Page 27 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 2
"Take your hand off her." There's a hint of something in Linc's voice that I've never heard before. It's like I've known he's a prince for a few weeks, but this is the first time I've witnessed him wielding that power.
"What did you just say?" Bastian asks, dragging me around behind him.
A whimper slips out unbidden as something cuts into my skin.
"Let go of her now." Anger emanates from every part of Linc, unlike anything I've seen from him before.
Bastian seems to sense some of the same thing because he lets go of my arm. I rub it, hating that he's held on so tightly it stings, even through my dress.
Linc steps closer to my brother, seeming taller than he usually does, and with a lot more gravitas. "If you ever lay a hand on my future wife again, you will learn what it's like to be the enemy of the royal family," Linc warns Bastian.
"You think you know her because she's smiled at you?" Bastian sneers. "I've known her since before we were even born."
"Seriously? Bash, stop it. This is ridiculous," I say. "Prince Lincoln and I are betrothed. We're going to be living together after the wedding next month, what's the harm in us spending time together now?"
My brother looks at me. "You're a fool."
"If that's true, then let me be a fool," I snap. "You don't get to decide what's a mistake in my life."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm your brother."
"And nothing more. You don't get a say in how I spend my time, or who I spend it with," I respond, anger rising within me.
"You will do as I say while you're still part of House Rothorne." He almost looks as if he's going to stamp his foot the way he used to when we were small, but he doesn't.
"Last I checked, you were only the heir to House Rothorne," Linc says surprisingly calmly. "You don't have a say in the running of the House."
"And what are you the heir to?" Bastian snarls. "You're taking my only sister away from me, and for what? So she can be the wife to a spare who will never be needed?"
"Bastian!"
"I am still a member of the royal family," Linc says firmly. "And your sister soon will be too. I would suggest watching how you speak to either of us." From his expression, I know the threat is a serious one, but it seems lost on Bastian.
"I think you should leave," Bastian says.
"What? No. He's my guest, Bastian," I start to protest.
"It's all right, Beatrice. Lord Bastian has made it clear where I'm not welcome." He nods to me and turns to leave before I can say anything else.
My stomach drops. "Linc..." I go to hurry after him but Bastian reaches out and grabs hold of my arm. His touch presses on the bracelet again, and I can feel it digging into my skin to a painful degree. "Let go," I tell him.
"Not until you agree not to leave."
"I'm going to do no such thing," I respond. "You could have done some serious damage to the friendship between us and the royal family." Not to mention between me and Linc, but I don't think he's going to care about that.
"You're better without him."
"Don't you get it, Bastian?" My voice is harsher than I think it's ever been towards him. "That's not your choice to make. You don't control me. And you don't get a say in who I spend my time with. Maybe you should keep your nose out of my future marriage and spend more time tending to your own."
I pull my arm away, but he grabs hold of me again before I can actually get away. Unbidden, my fangs descend and I let out a snarl that takes me completely off-guard.
Luckily, it seems to do the same for Bastian, and he lets go of my arm, leaving me to chase after Linc and hope that he hasn't gotten too far away and the damage can be undone.
THIRTEEN
The longer it takes for me to find Linc, the more I worry that he's actively trying to get away from me after everything that Bastian said. I've never seen Linc like that before, and I'm not sure what to make of it.
I hurry up the stairs to the library, hoping that I'll find him there. This is generally a safe space for him, so it seems likely he could have gone there while trying to cool down. I'm out of breath by the time I get to the top of the stairs, and my slippers are starting to pinch my toes. They're fine for walking around the House Rothorne apartments, but whoever designed them didn't consider that the wearer might be running around a castle trying to find someone.
