Page 65 of The Forsaken Heir
Aurelius stood beside me, his touch grounding me, filling me with strength again. How could anyone feel small with him standing at their side?
“Do the wolvesreallythink so badly of a woman who can’t shift?” he called out. “Something she has no control over? How is it that you have such little honor, even among yourselves?”
“Watch your mouth, you filthylizard,” Bastien snapped.
Cassius stood, his face red. “I think the one who should watchhismouth is the man who stands in my castle as aguest.Anhonoredguest at that,” he said.
A memory, old and nearly forgotten, occurred to me. Something that couldn’t be faked or learned by anyone who hadn’t been there. Bringing it up might shame my brother, but at this point, what would it hurt? Plus, depending on his reaction, it might fully prove who I was.
Leaving Aurelius’s side, I nudged the guards aside, and stood face to face with my brother.
“Bastien,” I said. “If I’mnotBrielle, then how would I know what you did with that serving girl when you were teenagers? Do you remember that?”
His twisted face crumpled. “What?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” I chided. “It was only a month or two before I left. I heard something in the butler’s pantry. A whispery sound? You don’t remember?”
Vitriolic anger shone in his eyes, and the veins in his forehead popped out.
“I opened the door to see what it was, and there you were, making out with one of the serving girls.”
“Bitch!”Bastien screamed and drew his hand back to slap me.
He moved so fast I didn’t even realize he was going to strike me until the hand was already flying toward my cheek. He would have sent me sprawling, probably split my lip, and knocked me out. Would have, if Aurelius hadn’t caught his hand mid-strike. The dragon prince must have moved with lightning speed to be there to save me.
“You don’t touch her,” Aurelius growled. “No onetouches her.”
Bastien looked at Aurelius in shocked outrage. “Youdarelay your hands on me? Filth.”
“In my castle, I’ll lay hands on anyone I want,” Aurelius said, moving to stand between my brother and me. He squeezed Bastien’s wrist so hard that his fingertips turned white.
“As for you?” Aurelius said with a smirk. “I don’t think youareanhonoredguest any longer.”
Without another word, Aurelius shoved Bastien backward. My brother hit the floor and rolled back. The crowd parted with a horrified and shocked gasp.
“Bastard!” my father shouted, then shifted into his wolf form.
Bastien scrambled to his feet and shifted as well. Aurelius, Rasp, and Cassius all shifted to their dragons, reptilian faces thrashing about, bright light emanating deep in their mouths, unshed fire ready to burst forth from between their jaws. A dozen of the Laurents shifted as well, joining their patriarch and heir. This was going to go bad, and quickly. The Hikshil envoy group looked fearful as they backed away from the monsters growling and snapping at each other. Seeing them gave me an idea. Something that might keep things from devolving into bloodshed and misery.
“Stop!” I screamed, rushing onto the dance floor to put myself between the dragons and wolves.
Aurelius’s black dragon shook its head, but he closed his mouth, ending the flames that had begun to creep up around his fangs.
“I canproveI’m Brielle Laurent. Once and for all,” I shouted, trying to be heard above the cries of terror and fear.
“Andhowwould you do that?” a voice sneered.
Turning, I found my mother looking at me with disdain in her eyes.
Pointing to the Hikshil and other fae, I said, “The fae. Their tribes all have shamans and oracles. They can see that I’m telling the truth. They have magical ceremonies that cannot be tricked. Wouldthatbe good enough?”
I’d researched the tribe and other fae communities when I’d been younger as part of my studies. It was well-known how much they relied on ceremony and how much they looked up to and honored their senior tribe members. If anyone could prove I was who I said I was, they could.
Several members of the crowd glanced around, some nodding to themselves and others. I could see the irritation on my mother’s face at my suggestion. She knew I would be exonerated and proven to be who I said I was, but if she or anyone in my family disagreed, it would look suspicious.
“Fine then,” she said, waving a hand as if to dismiss me. “We will find out what you are soon enough.”
Bastien shifted back to his human form, a look of barely controlled rage on his face. He jabbed a finger at me.
