Never again.
Tonight, we would get this right.
Just as soon as I fixed this problem.
Malik gathered energy into his palm, readying the next phase of Kolstov’s punishment. A few Councilmen gaped at his decision to force his own son to serve both sentences back-to-back. This would kill him, and they all knew it.
Yet no one spoke.
My father even grinned.
Could no one see the truth before their eyes? That this wasn’t really Malik, but Constantine’s doing?
“Stop!” Emelyn shrieked as the power grew.
“Dad,” Tray whispered, his eyes rounding in horror.
Emelyn shot forward, WarFire forming on her fingertips.
This was my moment.
Five seconds, I thought, concentrating on Kolstov’s soul and whispering an enchantment through my mind. Alqiama Fi Al Mawt. Energy hummed along my skin, subtle and disguised by Emelyn’s outburst as she nailed Malik with her power.
Several gasps followed, then the Elite Blood King hit Emelyn with a paralyzing enchantment that stunned her into immediate silence. Lima cursed, catching his daughter as she fell.
“This is why females are forbidden in Council matters,” Malik seethed, the words ones I’d heard Constantine say almost verbatim. “Too emotional. Get her out of here.”
Lima didn’t argue, carrying his daughter from the r
oom on quick feet.
Tray gathered Ella close, shielding her with his body, his eyes wide with horror as his father resumed his spell, nailing Kolstov with the exsanguination charm.
A jolt hit my chest as I absorbed the spell with Kolstov, my ties to his soul forcing me to endure the pain with him.
My burden, I thought, gritting my teeth. I. Accept. This. Burden.
It burned like a motherfucker, sucking the life from my lungs and weakening my knees. To everyone else, they would see our bond dying and chalk up my reaction to the pain of losing a mate.
I’d planned this moment perfectly.
Previous experience had prepared me with a manipulation plan, one where I informed Constantine of everything as it happened. Including the mate bonds.
Because he already knew everything from Dakota.
She’d been his asset all along, having seduced Zephyrus and Kolstov to teach the future king a valuable lesson. Then she infiltrated the Quandary Bloods under the guise of being ousted from society after the prince ruined her reputation.
So rather than hide, I presented myself as forthcoming and trustworthy. But I only went to Constantine with my information, then he told me what to tell the others.
He thought I was his puppet, that I believed his lies about grooming me as the future king.
I played every game, won every riddle, and volunteered for the tasks he desired, all the while knowing how they would truly benefit me in the end.
Constantine used Aflora’s disappearance as a way to discredit Kolstov, stating he’d failed his trials. Then he’d told me to let Chern sense the other bonds, to have him reveal the truth to the Council.
I’d claimed innocence. “Their bands hid the link from me,” I’d said. “But Chern detected them while searching for Aflora. Her essence leads to Zeph and Kols.”
Several Councilmen wanted to bring Kolstov in for questioning.