The same ruddy boots and too-big clothes step into what little light we have. Cameron swallows as I search her over and glance behind her. Then, holding my breath, I stretch a hand toward her. Without a word, she takes my hand and stumbles when I pull her from the room.
We both nearly take a tumble onto the steps as her arms wrap around me in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
I give her a light pat on the shoulder.
“I hate this place; we’re taking down Big Bad Dad now, right?” she murmurs into my shoulder.
“Yes, but we are running out of time, so I’m going to need you to let me go.” A nervous laugh is all that I can offer her. She nods, pulling away.
Part of me is riddled with shame at what my father is doing to her, the other part of me frustrated that she ever tied herself to me in the first place. Now we are bound. Now I feel responsible for her. I’m not even responsible enough to take care of myself...
But I hate the king. I hate my fucking father so damn much that if it’s possible to take him down, I’ll do it.
Cameron says nothing else as we slink back through the halls. Though she does let out an irritated groan as I drop her off at my bedroom with both Nollix and Carver.
They’ll fill her in, and they’ll have my back, I remind myself all the way to the laboratory.
Basilus’s whispers echo around me long before I ever enter the room.
“I just think it’s dangerous,” Jeriko says with a shake of her head.
The moment I enter, silence follows. Basilus passes me one of his fake caring smiles as he closes my father’s journal with a casual flick of his long fingers. He’s been obsessing over that thing lately. At first, I thought it was an act to impress the king, but now I’m not so sure. He’s... suspicious.
“Good morning, Sister.” His tone drips with honey. I return his pleasantries with a small scowl before taking my seat just near the drawer that I know reverses the effects of my father’s sedatives. “I hope your friends slept well.”
I cock a brow at his statement, but I know better than to feed the monster that is my brother’s curiosity.
“Tell me, which of them are you risking all of this for? Who’s the lucky guy who has stolen my sister’s little black heart?” Basilus’s chipper words make his eyes shine brighter. Too much interest and too much enthusiasm are in his tone.
The smallest of smiles tips my lips as I cross one leg over the other.
“What I want to know is what would either of those men possibly see in a mentally unstable train wreck like you?”
Normally, he has enough composure to at least pretend to be nice to me. What he said stings, but I don’t give the silence a moment to settle after his cruel words.
“Probably more than just the stereotypical handsome but controllingnarcissistthat Jeriko sees in you.”
My even tone makes his lips curl. “I am more than just an appearance. Though I appreciate the flattery. I am the most powerful man in all of Fallen.” He says the city name as if it’s something he himself has conquered.
“Is that true?” I arch a brow at him before turning my attention to his little girlfriend. “Is he the most powerful man in the kingdom, Jeriko?” All those times she pushed me and I pushed back are probably flashing through her mind.
Basilus’s big eyes spotlight her as the seconds tick by, and she can’t seem to speak.
“Uh—” That spectacular statement is all she manages before my father saves her.
“Good morning, my children.” He wafts through the room as if he’s made of the air itself. “I hope you slept well, Violence.” His eyes gleam at me as he starts to pull the sedation from a pocket in his coat. He holds the vial against the counter with the smooth end of his arm as his hand starts to fill the syringe. “And I trust, with our newest arrangement with the Court of Winds, that you’ll be behaving today.”
Unlikely.
A few steps behind him, Merrick enters with a bruise shaped far too much like a hand.
My throat becomes dry. If everything goes smoothly today, we will have saved a kingdom. If it goes terribly, we’ll die. Like I said, a risky plan is better than no plan at all. Never did I count on Merrick being here. My eldest brother is never around when Father sticks me with the needle.
Merrick catches my gaze, giving me the slightest nod in way of greeting before clasping his hands behind his back.
“Your power is the strongest I’ve seen yet. Even when it’s contained, it’s brimming. I can only imagine what you’d be like unleashed.” My father takes a step closer to me as Jeriko steps up to lock the straps firmly into place against my wrists until the leather bites into my skin. I don’t fight any of it for a single second, and it’s hard for me not to jerk away from them.
However, I do watch Merrick. His eyes travel from the restraints to Basilus and then up to my face. He’s an expert at hiding his feelings. Yet it doesn’t fool me. There’s a flash of panic behind that mask he has learned to wear.
