Page 36 of A Throne of Blood & Vengeance

My fist shot forward, and Vail stumbled back, blood pouring from his broken nose.

“Ecstatic.” I bared my teeth at him before stepping out of my cell.

“Okay, I was skeptical before,” Desmond rasped, “but I approve of your choice, little sib. She’s a vicious thing.”

“Do you really want to do this now?” Vail stepped towards me, but Alaric and Kieran blocked his way. He flashed his fangs at both of them before focusing on me once more. “How about you quit giving me shit so we can get out of here?”

I patted Kieran and Alaric on the shoulders, and they stepped aside to let me through. Alaric grumbled a little about it, but Kieran kissed me on the cheek. My sunshine and my grump. I’d missed them.

“I’m perfectly capable of doing two things at once.” I dismissed Vail and started striding towards the door so we could free Draven when Vail grabbed my arm. Everyone tensed, and I heard Kieran and Alaric move, but they stopped at whatever they saw in his face.

Vail’s lips curved into a tight smile before he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how good you are at doing two things at once.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I felt my core tighten as I remembered what it felt like to have him and Draven both moving inside me. Draven’s fingers gripping my thighs as I rode him hard while I swallowed Vail’s cock, his fingers twisting in my hair, spurring me on.

The tension in the room increased as the scent of lust permeated it. Fuck. I was at the tail end of the lust haze, but his damn words had it rising.

“I hate you.” I shoved Vail away from me.

He released his grip on my arm and smiled. “It’d be easier if you did.”

Was it possible to hate and love someone at the same time? Based on my complicated feelings towards Vail . . . the answer was yes. That didn’t mean I trusted him though. Not when we were still standing in the aftermath of his betrayal, and not when the jagged pieces of my heart were still cutting through my soul.

Something flickered in Vail’s silver eyes before they dropped to where my hand lingered on my chest. To where the bond between us was tight like a bowstring . . . feeling like the wrong move could make it snap.

“Come on.” Kieran grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the door while Alaric appeared at my other side, and they guided me out of the room and down the stairs. Once Vail was out of my sight, it was like the world came crashing back in as I raced down the steps.

“Took you all long enough,” Draven drawled as I burst through the door, the rest of the group right behind me. “Was starting to get worried the Marshal wouldn’t come through.”

“Drav.” I crashed to a halt in front of his cell, and he raised his right hand, letting it hover an inch away from the bars. I did the same with my left, my palm tingling from the close proximity to the iron. “We’re going to get you out of here.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Vail crossed his arms a few feet away. “We don’t know for sure that we can trust him.” I laughed and gave him an incredulous look, but he kept going. “Plus, his asshole father is likely going to come after him. The wraiths will be all over us.”

“Who’s his father?” Alaric peered at the prince as if he was searching for an answer in his features.

“Nobody,” I answered at the same time Vail said, “The Seelie King.”

We glared at each other.

“I take it back, Roth.” Desmond’s low voice rolled across the room. “Maybe you did choose poorly. I mean, she’s hot and all, but this seems like a lot of dram—oow! Let go of my damn ear!”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Roth and Desmond swatting at each other like five year olds. The older Devereuxes, whom I’d met a few times over the years, just let out long sighs as they watched the squabble unfold.

Taivan rolled his eyes at his siblings before striding over to us. “What’s the holdup? Spring the prince and let’s go.”

“Yeah, Vail.” I crossed my arms and matched Vail’s glower. “Open the fucking cell so we can get out of here. Unless you’re just stalling so we can get caught. Will Carmilla give you a pat on the head then? Maybe a treat?”

His pissed-off gaze stayed locked on mine as he sliced open the back of his hand again, the cut from opening my cell already healed, and smeared some blood on his fingers before slapping them onto the iron bars. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same red glyphs glow before the bars disappeared.

In a heartbeat, Draven’s lips were on Kieran’s, who let out a surprised sound before kissing the prince back. That finally got me to look away from Vail to smile at them both.

“Roth, you’re going to have to draw us a diagram or something later. Your relationship is complicated.”

A rope shot through the air and wrapped around my waist, then I was yanked off my feet before being set down in front of Roth, who smirked at me. “The rest of them are still sorting themselves out. They’re the complicated ones.” Orange linescracked through the haze like tiny lines of fire. “Me and her? We’re golden.”

Then their mouth crashed against mine.

I frownedat Alaric’s back as we made our way through the tunnel. He’d pulled me away from Roth seconds after our kiss had begun—earning himself a lashing from their ropes. Then he’d almost gotten punched by Draven when he’d yanked him away from Kieran and shoved everyone towards the tunnel.

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