Page 44 of Splintered Shadow
“Poisoned. The regents jostled for control and fought among themselves. My grandmother seized the throne. Yes, to answer the question you are burning to ask, she poisoned her nephew. It is a recurring theme in the family,” he said, giving a casual wave of his hand. “She lasted twelve years as queen. My father ruled briefly. Both my parents were assassinated.”
Sarah gasped in sympathy. “That’s terrible.”
He gave her a hard look. “It is politics. After that, the council could not agree on who should rule. Baris, a twelve-year-old child? Or appoint a regent? Or crown another from the outer worlds? Their claim to the throne was as strong as Baris’. Our uncle Serle locked us away here in Summerhall for oursafety.” He scoffed. “The details are not interesting.”
Sarah perked with interest. Vekele had been imprisoned here? “I disagree. I think those details are very interesting. Did the house have the same security system? How long were you here? How long did the fighting last?”
“Did I wear a cuff on my ankle? Yes. Did I test the boundaries and have to be unchained, like a feral creature? Yes, many times. Did I kill my uncle for murdering my parents and locking me away?” A slow, vicious grin spread across his face.
“Yes,” she said, answering his question.
“Yes,” he repeated. “I was too young at first to wonder who ordered the assassination.” He recalled that moment he emerged from the temple with Pitch, proud to have been selected by the karu for a bond, and found the blood, gore, and the remains of his parents. The devastating shock of it etched every detail into his mind. He said, “Baris quickly uncovered the conspirators.”
“Your uncle?”
“That particular line has been extinguished. Only Serle’s mate, Cassana, remains. I have no great love for that aunt, but Baris allows her to retain the title and property. When she eventually passes—either from traditional family murder or peaceful means—the title will go to a loyal cousin. The one thing my family does not lack is cousins.”
“That’s…” Cold. Vicious. Heartless. Adjectives kept popping into her mind. “Practical,” she settled on.
The grin vanished, replaced again by the cold façade she knew so well. “That is the family you wish to tie yourself to. We murder one another for power and revenge. The peace Baris wants is fragile.”
“You don’t think it will last,” she said.
He tucked her hair behind her ear, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I think it is fragile.”
“How many cousins do you have out there who want their shot at the crown?”
“Too many.”
In a moment of perfect clarity, she knew the story she was in.
She pressed her lips together to fight a grin. It wasn’t even funny. It was terrifying. When that failed, she hid her inappropriate grin behind her hand. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. I’m not laughing. It’s just all this time I’ve been thinkingCinderella, maybeBeauty and the Beast, but really it’sGame of Thrones.”
“This is serious, Sarah. Now is not the time for nonsense.”
“I know, I know.” FreakingGame of Thrones. Was this the first season where the only character she liked was executed? Or was everyone going to be eaten by dragons?
She took a breath and shook her hands, working out the need to giggle.
Serious. Be serious.
“I’m still doing it,” she said.
“Sarah—”
“What are my options, Vekele? Get a job? I might not be able to go home and honestly—” She swallowed her next words, the ones that questioned if she even wanted to return home. She’d have to leave Ghost, and all she had waiting for her was an empty apartment and a long -ass commute to a job that barely paid the bills. She had her parents and the friends she never saw. That wasn’t enough. She continued, “So, yeah, if the king is offering, I’m going to be a princess.”
“You do not have to agree to this plan. You always have options,” he said.
“Spoken like a man who’s never been backed into a corner.” Then, because she didn’t know when to shut up, she said, “If it’s not you, then it’ll be some random cousin. Seems you’ve got a battalion of them.”
He growled, sounding frustrated. The shadows darkened. Ghost’s ears went back, issuing his own snarl.
“No,” he said, his voice nearly a bark. “If you must take a mate, it will be me. I found you.You are mine.”
His chest heaved. His fists clenched. His eyes went inky black. Tension crackled in the air between them.
“Okay,” she said, her voice soft and calm as she patted his chest.
