“I’m the best,” Bastien said, his eyes burning with fervor as he looked at our mother. “I’ll prove I’m the best. You’ll see. I promise I won’t say anything.”
“You’d better not. We have big plans for this family, and we’ll need someone to lead us. Someone who won’t skirt their duty, who won’t flinch when things get dirty, or when hard choices need to be made. Your other siblings…ugh…they aren’t what we need. Hard as we’ve tried, your father and I can see how soft they are. They are all disappointments. It will be up to you, Bastien. Do not let us down.”
“I won’t,” Bastien said, and with those words our mother faded to smoke and vanished.
He grinned at me. “You see? Even back then, they knew I was destined to lead.”
I shook my head sadly. “Bastien, don’t you see? They didn’t pick you because they loved you more. They chose you because you were the most soulless of all of us. The one who enjoyed hurting others and couldn’t stand coming in second. It’s why you hate Aurelius so much. He’s better than you in every way, and he leads without using fear. Mom and Dad didn’t choose you because you were strong. It’s easy to hurt people, but it’s difficult to make them love you. You weren’t strong enough to do that, and neither were they. They picked you because you were like them. They chose you because you were weak.”
“No!” he screamed and half-shifted.
This time, I wasn’t even afraid. When he clawed at the air, I dodged aside, and kicked him right above the knee. It forced him to the ground, and he howled in pain. He punched at my hip, sending me spinning, but I didn’t fall. Stumbling to right myself, I twisted and kicked him in the side of his head. He collapsed back, the impact surprising him, and he shifted to his human form again. Wanting to end this, I straddled him, and put my hand on his head, reaching out with my mind for the wellspring magic that made this all possible. When I touched his skin, I allowed the magic to flow through me into him. Dozens of scenes flashed by, quicker than before, several sticking out in harsh relief to the others. I could even sense my brother’s emotions surging up from experiencing the memories again.
Bastien attempting to negotiate a new contract for an office building for our family businesses, but being told he’d been outbid by Decimus Holdings… Rage and insecurity flooding his mind when he heard… Aurelius staring back at Bastien, bloody but unbroken… Shame filling Bastien when he saw he couldn’t break Aurelius… Finding out Freddy had helped Aurelius escape… Terror and worry nearly sent him into a panic attack when the news reached him… Karinius telling them that King Decimus had me in his custody… Boiling, seething hatred that clawed at him.
Bastien lay beneath me, whimpering as those memories and hundreds more washed across his mind. I let go of him and stood.
“Make it stop,” Bastien cried, putting his hands to his head as if it might explode.
The hazy mist around us faded, and the crowd of onlookers became clear. Aurelius stared at me in awe. Delphine gave me a thumbs up. On the other side of the crowd, my parents looked distraught, faces ashen and gray as they stared down at their trembling son.
Bastien rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself to his knees. Tears streaked down his face as I walked over to him.
“It’s over, Bastien.” I held my hand out to him. “It doesn’t have to end in death.”
He let out a small sob and took my hand, allowing me to help him up. “I know. I know,” he muttered, then his sad expression became a mask of malevolence. “But it will.”
Before I could react, he yanked me close and shifted, his head transforming into that of a wolf. His teeth nearly snapped closed on my neck, but I ducked and shoved against him, pressing my back to his stomach and sending him tumbling over my shoulder to the ground. He shifted again, glaring at me as he jumped to his feet. I’d truly hoped the dream walk would change him, but if anything, it had made him more angry.
“Why, Bastien?” I asked as he stalked toward me.
“Because,” he spat. “I’m the best. I’ve always been the best. Nothing you do will change that.”
I squared my shoulders, ready to fight him to the end. I didn’t want it to end like this, but his mind was set. If killing him was what it took to bring peace, then I’d do it. Reluctantly, yes, but I’d do it all the same.
He swung out at me again, his fist like a brick ready to break my skull open. Rather than dodging the fist, I remembered a move Delphine had showed me and moved in even closer. Instead of punching me, Bastien’s arm swung wide and wrapped around my neck. He took the opportunity to try and put me in a headlock, probably hoping to snap my neck. Before he could squeeze tight, I planted my left foot between both of his, bent low, and pressed up on his elbow. The swift movement released his grip, and he stumbled. I grabbed his shirt collar and spun him toward me. Summoning all my strength, I slammed my palm into his face.
A sickening crack erupted as the cartilage gave way with a pop.
Bastien’s eyes went wide, the whites turning red as if blood had suddenly filled the orbs. He stood still for several seconds, making strange gagging sounds, before his eyes rolled back. He slammed into the ground, his lifeless skull bouncing on the dirt.
Looking up, I found the entire Laurent force staring in horror at their leader lying dead at my feet. My parents looked dazed and confused, unable or unwilling to look at me, both of their eyes locked on Bastien’s body.
He looked so frail and insignificant as he lay there, blood still oozing from his nostrils. He’d lost himself in his own mental hell. If nothing else, the dream walk and his reaction to it had shown me he was incapable of change. He’d been twisted since birth.
Two huge arms enveloped me from behind, and I flinched, sure it was someone else trying to attack me, but it was only Aurelius pulling me into an embrace.
“You did it,” he whispered, pressing his lips to my ear. “You did it.”
“Seize her!” my father shouted, pointing a shaking finger at me, his eyes brimming with tears.
“I said seize her,” he cried again, looking at his men. No one moved.
“You will not,” Freddy said. “This was a legal challenge. Brielle Laurent won. It is over. Done. She is now the leader of House Laurent.”
“No,” Mom shouted, her voice breaking as she did. “She’s not even a shifter. Irefuse to allow it.”
“She is the leader,” Sophia cried out, shoving her way forward to join Freddy. “It doesn’t matter if she can shift or not. She is a Laurent by blood, and she defeated Bastien. It doesn’t matter what you want, Mother. This is done. Legally. I follow my sister.”
Tears stung at the back of my eyes as I looked at my two youngest siblings. A deep, aching love for them nearly overwhelmed me. I still had a family who loved me.
The Laurent men obeyed Freddy’s orders and backed away. My parents looked as though they’d just lost everything. They both visibly deflated when they realized they had no control over their men any longer.
Suddenly, it dawned on me.
I held the power now. After all these years of living as an outcast, believing I really was as worthless as my parents and brother thought, I was in charge.
Turning to Aurelius, I let out a single laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Is it really over?”
“I think so.” He kissed me, and for a few seconds, everything else vanished, leaving only Aurelius and me standing there, wrapped up in each other.
AURELIUS
“Are you sure about this, Your Highness?” Titus asked, eyeing the paper in front of me warily.
I nodded and picked up my pen. “The Laurents did the same. Elle and I are of one mind on this. She took care of it on her end, now I need to on mine.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Titus said, and winced with discomfort. “But this will severely limit your family holdings and finances. Perhaps if we discussed it with the fae?”
I shook my head as I signed my signature on the first line. Titus sighed as I did the same thing on the next twenty pages. When I was done, I tapped the papers into a neat pile. Titus still looked sad, but he only nodded as he took the stack from me.
“I’ll have them notarized immediately. Is there anything else you need from me? Perhaps something for the ceremony?”
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