Page 89 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

“My parents would tell me stories too,” I said. “It was nice. I’m glad you had someone like Selia in your life.”

Draven’s smile died, and I nearly wept at the loss because I knew I wouldn’t like what was to come.

“When I was eight, my mother came for one of her visits. She had this . . . maniacal smile on her face.” Draven shuddered beneath me and gripped my hand tighter. “When Selia arrived, my mother said we were going to play a game. . . and handed daggers to me and Selia.”

Unease swirled in my gut. It didn’t feel right to make Draven relive this. As if sensing my thoughts, Draven looked down at me. “It’s okay. You need to know what the crown is capable of.”

I nodded reluctantly. He was right, we did need to know, but that didn’t stop me from feeling sorrow about what Draven had experienced at the hand of someone who should have done everything she could have to protect him.

“She told Selia to slit my throat,” Draven said, the barest hint of sadness leaking into his voice. “She told me my options were to defend myself or allow myself to get slaughtered and that she didn’t really care one way or another.” A hand cupped my jaw, and I met Draven’s stare. “I appreciate how murderous you look right now, Sam, but you cannot ever go after Velika. Promise me.”

“I won’t,” I said evenly.

Draven narrowed his eyes. “You promise you won’t go after her? Or you won’t promise me anything of the sort?”

When all I did was smile at him, he swore and looked over my shoulder to Vail for support.

I glanced back just in time to see Vail shrug. “Trust me when I say it’s impossible to get Samara to agree to anything she doesn’t want to do.”

I turned back to Draven, not saying anything to counter Vail’s words because they were the truth. Velika’s days were numbered. I may not be the person who ended her life, but I had no doubt I would play a hand in it all the same. The sooner the better.

Seeing the resolution on my face, Draven sighed and dropped his hand away, admitting defeat, at least for now. I had no doubt he’d do everything in his power to keep me away from Velika, not because he cared about his mother’s life, but because he cared about mine.

“What happened?” I finally asked, knowing I wouldn’t like the answer but needing to know regardless.

“Selia and I both refused to hurt the other, which was exactly what my mother had wanted. She’d wanted to test just how strong the abilities of the crown were.”

“She waited all those years for a bond to form between the two of you,” Vail said, stepping closer to me. I stepped back enough so I could see both men. The prince to my right and the Marshal to my left. “Selia likely loved you like her own child at that point. Velika wanted to find out if the soul crown’s magic could override that.”

“She placed that infernal crown on her head and ordered Selia to kill me, and it was like a switch went off in her mind.” Draven squeezed his eyes shut. “The woman who had raised me and read me stories every night plunged a knife into my chest. The only reason I didn’t die was because she didn’t hit anything vital. I tried to fight her off, and in the process, Istabbed her in the throat. It was enough to get her off me, and I scrambled away, bleeding from my own wound while I watched her bleed out on the floor. Even while dying, she attempted to crawl across the room to get to me. To kill me.”

“Drav,” I rasped, not knowing what to say. He opened his eyes to look at me, and they were so hollow.

“Velika didn’t stop there.” Draven’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “A day later, I had a new caretaker. I was so traumatized about what had happened to Selia that I didn’t even want to speak to this one. I thought maybe if my mother thought I didn’t care about her, then she wouldn’t do that again, but I severely underestimated her cruelty.”

“You were eight years old,” I said softly. “No child should understand that level of cruelty, or any cruelty for that matter.”

“I learned very quickly.” Draven’s expression hardened. “By the time I was ten, I’d lost track of how many people she’d ordered to kill me, and I . . . started defending myself. Towards the end, I would attempt to slit their throats as soon as my mother walked in with that crown. Seemed like the least painful option for all of us.”

“You did what you had to in order to survive,” I argued. “All of these needless deaths lie at your mother’s feet.”

Draven shrugged. “Doesn’t help with the screams I hear every time I sleep.”

“Has she used the crown’s magic on you?” I asked. “Is that why you serve her despite everything she’s done to you?”

“That’s part of the reason.” The muscles along his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “I can fight against it, but only for a short amount of time. Less than a minute usually, until the pain becomes too intense.”

“Is there any way to block the magic? Or better your odds of fighting it?” Vail asked.

“The crown has to be worn for the actual binding, but after that, you have to obey her, crown or not. The binding doesfade and has to be renewed occasionally.” Draven’s lips twisted into a grimace. “The House bloodlines seem to have a greater resistance to it.”

“Why does it work on you then?” Vail voiced my question before I could.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s because she’s my mother and her blood is my blood,” Draven said. “She hasn’t exactly shared her thoughts about how the crown works, but I’ve been able to piece it together over the years.” He swallowed before inhaling deeply. “For a while, she had someone of a House bloodline held captive and she tried to use the crown on them. She was frustrated by the results.”

“Who?” I asked sharply. Someone from a House bloodline being killed or going missing would have been a big deal.

“Dominique’s father didn’t die in that attack,” Draven said quietly.

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