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They can’t do this.Not after I had spent so much time trying to save him from exactly this fate.He is too young.

“He’s supposed to be in sch?—”

“This is more important,” Father said, dismissing me and motioning for Tate to come forward. He stood frozen. His insecurity showed through his actions rather than on his face, like anyone else his age. He had already mastered the ice-cold expression Father had taught us.

Mother placed a hand on his back and gently pushed him forward. Her eyes glanced at me before her face steeled as well.

She is scared. That’s why she was allowing this to happen. Scared of Father. Scared of what would happen to us.

She is a coward.

Tate tried not to look at me as he approached. The sound of his feet dragging across the cement floor cut through the small room.

“You can’t take him out of school for stu?—”

Another slap. Tate flinched and froze next to Father.

“Not another word,” he warned, his gaze cold. “Now, Tate, this is an example for you. Vesper decided that she didn’t want to fulfill her duties, and you know what we do to people like that?”

Tate mumbled under his breath.

“Louder.”

“We punish them,” he said just the tiniest bit louder.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Bitterness coated my tongue.

I hate them. I hate this fucking prophecy. I hate this fucking family.

“Right, now let’s start.”

Aurelia

How dare she try to get away from me that easily?

I don’t know what annoyed me more.

The fact that she was the one to tell Father that Prince Icas had tried to steal family members, or that she negotiated her own release as a reward.

How did she find the courage to do it while I was sitting in my room like a coward?

The murder of Prince Icas opened so many doors for me. Unfortunately, the families would be going to war, but I would take that over having to be a fuck toy for himandhis father. And it gave me the opportunity to rebuild what had been lost with Mother’s death.

There were just a few things I needed to accomplish first before I decided to enact my plans.

“You always did have a thing for keeping pets,” Father said as he looked over my proposed contract. “Clipping their wings so they would never leave you.”

I gave him a sickly-sweet smile.

His office was as spotless as usual, but the stack of papers by his right hand and the slightly disheveled look of his robe told me that waging war had consequences.

Maybe even some that he hadn’t fully thought through.

“Well, now that the prince is gone, I have to find my entertainment somewhere, don’t I?”

His eyes looked over me before he let out a light laugh.

“I’m sure you do,” he said. “Well, I don’t much care what you plan to do with her. I kept my end of the deal, so there’s no stoppingyou.”