wants me to be in pain.
The final string of his sanity has snapped. Tears fill my eyes—not just because he orders my death—but because I’ve officially lost my father. He’s gone, completely.
When he commands the young soldier to run me through, the man hesitates. “Your Majesty… Are you sure? She’s the princess—”
“Do as I say!” Father roars, and the man quickly shuffles over to me.
The tip of the spear is aimed downward at my heart, but for some reason, I’m not scared. A sense of calm comes over me as I feel my powers ramp up. Keryth must be experiencing the same, because he stops moving.
The back of my neck prickles. It’s common for fae children to feel the tingle when they’re refining their skills, when it’s still new. I haven’t experienced that sensation for years.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen. All I know is that it’s going to be big.
Strong wind suddenly blows, almost knocking the standing men over. When I look to the sky, I see funnel clouds circling overhead. Sparks crackle in the dark swirl, and a fiery tornado forms. Flames spin in the cyclone, sending a heated breeze over our skin.
It’s a combination of my power and Keryth’s.
And it’s terrifying.
I’m not even trying to make this happen.
My worry about starting a forest fire is very real now. As it is, I already see branches ablaze in a few of the tallest trees.
The soldier holding the spear backs away, his eyes full of horror. His wings come out—feathered—and I know he fears the same fate as Sedrick.
Father grabs the weapon. “If you’re not going to do it, I will.”
He doesn’t make it two steps before he suddenly stops, his mouth open in a silent scream.
As the spear drops from his hand he looks down at his chest. It takes me a moment to realize he’s injured. Blood stains his white shirt, and when he tears the material down the middle, I see the sharp tip of an iron spike sticking out of his sternum.
I can’t see who’s behind him, but they pull it out.
Even over the rush of the wind, I can hear the wet sickening sound of it being removed from his heart.
I gag.
Father falls to his knees, revealing the one who’s ultimately caused his death.
“Zarid,” I breathe out.
My brother stands there, the iron spike in his hand. It’s coated with our father’s blood, and I want to vomit.
He huffs out a sigh as he looks at me. “Don’t get too excited. I didn’t do this to save your life, although I do plan to spare you. Heston, unchain the Night Realm king and queen.”
Reluctantly, the soldier does as commanded, because Zarid is king now.
Although Father isn’t dead yet, he might as well be. There’s no coming back from an iron-infected heart.
Still, it could take days for Father’s body to succumb to the poisoning in his blood. Writhing in pain, he lets out a raspy groan. The arteries in his neck are already turning black. He coughs, and some blood spatters his lips.
Even after what he’s done to me, I don’t want him to suffer.
When the net is removed, I ignore my pain as I struggle to stand. Keryth helps me up, wrapping an arm around my waist to anchor me to his side.
“Please end it, Zarid,” I beg my brother. Tears spill over and stream down my cheeks. “Be quick and merciful.”
He waves a finger at the sky. “Only if you turn that off.”
I look up before glancing at Keryth. His facial expression is just as bewildered as I feel, because we’re not doing it on purpose.
“I—I don’t think I can.” Scrunching up my face with effort, I try to mentally nudge the fire away.
Closing his eyes, Keryth does the same. Although it helps to shrink the cyclone, the sky still churns and crackles.
“I could make it rain,” Keryth suggests. “But there’s no guarantee that it won’t rain fire. That could be a disaster.”
Zarid shakes his head at the burning trees. “Quite a mess you’ve made, sister.”
“This wasn’t her fault,” my loyal mate defends.
“I never wanted any of this to happen.” My chest rises and falls with hiccupping sobs. “I just wanted to be with Keryth.”
“And now you will be,” Zarid tells me. “But you’re in my debt. You live because of me.”
“What is it you want?” Keryth asks warily, stepping slightly in front of me.
“Peace. A new treaty. Better trade deals. I’ve made a huge sacrifice for our kingdom.” Zarid makes it sound