Page 377 of Commanding Blood And Bonds
“I did what I had to do,” he said, jaw tight. “Wouldn’t you? For any of your coven?”
I didn’t answer. I wasn’t about to follow that road.
“The humans are in full-scale meltdown,” I continued. “There’s no denying what they saw—hundreds of eyewitnesses. Security footage. Demons. Magic. Bloodshed. The Renown. Magnolia vanishing on camera with you in her arms.”
His lips quirked in that knowing, infuriating way. “And so it begins.”
“Your plan is flawed. It’s been a mess from the gate.”
“We can’t stop them from coming,” he said. “We can’t beat them without all the players on the board. So we join them. Lead them until the humans bow. They’re broken, Alvara. Stop trying to redeem them.”
“They’re broken, yes. But they deserve their freedom. You and Moros are monsters—”
“If you think I’m a monster, Princess, then you certainly don’t remember Koa.”
“I think the healer you fucked out of her future in the room upstairs would argue otherwise.”
When I mentioned Magnolia, Adrastos flinched—his mouth parted, gaze dropping.
“I knew you were ruthless,” I said coolly, “but I didn’t know you’d stoop low enough to sleep with a mark.”
“Shut. Your mouth.”
Defensive.
I inclined my head, stifling a victorious smile. “Well, isn’t this ironic?” I watched him through narrowed eyes. How could I make him snap? Was she really the key in all of this? I smirked. “You turned your ward into your personal whore, but balk when someone whispers her name.”
His jaw flexed and I braced my elbows on my knees, leaning forward conspiratorially.
“Did Magnolia cry out for you the way she cries for him? For Aren? They’re not exactly quiet. Did she beg for you? Say your name like a prayer? Did she scream when you—”
“Enough,” he snarled.
All pretense of humor had been exchanged for rage. His knuckles went white where his fists clenched against the restraints.
A twisted, cruel satisfaction knotted in my gut.
So it had been real. He may have set out to use her—but somewhere along the way, Magnolia had started to mean something to the monster in front of me. And now I needed to know how much…and why.
“She climbs into his lap during our evening nightcaps,” I said sweetly. “It’s the cutest damn—”
“I said enough.”
I smiled. “Stop showing your hand, Adrastos. It’s weak. You don’t get to bark orders—not after sending the entire plan into chaos at your own request. You burn every alliance before you even give yourself a chance.”
His jaw tightened. “I didn’t intend to hurt her.”
“Like you didn’t intend to hurt me?” I let out a harsh laugh. “Forced allegiance isn’t loyalty. You should know that better than anyone.”
“My intention—unlike our brothers’—was never to force either of you to bend.” His voice lowered. “I told her not to come. I told her to stay with your lot.”
“You kidnapped August’s family. Our friends. You made us spill blood to get them back.”
“Agamemnon—”
“You outranked him. You could have sent us home whole.”
“You speak quite boldly of situations you don’t understand.”
