? There were monsters . . . and then there werefucking monsters. I had to make my aunt see that.

“Perhaps, you’re right,” I said, making sure to add a clear reluctance to my tone. “But surely you see things from my point of view? I mean, you had the Marshal of our House spy on me, betray me, and you commanded him to use our relationship to—” I inhaled sharply. The pain I felt with each breath wasn’t an act.

“I didn’t tell him to do that,” Carmilla said quickly. “In fact, I specifically warned him off that path. Given your future with Demetri, that didn’t seem wise.”

“What future?” I asked, ignoring the fear igniting in my gut. “Our marriage is over. You fucking agreed to it!” I slapped my palms against the cell floor.

As the leader of House Harker, her signature had been required on the dissolution paperwork, and she’d signed it without hesitation.

“This isn’t an agreement with House Laurent,” Carmilla said carefully. “Marvina is . . . a problem, but the Laurent bloodline is important, and Demetri and I have come to an understanding.”

“What did you promise him?” I asked sharply.

“Not what you’re thinking,” Carmilla hissed. “If you truly don’t want him, then we’ll figure something out, but you have to at least give him a chance?—”

“I was married to him for three fucking years!” I shot to my feet and slammed my hands against the bars. Carmilla jerked back. “I only did that because I wanted to make you fucking proud of me!”

“Samara.” She gave me a chiding look. “Be reasonab?—”

“Fuck you!” I screamed. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me, including marrying that asshole! You don’t get to tell me who to love anymore!”

“You’re a Harker.” Carmilla drew herself up and gave me a steady look. “Love is irrelevant. You had to have known your future didn’t involve marrying courtiers or advisors.”

I was acutely aware of every beat my heart took, and I felt my bloodlust rising in a protective wave around me as my eyes bled black and my nails hardened into claws.

“My future is my own.” I bared my fangs at her, and I could have sworn I felt the cell bars trembling beneath my grip. “And I fucking dare you to try to take that from me.”

Carmilla touched the crown on her head. “We’ll see.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Vail

Hours before the sun rose,I found myself walking silently down to the prison buried beneath the Sovereign House. For a moment during my trek down the winding stairwell, I stopped at a solid wood door and rested my hand against it.

On the other side was a room that contained three large cells. They were nicer ones than the levels below, but a gilded cage was still a cage.

I could feel the lone prisoner stewing in rage over the betrayal she hadn’t seen coming.

It had never been my intention for things to play out this way. I’d thought I could obey Carmilla while protecting Samara from herself. She needed to understand just how much of a danger Draven was to her despite the sweet lies he whispered in the dark.

Yet you were fine with fucking her while he watched, a dark voice whispered in my mind.And watching him slide his cock into the pussy that was still dripping with your seed.

I’d fucked up. Badly. I let my fingers glide across the rough wood, wondering how much of her rage was directed atCarmilla and how much at me. Just like I wondered if she could feel this pull between us. I’d noticed it a couple of days ago. It had been so faint, I’d thought I’d been imagining it.

Now it felt like a burning chain around my soul.

My fingers curled against the door, and for a second, I almost opened it, but based on how much anger I could feel through this strange magic that bound us, I suspected she’d only spit in my face if I went to her now.

I forced myself to take a step back and then continued on my way to the lowest part of the prison. A few screams and pleas sounded from the other levels I passed. We’d rounded up anyone who had served Velika and contained them for now. Carmilla promised most of them would be released once we figured out who could be trusted.

It bothered me a little. The rangers, I understood. Many of them had chosen to follow the now dead queen even before she had found the crown and bound them with its magic, but most of those contained in the cells were advisors and courtiers . . . and their families. Surely they weren’t such an active threat that they needed to be locked up?

I’d speak to Carmilla about it tomorrow. She had a lot to handle in this tumultuous period of taking over the rule of the Sovereign House. Maybe I could offer to do an initial screening of those imprisoned and promise to assign rangers to keep an eye on those who were released?

An iron door awaited me when I finally reached the bottom. The walls contained large amounts of iron too, enough to make even my skin crawl a little bit. Something about our Moroi blood didn’t like iron, but not nearly to the same extent as the Fae.

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