I slammed my fist against the wall, silencing them all. “Leena is one of us. End of story.”
“You raised her?” Darrien crossed his arms. Hard amber orbs unearthed the truth before I even had the chance to speak, and he grimaced.
“No. She is not an assassin. But I love her.” The words were out before I could question them. They felt so incredibly right, and the weight in my chest both lessened and intensified. The truth was finally out there, only to be squandered by the reminder that she wasn’t here with me to hear it. That my brethren heard my confession first when it should have been her.
Quiet murmurings rolled through the hall. Darrien hissed, running a hand through his curled locks. “Are you suggesting we wage a war simply because you fell prey to a Charmer? What kind of precedent will this set for Cruor? Murdering the people who contracted the hit?” Whispered agreements sounded from a number of assassins, and Darrien grew more confident with their support. “How many contracts will we lose because of this? How will you keep our guild afloat?”
My entire world narrowed to the smirk lingering on his lips and the arrogance twisting his clenched jaw. One wrong move, and I’d end him. “I am your leader, and I’m issuing an order.”
He took a careful step toward me, and his eyes narrowed. “And I’d say that’s a gross abuse of your power. We may not fear death, but I won’t let you lead this clan into a war of your own making. You’re nothing but a fool.”
Pulse speeding, I sliced an elongated nail down my palm and called on the dormant power in my blood. The power bestowed to me by Talmage and the leaders before him. The power of Zane, first of our kind.
The air in the room disappeared, suffocating the remaining embers of the dying fire. Blood blades rose in unison around me, glistening in the light of the swaying chandelier. The sharp tips angled in Darrien’s direction, and shadows crept from my frame to slink along the floor and snare his ankles.
“Remember who you’re talking to.” Excess blood dripped from my palms to the stone below, a steady cadence that rocked the very foundation of our home.
“You’ve gone mad.” His wild gaze tracked the blades. “You’re asking us to risk our lives for some mindless fling.”
My hand curled into a tight fist. She wasn’t a fling. She was my only. Something Darrien couldn’t comprehend.
And yet, I couldn’t force him or anyone else to fight for something, someone, they didn’t know or believe in. Not without using my blood, and something about that action felt…wrong. My gaze drifted to a few of the assassins who’d spoken against me. Some had been warriors in their former lives, but most were just people. Gardeners. Tailors. Artists. Forcing them to fight would be cruel. Something the old me might have done, but Leena had changed all that. She’d brought me to life once again.
Nae miele.
My blades melted to a pool at Darrien’s feet. “Leave. Start your own guild. Take the members who desire to join you, and get the hell out of my home.”
No one moved.
I stepped in close, bringing my nose inches from Darrien. “This is your only warning. Stay if you’d like, but if you ever speak out of turn again, it won’t be your picture on the wall next to Talmage. It will be your head.”
Straightening my back, I eyed all my brethren.
“This is the only offer of free passage you’ll get. Leave now, or consider yourself a permanent member of Cruor. Stay, and help me build something new. If you don’t want to take on bounties, don’t. If you do, fine. But I’ll never force your hand again. Cruor’s Oath should be a decision you make, not one I dictate. We’ll find a way to survive, because our strength comes from each other.” I toed the pool of blood before me, reminding them of the power I could’ve used—and never would. Not against them.
The old ways were officially over. It was time to start anew.
Silence stretched on for minutes. Then, a flurry of movement and shadows exploded around us. Darrien stormed from the building, sweeping out onto the lawns with enough darkness in his wake to make up half the guild. The rest of my brethren remained in place, cautious smiles pulling at their