“The bloody fuck you are,” Ceawlin growled. “You’ve not asked me one thing and you shoot me if I say anything.”
“No, I shoot you if you say anything rude,” Trisha corrected.
“And you know what questions we’d ask, love,” I mocked him. “Sorry you weren’t smart enough to figure it out when I immediately foiled your plot.” I winked at Olivia. “I figured it out and stabbed him before he even touched me. As I said, it must be exhausting always thinking you’re the smartest person anywhere.”
“That’s a rather large jump from one commonly used phrase about you,” Olivia shot right back, clearly not taking this lying down.
Good, it wouldn’t be any fun if she did.
I nodded glancing back at Ceawlin. “Did she tell you how sick she got from screwing with me? A bit of underhanded and ill-thought-out plans to screw me over, and in time, she became a shell of the woman before you.” I chuckled when shock flashed in his eyes. “I thought not. Didn’t you think it odd she wouldn’t mess with me again but set it up so you did?”
“I was just having a bit of fun, love,” he tried again.
I took the nail gun from Trisha and shot him twice. “Call me that one more time and I’ll shoot somewhere more painful.” The implication clear as I’d shot his upper thigh. “I am Cerdic’s love. You may look alike, but you are not the same people. You and that slut are shit, dung beetles compared to him. And I will find out if she knows you’re here or—”
“She doesn’t,” he cut in, giving me a worried look. “She doesn’t. I told her I was going to check out some settlements.”
“This whole ‘you guys can’t lie to us’ is such crap,” I grumbled, shaking my head. “Yes, we’re a ‘settlement,’ but that is a huge, gaping hole through that rule.”
“He does speak the truth though,” Vitor told me.
“I do, but she doesn’t,” Ceawlin growled. “No princess, especially not one as young as you, could make Olivia sick right under Mother’s nose.”
“I didn’t say I did it,” I purred. “Didn’t she tell you whose champion I am?”
“No, just you’re a baby, a young princess,” he answered, shooting Olivia an annoyed look. “Young princess” was code for a princess who wasn’t to inherit the coven. “What else didn’t you tell me, baby sister? You said mother loathed her for being a weak, kindhearted fool and—”
“I like Inez very much,” Matilda cut in, seething mad. “Currently better than two of my children. It’s why I specifically asked you not to attend and ruin this for your brother or our family coven.”
Ceawlin couldn’t hide his shock.
“Yeah, I thought so,” I sighed. “No messenger reached you with that, huh? Did Olivia tell you that Matilda had to take back over the coven? No, because you didn’t know she was sick.” I chuckled darkly and moved closer to the bars. “You may have won that slut that seduced Cerdic, but your brother, the better twin and man, won the heart of Aether’s champion, so suck on that, you petty asshole.”
Cerdic cleared his throat and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me back. “Let’s not poke the bear, my love. My twin has a rather large temper and doesn’t ever let anything go if he could let Olivia rile him up into coming.”
“I get that, but this is my first and final warning that if either of your siblings pulls this shit again, they are dead.” I smirked between them when they froze, giving me matching wide-eyed looks. “Cerdic doesn’t even speak to either of you. He would grieve and move on eventually, but I will not allow you to keep hurting him. I won’t. He doesn’t deserve this. It’s the mother fucking apocalypse.
“Do you get that? We don’t have time for this petty shit. Oh no, you think Cerdic was loved more. Boo-fucking-hoo, you child. Your crime was way, way worse than any he could have committed and other people liking him better. It’s been centuries. He’s moved past what you did. Grow up.” I looked at Olivia, the hate for me boiling there. “Enough, Olivia.
“What do you really expect to win? You bested me? You’re clearly not smart enough, and that’s not even me gloating. Your ego is in the way of you ever really being half of what you think you are. I’m not going to let these games and crap risk my people. I won’t. Even if it means hurting Cerdic, I would gut you both to take out the threat of your next plan that could blow up.”
“And I stand with her,” Cerdic muttered, kissing my hair. “I agree with her. There is much neither of you know, and you’re both so selfish, you risk too much. Ceawlin, your princess doesn’t even know you’re here. You risked that whole coven if Inez were to retaliate. Olivia, you’re not in charge anymore.” He let out a shaky breath and rubbed his hands over my arm. “Enough.
“I have never injured either of you to the point I deserved any of this as both of you seem to always ignore what you have done. Olivia, you hate her, but she started none of this. I love her and still you do it, thinking all about you and not our family coven. Again. You learned nothing and risk it all again.” He kissed my hair once more. “I wash my hands of both of you. I have no twin or sister from this day.”
My heart ached for him as he walked out of the dungeon, his head held high, but I could see the
