He’d fought too hard to get here. No slimy little whoreson was going to take his life or his female from him. Not without a brutal fight.
And brutal fights were what Talyn Batur specialized in. Bring it, bitch. With everything you have.
The only thing different was that this time, he wasn’t fighting for respect or rank. He wasn’t fighting for himself.
He fought for the only thing that currently mattered in his backwards, screwed-up life.
Felicia.
And he was going to end this. Once and for all.
Felicia wanted to cower and cry as she struggled futilely against the chains that held her to her chair. Before Talyn, she wouldn’t have hesitated to fall apart and beg Chrisen for mercy. But one of the two things she’d learned from Talyn was how to keep her head up in the face of those out to harm her. She would never allow them to take her power from her and make her weak.
They weren’t worth it.
The other was that she wasn’t alone in this universe. There were Andarions out there who stood up for victims. Andarions who wouldn’t let evil win.
Talyn was one of them and he would come for her. He wouldn’t let her down.
And when he got here, he would kill every one of them for taking her. She knew it with every beat of her heart.
“There’s only fifteen minutes left,” Chrisen said as Merrell changed the broadcasts, looking for news about their mother and the queen. “You think he’ll do it?”
“Kill the tadara? Absolutely. Free our mother… I don’t know.” He paused on the coverage over what Nykyrian Quiakides had done to Aksel Bredeh and Aksel’s base. They flashed to a picture of his weeping, pregnant wife sitting in a hospital waiting room between Tylie and Cairistiona. “At least we don’t have to worry about one of our hybrid cousins on the throne. Jullien will never inherit now that his parents know what he did to his own brother. And it looks like Nykyrian will die of his injuries.”
“Good. Then the right order of inheritance is ensured.”
Merrell nodded. “As it should have been. A true Andarion on our throne… me. Not some hybrid piece of shit.” He cast an evil smirk at Felicia. “It appears your lack-Vest bastard doesn’t love you, after all.” With a sickening saunter, he closed the distance between them and pulled her hair back from her face.
Felicia jerked as far away as she could. Since the gag in her mouth kept her from speaking, she growled at him.
Merrell buried his hand in her hair and jerked her head back. “You think you’re tough? I can’t wait to hear that fight turn into screams for mercy.”
“Mer, look!”
They both turned toward the monitor to see Parisa being led into the palace by a group of soldiers. Since the news was still showing Cairistiona in the hospital where Nykarian had been taken, they knew it wasn’t her.
Their mother was finally free.
“Unbelievable,” the commentator said. “In a stunning and unexpected move, Tizirah Tylie has agreed to abdicate her power.”
They cut to an interview with the princess in the same hospital, where Cairistiona was sitting in the background.
“My mother will be sorely missed. And the last thing I want is to see another member of my family venture into eternity. Nor do I want another innocent Andarion to suffer. While we are a warring race, the time has come to live in peace with ourselves and only fight against invaders. Those who would do us all harm. It is my honor to step down and allow peace to reign and a new tadara to ascend to her rightful place as our leader.” And with that, Tylie left the reporters who were shouting out questions. She returned to take her sister’s hand in the hospital, as their guard pushed the reporters back and closed the doors in their faces.
Merrell let out a sound of utter disbelief. “I’ll be damned. Batur did it.”
Chrisen shook his head. “So we let her go?”
Merrell laughed. “Of course not. Our mother’s about to be tadara and we will be the new heirs.” He glared down at her. “The only question is, which of them do we gut first?”
Before Chrisen could answer, Merrell’s link buzzed. He checked the ID and smiled. “Matarra?”
Chrisen went to his side. “Put her on speaker.”
Merrell obeyed. “Can you repeat that for Lord Dull and Boring?”
“We’re planning the coronation within the hour. I need both of you here for it so