Page 255 of Cursed Evermore

But I held back.

Fuck. I held back for all the reasons I had before.

Killing him would stop me from finding out how he was tied to my father's death.

Killing him would stop me from finding out about his other plans for the kingdom.

Killing him—like this—would sever my claim to the throne forever. And my bastard uncle knew that. He knew how important claiming my birthright was to me, and how deeply I honored my father’s dream of me becoming the next king.

Dreynthor may still have the power to take all my assets and seize the little control he allowed me with the Kings Guard, but I needed to keep him alive until I got what I needed toendhim.

Even now as I stared at him, I felt his guilt for my father's death. But I couldn't prove it. So, for now, all I could do was this. Terrify the fuck out of him.

That said…I’d kill him for her. For Elariya. If I had to.

“Now, as I was saying,uncle.” I stepped closer, my voice becoming something otherworldly, gravelly and hollow. “I'm not marrying the princess, so don't make any more plans for me.”

I released him and he doubled over into a fit of coughs. The color returned to his face, but he was breathing so hard he couldn't catch his breath.

We stared at each other. He looked at me as if he was still trying to process what he was seeing. And I stared back at him,like Death, so he could get a good look and remember what would haunt him if he crossed me again. I changed back into my Fae form but held on to my skeletal smile until the last minute. Then I was myself again and Dreynthor almost looked more terrified of my normal face.

“Your duty is to your kingdom,” he coughed. “You know how effective a union with Thalyrius would have been against the rebels.”

It was time to give him a rude awakening. I was no closer to proving his involvement or identifying the power behind the rebels, but the situation demanded I reveal what I'd discovered. He'd gone too far and I needed to put a stop to his shit.

“A marriage union wouldn't stop them.”

“We've gone over this countless times. Even you agreed it would scare them into compliance.”

“That was before I found evidence that they were connected to my father's death.”

Dreynthor went utterly still, his breathing so shallow I wondered if his heart had stopped. The terror and surprise were both reactions expected from the innocent or the guilty. I couldn't tell which category he belonged to, but my instincts still screamed guilt.

“What are you saying to me?” He searched my eyes, probing past the sternness.

“I'm saying war is on our doorstep, uncle.War.The rebels had a hand in killing my father, so they were always plotting to overthrow the kingdom. And they're using dark magic that bears no signature. That means they're planning big things.”

“Show me the evidence.”

I gathered the memory from Kyphuus and wove it together in the air until it materialized before us. I amplified the scent of the magical residue so he could feel it.

He did immediately, and when he started checking the air to track the signature and found none, the color drained from his face like someone had opened a vein.

“Impossible,” he rasped, his eyes widening with disbelief.

“The same untraceable magic appeared at the time of my father's death.” That was all I was going to tell him. I wouldn't make him any wiser about Elariya's father’s connection.

“Are you certain of this?”

“Yes. So what we need to be doing is preparing for war.”

“If that's the case, you should still marry the princess. A union with Thalyrius will still make us stronger. Having an alliance is one thing but marriage bonds you as kin.”

“No.” My voice shook the room.

“But—”

“The kingdoms will fight side by side as they always have.”