Page 58 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

A ll of us freeze. I turn and lock gazes with Leti.

This bitch has the worst possible timing.

“Nice bow, Calia,” she says, cocking her head to the side. “Is that even your true name, little spy?”

I turn to face her fully. “Why aren’t you at your owner’s side, like a good dog?”

She smirks. “I’m exactly where my owner would like me to be. Isn’t that right, Daegel?”

My stomach sinks.

Her gaze slides away from me, to where Daegel stands. If she says anything more to him, Roman will know something is up.

“Go,” I say over my shoulder, quickly. “I’ll deal with her.”

Roman and Daegel don’t waste time, rushing up the stairs and leaving just the two of us.

Leti’s attention shifts to me, and she quirks her eyebrow. “You win one round of Ani-ki-ga , and all of a sudden, you think you stand a chance against me, little pet?”

I step down from the stairs and secure my bow at my back. Then I unsheathe two blades and flip them in my hands. “Let’s see if you’re as good with blades as you are with your bow, bitch.”

We circle each other.

Leti doesn’t draw knives, and from the smirk on her lips, I can tell she thinks she doesn’t need them. “You do know he’s gonna drop you the moment the novelty of a new toy wears off, right?”

Her words hit a nerve, but I don’t let the feelings fester. She thinks she can manipulate me into losing my bearings.

“It’s been over a year, Leti. It’s time to move on; otherwise, you start looking pathetic,” I say in the same mocking tone she uses on me.

Her laugh is seductive, smooth as velvet. “Over a year? Is that what he told you? Oh, sweet little pup. You’re more naive than you look.”

Don’t give in to her provocation.

I steady myself and attack.

Leti steps out of my way with ease and aims her elbow at my ribs.

Thankfully, I’m quick enough to twist out of her way and put some distance between us. I don’t hesitate to attack her again.

Unfortunately, she’s excellent at dodging my blows.

My blades never once come anywhere close to her. She does get a few punches in—one to my left side and two to my ribs. Despite her size, she’s damn strong.

I feel every hit.

When her fist connects with my jaw, I manage to get a punch to her face, too. She pulls away, and I roll my neck while I put some distance between us again.

A crashing sound comes from Gloria’s office, drawing my attention.

Leti uses the moment of distraction to advance.

I swing my blades, but she parries and then knocks one of them from my hands. Holding me by the wrist, she twists us around, and I scream when she wrenches my arm behind my back.

Her breath is warm against my ear. “And if he doesn’t get bored enough to leave you himself, his father will make sure he does. Did you really think you, an unknown yrathi , have any chance to live happily ever after with Talbot’s only heir?”

I try to elbow her with my free arm, but she graciously dodges it. I feel her hand slide against my waist. Too late I realize what she’s about to do.

She draws one of my fucking blades.

Ignoring the searing pain in my arm and shoulder, I throw myself forwards in an attempt to toss her over myself. I manage that, and she lets go of my arm. She lands on her back with a thud, and I straddle her before she can get back to her feet.

I angle the blade against her throat, but she only laughs. I pin her arms with my knees to the floor too late. A sharp pain pierces my left side.

I look down to find my blade lodged all the way to the hilt in my side.

“You’re good. But I’m better,” she seethes.

“We’ll see about that.”

Even when I press my blade against the smooth skin of her neck, her confidence doesn’t waver.

“He’s mine now,” I whisper.

The blade slides across her skin like it’s butter. Blood sprays over my face.

Her eyes widen, and the mocking smile drops as she chokes on the crimson flooding her throat.

Slowly, I push myself to my feet.

I’m bleeding, and in pain. But I leave the blade inside the wound. If I pull it, I’ll bleed out.

Each step up the stairs costs me dearly. But I grind my teeth and make my way to the office where the fight is escalating.

When I reach the landing, I see the door to Gloria’s office wide open. The fae in the hat lies face down on the floor in a pool of blood. His bodyguards lie next to him with two blades buried deep in their chests.

Roman stands over the corpse of Gloria’s bodyguard. Panting, he pulls out a bloody blade and wipes it off on the bodyguard’s shirt, then whips around just in time to bury his blade into the stomach of the second bodyguard coming at him from behind.

Farther inside the office, Daegel is locked in a fight with Gloria.

She’s wielding a damn broadsword, which clashes in the air with Daegel’s double blades so hard that sparks fly all over. Without hesitation, I pull my bow from my back and lift it, aiming at her.

The wound in my side aches so badly my mind clouds for a moment. But I blink away the nausea.

My bow hums as I draw the arrow and prepare to strike.

This time around, I don’t have to worry or hesitate. The moment the target is clear in my mind, I know that’s exactly where the arrow will land.

Daegel’s safe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Let go.

With a roar, Gloria raises her sword to cut through Daegel’s side. Before she can do that, my arrow pierces her shoulder, throwing her off-balance.

It gives Daegel an opening.

He slashes the air between them in one clean horizontal strike.

I cease breathing.

Gloria’s eyes go wide, and then her head rolls off her shoulders, away from her body.

The relief that floods me makes me stumble.

Daegel’s eyes find mine, and the ruthlessness there evaporates in an instant, replaced with affection. It turns into worry the moment his eyes scan me and notice the blade still stuck in my side.

I’m shaking all over, nausea rolling through me in waves. He’s next to me in the blink of an eye, wrapping his arm around me to keep me upright.

“I killed her,” I murmur, leaning my weight onto Daegel. “I slit her throat.”

“That’s my girl,” Daegel says, sounding amused. But he’s not fooling me. I can see the worry in his gaze. “We’re getting you out of here now. Hang tight, princess. Cadet Barthol!”

I try to smile, but I’m not feeling too well. Maybe I lost more blood than I thought. Daegel carefully scoops me into his arms. My feet and arms dangle.

“I did it, though,” I whisper. “I. Fucking. Did. It.”

I don’t hear Daegel’s response before darkness claims me.