Page 109 of Cruelly Bitten

“And she said it with a sarcastic tone.” He folded his slender arms. “She has no manners, my liege. She doesn’t understand her place. And she talks to me like I’m her lesser, not her superior.”

Because she should be my queen, not myErosita,I thought.

The fact that she’d taken it upon herself to wander today spoke volumes of her strength and courage. She didn’t act like a weak human. She acted like a vampire.

But why go to my family crypt?

She’d mentioned that I’d taken her there before—to witness Cane’s resting ritual—but we’d never finished the conversation.

Was there something she wanted to find? Maybe something tied to an old memory?I pondered.But then, why not just ask me to go with her?

“She’s a problem, my liege,” Michael continued. “We might not have proof of her tampering, but I don’t trust her.”

I snorted. “She’s not here for you to trust, Michael. She’s also not here for you totouch. Which I thought I made clear to you already, but apparently my lesson wasn’t thorough enough.”

Michael took a step back, his eyes widening. “I found her opening Cane’s tomb, my liege,” he repeated. “I reacted protectively. That’s sacred ground, and she was threatening to defile it.”

“How did you even find her up there?” I asked him. “I sent you to retrieve my laptop. You should have returned and told me she was missing, then let me handle it.”

He ran his fingers through his light-colored hair and blew out a breath. “When I realized she was missing, I followed her scent. I was… I was concerned. And you were busy. I was trying to help.”

“By laying your hands on myErosita? After I expressly told younotto?”

“She refused to come with me, my liege. She was being particularly difficult.” He held up a hand before I could comment. “But I see now that I should have contacted you first.”

He should have done a hell of a lot more than that. Starting with letting me know she was missing the moment he’d reached my empty room.

I’d sent him to my room as a test of sorts to see if he would leave Ismerelda alone.

He’d failed that test.

However, the circumstances weren’t what I’d anticipated, either.

“If I may be bold, my liege, yourErositais acting above her station because you’re giving her too many liberties. She’s been spoiled by Majestic Clan’s philosophies and hasn’t truly embraced your vision for the future as a result. Being stern with her is the only way to correct her behavior.”

I stared at him, incapable of comprehending how he could thinkthiswas the appropriate time to give me a lecture onmy Erosita. It was as though the male failed to comprehend that she wasmine, nothis.

And herbehaviorwasn’t his to correct.

“She should be locked in the room you created for her,” he continued, obviously oblivious to my growing ire. It’d already reached a peak before he’d started speaking.

Now, it was erupting in silent waves of hot fury that prickled the hairs along my arms, flowing all the way to my fingers—fingers that itched to wrap themselves around this man’s throat andsqueeze.

“At the very least, you need to lock your door,” he went on, his survival instinct clearly obsolete.

How the fuck is this male my progeny?

“But I personally don’t think she should be allowed to live after what she’s done. She desecrated sacred ground by setting foot in the catacombs, then further violated the area by trying to pry open your brother’s tomb.” He shook his head, his fingers running through his hair again. “She’s broken, my liege. Unfixable. In my opinion.”

“In your opinion,” I echoed, my voice lower than before. Lethal, even.

“Yes,” my ignorant progeny replied. “I can handle the task for you, if you’d like. I know you’re busy and she’s not really worth your time.”

Why would I choose to turn this male and not Ismerelda?I wondered, baffled as to how I could ever have found this imbecile worthy of my blood.

“Do not touch Ismerelda,” I told him, violence underscoring each word. “In fact, don’t go fucking near her again.”

“My liege?—”