Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)(54)

“Send her back to the coven with a message.” I wasn’t sure if her bruises were the message. Part of me wanted to beg for her life. To show mercy. To prove to everyone I wasn’t the monster they feared me to be. But maybe I was. Before I stepped through the portal, my sister said, “If I come to find you again, you will regret it. I expect your assistance soon.”

I paused on the magical threshold and leveled a cold look at my twin. “Do not threaten me. And do not ever take me here against my will again. If I want to find you, I’ll do so. I have tolerated this because of what I’ve gained. You have many enemies here; you don’t need another.”





FOURTEEN


A steely, murderous rage flickered in Wrath’s eyes as I jolted up in bed, my soul thrust back into my body. His expression promised unending pain and torment.

Dragging me to the Shadow Realm a second time was a line Vittoria and Domenico clearly shouldn’t have crossed. And now the demon of war looked ready to collect his due. Like the vampire court to the south, Wrath was out for blood. Goddess, werewolf, demon, it didn’t appear to matter who received the brunt of his sin as long as his enemies paid.

“I’m unharmed,” I said, curling onto my side to face him. “Just drained.”

Wrath pulled the blankets up over me, then laid a heavy arm around my waist. His silence filled the room, louder and more tense than any words could. Knowing what I did now, about how I’d been wrenched from him in the past, wrenched from us just as we’d truly fallen for each other, I could only imagine that what he was feeling now wasn’t good. Vittoria was tearing into wounds from the past, and Wrath seemed ready to strike back, to inflict some pain in return.

“I’m here.” I rested my hand over his arm, squeezing the hard muscle gently. He was coiled tight enough to snap. I traced the gold serpent tattoo, hoping to soothe him. A quick inspection of the bedchamber proved he hadn’t iced it over, which was a good sign. “I’m all right. Truly. I also warned my sister there would be ramifications if she took me again.”

He was quiet for another long moment, drawing in a few measured breaths. The room chilled a fraction before he forced himself under control. He ran a gentle hand over my arm, lightly rubbing warmth back into me while making sure I was, indeed, unharmed.

“Your skin is tinged blue, Emilia. Had you not kicked me awake while showing signs of returning, I would have come for you and obliterated every creature in that realm. I’d have taken you from there, then wiped the entire realm from existence.”

“Oh.” I pulled an arm out from under the covers and glanced at my skin, cringing.

No wonder he was so angry. I looked half dead. I would have been terrified if I had awoken to him looking like a corpse beside me, too. Given the circumstances, his reaction was fairly mild. If any harm came to him, I would have attacked first.

“Your sister is playing a very dangerous game.” Wrath’s tone was filled with malice.

“I know.” I traced small circles on his upper arm. “She’s not thinking clearly. Vengeance and retribution are her gods, and she’s honoring them regularly.”

“What has been so critical for her to share that she cannot wait until you seek her out?”

“I think she senses some of my curse is breaking, and there are cracks where my memories are coming back. She’s trying to help me remember so I—”

Wrath turned all his attention on me. “So you what?”

“Vittoria wants to reestablish House Vengeance. She says she means to start a war between witches, demons, and other supernaturals, but I don’t necessarily believe that. She certainly hates witches and has a strong dislike for demons, yet her main focus seems to be on restoring our House.”

Silence crept into the space between us.

“Is that something you want?” Wrath asked, his tone carefully neutral. “Reestablishing your House?”

“Until I know the full story and regain my memories, I don’t want to make that decision.” I bit my lower lip. “Is that something that would cause a complication for us? My sister seems to think it would.”

“No. I would never stop you from doing anything you wanted. And as long as Vittoria leaves you to your own choices and respects your wishes, I don’t give a shit what she does or who she prays to or starts a war with. There’s already a price on her head. Greed wants her dead. So do Envy and Pride. Lust and Gluttony can both be swayed easily if it came to war. And Sloth will not go against the majority. I am the only one standing in the way of her total annihilation. And if she takes you against your will again, I will hunt her down. I will hurt her. Slowly. And painfully. Her death will be so brutal, so vile, it will serve as a warning for anyone who dares to touch my wife. Once I’m through, there will be nothing left for my hounds.”

A tremor went through his body. I’d been wrong. Wrath’s reaction wasn’t mild at all. He was desperately trying to keep himself under control for my benefit. I thought of what I’d learned tonight, about how Wrath reacted once the curse began. How he’d nearly killed his brothers in his mad search for me. All he’d found was some blood and torn-out hair. Of course he would have thought his brothers had schemed. A curse would have been the last thing on his mind.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there hadn’t been any strife between the princes before then. As much as they fought and tried to outmaneuver one another now, there still seemed to be some familial affection. Some loyalty. Maybe one day those wounds could heal, too.