Page 7 of A Throne of Blood & Vengeance

Demetri had succeeded in getting both Vail and me to lose our tempers.

Instead of being upset, my ex-husband just let out a hoarse laugh as he rose to his feet, brushing away the dirt from his clothes and swiping his hair back. “You’re both so touchy.” He straightened the collar of his dark red shirt. “See you tomorrow, Samara. I’ll tell the prince you said hello.”

“Fucker!” I screamed as the heavy wood door closed behind him. A second later, I was bending over and heaving up mybreakfast. Then I straightened and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It took me a minute to realize Vail had moved over to my cell and was holding a canteen through the bars. I snatched it from him and rinsed out my mouth, then walked as far away from the vomit as possible.

“He’s bluffing,” Vail said quietly. “Draven scares the shit out of him. He’s only been to that level once, and he ran out the door like wraiths were chasing him.”

I didn’t say anything. Partly to annoy Vail, but mostly because the pain had reached a new level and it was taking all my concentration to stay upright and conscious. A sharp gasp exploded from my lips, and I decided that if I wanted to stay awake, I needed to sit down.

“What’s wrong?” Vail crouched outside my cell. Some of the silver had faded from his eyes, but they were still intense as he examined me, trying to find why I looked like a strong wind would blow me over. “Quit being fucking stubborn, Samara, and tell me what the fuck is wrong with you.”

“My cycle is here,” I ground out. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t figure it out once the blood started flowing, which would be any minute now, considering how bad the pain was.

“Shit.” His eyes widened. “What can I do?”

“Go back in time to when the humans were crafting the spell to turn us into Moroi and maybe tell them to tweak it a little bit so we don’t have to suffer through this bullshit every few months?”

“Samara,” he growled.

I rolled my eyes. “Just ask the kitchen staff. They’ll have some tea that will help with the pain.”

He rose without a word and headed towards the door.

“And Vail?” I waited until he looked over his shoulder at me. “Make sure I get some contraceptive tea in three days.”

His expression darkened, but he jerked his head in a tight nod before leaving me alone once more. The timing of my cycle was unfortunate for all kinds of reasons. I needed to be sharp right now, and that was hard to do while I was in constant pain. And what came next wouldn’t be much better.

Moroi were the most fertile in the weeks after our cycle. Demetri didn’t want to marry me because he loved me; I suspected part of it was injured pride over how easily I had left him, but maybe he wanted an Heir—one that came from my bloodline and his. I wouldn’t be marrying Demetri again, and I certainly wouldn’t be having a child with him. He was too scared to step in the cell with me, but I still wanted to have the contraceptive tea just in case. It would prevent all pregnancies until my next cycle.

And fuck, I better be out of here before then.

When the door opened half an hour later, I raised my head from where it had been hanging between my knees, expecting to see Vail. Instead, my body went still as I took in another familiar face.

“Hello, dear,” my aunt said politely. “I think we’re overdue for a chat.”

A collision of emotions slammed through me like a whirlwind. Hurt and confusion from the betrayal. Embarrassment and frustration for never having suspected her. And a boiling rage beneath all of that.

“Are we?” I fixed my features into a calm but distant expression. Ideally, I would have casually risen to my feet and stood before my aunt, but there was zero chance of that happening. Blood was seeping through my undergarments, and the cramps had shifted to a dull but constant pain.

I wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.

Carmilla’s dark green eyes swept over me, but whatever she was thinking was hidden behind her own mask. So much of myown tactics when it came to political conversations were based on what I had learned from her. I’d been a constant shadow in her presence growing up—sitting in on meetings and reading the letters she would send to other Houses—I’d absorbed every bit of knowledge and insight she’d been willing to bestow.

And she knew it.

I had never once doubted my aunt. Instead, I’d taken everything she’d told me at face value, whereas if another had spoken similar words, I would have looked closer. And none of that had been by accident on her part. I’d had plenty of time to reflect on my relationship with my aunt the past week, and I didn’t like what I’d seen.

How gullible I’d been.

“Don’t give me that look, Samara.” Carmilla waved a hand as she moved to stand in front of my cell, keeping just out of my reach. “It’s not as if I planned on putting you here.” She gestured at the dungeon walls.

“But it wasoneof the plans, wasn’t it?” I raised a dark eyebrow at her. “‘If you only have one plan, you’ve already failed…’” I impersonated her deep, throaty voice. “You might be a traitorous bitch, but I still remember the lessons.”

“I haven’t betrayed anyone,” she said in a calm, even tone that made me want to scream in her face. For a second, my indifferent expression wavered before I wrestled my emotions back under control. “Velika betrayed us all when she started dealing with the wraiths. When she lay with one of them and bore them a child.”

My mask shattered.

“So you blame Draven for the sins of his parents?” My voice vibrated with anger. “Do you know? Do you know what Velika did to him as a child? What that fucking crown is capable of?” I flicked my gaze up to the crown made of silver and gold that rested on my aunt’s dark hair.

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