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“Oh, who fucking cares, Thea? She was a blood witch—the worst of her kind. She promised me an unstoppable heir, then bound your magic inside of you so that you don’t become too powerful. Only she didn’t tell me that until she was taking her last breath, she had to redo the binding spell as you gained more power. You should hate her; she cursed you to die young!”

“I blame you! Why did you kill her? If you hadn’t, she could have saved me.” My fire magic was burning hot under my flesh.

“Because she tried to set your magic free one night. But I saw you for what you were—a monster. Someone who would take over the kingdoms with all that power you had. I didn’t want your magic free; I wanted it at my disposal. Once I knew what she was going to do, I knew I had to stop her.”

I shook my head violently. What else has he been lying to me about? I couldn’t believe this man was my father. He was a fucking cruel beast.

His eyes watched me closely. I’m sure he was looking for whatever reaction he could find. Was he planning on killing me too, now that I knew what he had done? My eyes glanced at the queen as she walked in, her cold eyes staring at me.

“What’s going on?”

“I told Thea about Bayla.”

Gwyn’s face soured at the mention of my mother, which pissed me off.

“You told her what the witch did to her; why she’s sick?”

He nodded yes, and she narrowed her eyes on me. A cruel smile took over her face. My heartbeat rang in my ears. I was too weak to deal with this.

“I’m glad you're here, Thea. I wanted to speak to your father about the fact that you’ve been sleeping with Cassius Valeska.”

My face paled at her declaration. How did she know? Time slowed, and I was hyperaware of everything happening around me. The fire crackled and filled the room with a slight smell of ash. The way the queen smiled wickedly in her stunning blue dress. The way my father’s handsome face contorted to someone who looked capable of murdering his own child. The tension sucked the air from my lungs.

“I didn’t know that was him.” There was no point in lying about it. I was sure my father was planning on killing me already.

“Not only are you a disgusting elitist, but now a traitor to Cerithia?” My father stomped towards me and slapped me so hard that I fell into the wall.

“I didn’t know it was him, and when I found out, I stopped.”

“A whore, just like your mother,” the queen spit at me. “We really should just get rid of her like we did with the other elitemagic fae. I’ve been telling you for years that she is just a burden, a problem that never does anything right.”

My father nodded his head in agreement. I should have told Cassius. I should have told him I was sick. I should have gone to Crimson with him. My fire burned even hotter at the regret I felt. He would never know what happened or why I dismissed him so easily.

“What do you mean, the elite magic fae? What did you do to them?”

“We killed every single one you found.” Gwyn smiled at me, and I saw just how truly evil these two were.

“How could you!” I yelled at them so violently that the floor shook below us.

“It needed to be done, Thea. They were dangerous and unpredictable!” He stepped toward me but stopped when I grabbed my dagger and held it up like I would throw it at him.

“You lied to me. You said elite fae were going to be used in our army. You did not tell me you were going to slaughter them all!” Tears spilled from my eyes, but they were tears of fury.

“Calm the fuck down, Thea,” he demanded. My only reaction was to throw my dagger at him. It grazed his thigh and embedded itself into the wall next to him.

“All this time, you had me believing I was fighting for the right side. You told me Crimson was going to kill them all.”

My father’s face contorted with disgust.

“I have elite magic!” I yelled, like he didn’t already know. “Cassius was right; you are the monster.”

“You are a monster!” he yelled.

“Well, if you’re going to kill me, I should let you know that I’m in love with Cassius too.” I smiled just to piss them off. My father came at me, his hands wrapping around my throat to strangle me. We fell to the hard wooden floor, and pain radiated through my already fragile body. I just smiled at himbefore using the energy I had left to let my fire burst out of me. My father and the queen rolled on the floor, their robes on fire.

“Thea!” they called for me. “Save us!” But I just turned and left the throne room, shutting the big wooden door behind me. My eyes stared at the wooden crest on the door as their screaming became louder and flames glowed red under the door. Guards rushed past me, and I hurried away. My feet stumbled as I found my way to the stables. Kaida neighed at me as I climbed on top of her.

“Go.” I urged her forward, and she took off in a dead sprint. We didn’t stop until she couldn’t go anymore. What the fuck was I supposed to do now? I had nowhere to go. My horse ran through the dark, seeming to know where to go, even though I had no idea. She continued to run even when I tried to slow her down. It was as if she knew Cerithia was our prison, and we were finally breaking free.