Page 65 of Bite The Power That Feeds

I gave her a kiss goodbye then left, walking down the halls of the palace in search of my brothers or my father.

Fang appeared around the corner, his long body trailing far behind him.In the ssstudy.

“Thanks.”

Your father is anxiousss.

“I’m sure he is.”

As I passed, Fang wrapped around one leg and moved up my torso until his upper body was secured around my shoulders. Like a parrot, he was perched on one shoulder as I carried him to my destination.

I entered the study and found my brothers, drinking in front of the fire. “It’s midday.”

Cobra held up his glass and took a drink. “While you’ve had the greatest two days of your life, we’ve had the worst.”

“Why is that?” I sat in the armchair.

“Father.” Viper was sunken into the corner of the couch, boots on the table. “He’s very insistent that we speak.”

“What did you tell him?” In my bliss, I’d forgotten about my father’s breath on the back of my neck.

“That we agreed to have this conversation only when we’re all together,” Cobra said. “And now that we are, it’s unavoidable. We need a plan, because once we tell him the truth, he’s going to be livid.”

“What kind of plan?” Viper asked.

“A united front,” Cobra said. “That we’ve chosen to grant the Ethereal peace. We know how he’s going to react, and we need to sheathe his anger. We all agree that the Ethereal who remain are innocent in all this.”

“This would be easier if Aurelias were here.” The favorite son.

Cobra shook his head. “Aurelias shares his likeness as well as his ideologies. He’d want the Ethereal dead even more than Father. It’s probably in our favor that he hasn’t returned yet.”

He’s asssking for you.

“Shit.” I’d been out of my bedchambers for ten minutes, and he already knew.

What do I sssay?

“What is it?” Viper asked.

“He’s asking for me.”

Cobra finished off the remainder of his glass. “It’s happening.”

What do I sssay?

“Let’s do it now,” Viper said. “Get it over with.”

Tell him to come here.I released a breath and dropped into the armchair. My fingers slid across my temple as the stress captivated me, chasing away all the pleasures of the last forty-eight hours.

He approachesss.

The door opened a moment later, and my father entered, a behemoth even without armor and plates. Muscular and tall like the rest of us, he had a presence that could be felt even with a blindfold on. The first person he looked at was me. “You finally show your face.” He moved into the armchair directly across from me.

“I just got married, Father.”

“I understand that.” His palms went to each armrest. “But a king still has his obligations.”

“Viper ruled in my stead—”