Chapter 35 #2
“So it’s true,” my father murmurs.
“Uncle,” I say, voice sharp but measured, “he’s not the problem. King Ignatus is dead. Mikael killed him. We should not continue to hold on to past transgressions if we seek peace.”
I do not want this to escalate any further.
“Do you know nothing, girl? If Mikael killed him, then he is the new king,” King Thalen proclaims.
I try to hide my surprise, but I can’t help how my head jerks back, causing the blade to slide along my neck, drawing more blood.
Mikael never mentioned the vampire rules of succession this whole time we’ve been together. Conversations churn through my mind, all the ones we had regarding him killing the king. There were plenty of opportunities for him to tell me.
I’m at your command, my queen.
He called me queen.
I’m fuming beneath the surface because this feels like another betrayal. Is this why he never expected to stay, and why he kept saying he only wanted to save me?
“Are you truly surprised he didn’t tell you?” King Thalen’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
With this new truth revealed, they don’t think I’ll stand up for him. It’s a conversation we need to have, but in the end, Mikael is my bonded mate. I’ve already accepted that again. There is no going back.
Trust each other, the priestess’s words echo through my mind.
“I am. But I trust him. He was also betrayed by his king. His secrets, my secrets, were stolen from him.”
Mikael’s expression hasn’t changed. In this moment, he’s an expert at guarding his emotions and thoughts, sealing them behind a fortress.
This is the man who lived in daily torture after his king had used him.
A person who learned to sharpen their mental fortitude and never let someone know their weakness.
But then a low, ominous chuckle emanates from Mikael as his eyes narrow and lips curve up in a dangerous smile. He takes a step forward, flourishing his sword. “Bryn and I will be leaving. Either by your leave, or by force.”
“I think not.” King Thalen snaps a wrist, and shadows snake through the room, reaching out for Mikael. The light in the room slowly extinguishes as the shadows fill the space.
Mikael remains still, allowing the shadows to wrap around his ankles and envelop his body.
The king’s voice grows louder, deadlier. “Bryn has long since evaded her true punishment for betraying her kin. And now you, so willing to enter the viper’s den. A foolish thing to do indeed.”
“Only a fool would think shadows are a threat to a vampire,” Mikael says.
Before all the light leaves the room, Mikael disappears from the hold the shadows had on him. I spin around, knowing he’s going for the king. My eyes widen in shock as the light floods back into the room.
Even the birdsong and the wind’s subtle whistle quiets. The world pauses, waiting for the next moment that will define history to pass.
Mikael stands on the dais behind King Thalen, an arm wrapped around him, pinning the king’s right arm to his side. The slicked crimson tip is driven through the king’s shoulder, just below the collarbone. Blood blossoms, slowly spreading from the wound onto King Thalen’s golden robes.
“You will pay for this,” King Thalen grits out as he tries to break free from Mikael’s hold.
Mikael’s lips twist up into a bloody, sinister smile.
“Still making threats when death has its grip upon you? How prideful you must be. A newly ascended vampire king is at their strongest. When you took Bryn, you forced my hand. I would have let the vampires wipe themselves out, fighting over the throne,” Mikael says.
“I only came for one thing, and you are preventing us from leaving.”
“Take him!” King Thalen screams at the guards.
The room suddenly becomes a cacophony of sound and movement as my father shouts commands and guards rush to surround Mikael. But Mikael twists the blade in King Thalen’s shoulder. The king grunts, gripping Mikael’s hand, stopping him from twisting it more.
“Come for me, and he dies.” Mikael bares his teeth, inching them closer to the king’s throat. “I will rip his throat out if any of you take another step toward us.”
“Halt!” My father’s voice is harsh and strained. The guards immediately stop their forward advance.
“You are damning yourself and your mate.” King Thalen’s nose turns up in disgust. “You will watch her pay for your crimes. General, now.”
My father’s face flashes with defiance before resignation sets in, then his expression turns to stone, eyes going devoid of emotion.
I already know what he’s going to choose before he does it.
Crown before family.
It’s always been that way according to King Thalen, and my father is bound to follow the king’s orders.
He pulls me against him and shoves his blade through my shoulder.
I let loose a strangled cry. My head droops, tears welling—not from the pain—but from the way my heart shatters.
A strangled whisper fills my ear, “I’m sorry.”
A raging, destructive fury fills me, and I know it’s coming from Mikael. When I look at him, his calm has broken, expression morphing into that of a deadly predator.
King Thalen’s lip curls up in a sneer. Defeat lies within his eyes, even if he’ll never admit it. “See what you’ve done, Bryn. You’ve brought even more destruction to your people.”
“Do not insult her when you know nothing of what she sacrificed to save your kingdom.” Mikael slams his teeth into King Thalen’s neck, then rips them out just as quickly.
Mikael yanks his blade from the king’s shoulder, sheathing it behind his back, and spins the king around.
Black spreads from his pupils, spilling into his gray irises, filling them until there is no color left.
“I’ve had enough. You will let us leave without further incident.
I am not here to harm you or your people.
Once I leave Eidrfall, I will not step foot in your land again, nor will another vampire, unless invited. ”
King Thalen jerks his shoulders, stretching his head from side to side, like he’s fighting against Mikael’s words.
It finally clicks. He is trying to compel the king.
He did it with Erik that first night. Peylin said Erik stopped fighting and walked out.
Then the captain, when we needed to sail to the temple.
I don’t think he’d ever do it to me, but how would I ever know if he tells me to forget our conversation?
“Let them go.” The king’s words are strained, the veins in his neck bulging with the effort to try to say something else, but Mikael’s compulsion has won.
“I’m sorry it had to be like this.” General Salinthor says, so low I’m almost unable to hear him as he removes the blade from my shoulder and the manacles around my wrists.
With each step we take toward each other, Mikael’s eyes return to their normal gray. I rush into his open arms, and he picks me up, once more cradling me against his chest.
As he passes my father, his voice grows cold. “If you weren’t her father, I would have my vengeance.”
Mikael turns to the king and dips his head. “It’s unfortunate that we had to meet this way, but I would like for things to be different between us in the future. I am not the same as Ignatus Varkorath.”