The Never King: Chapter 26

My sister won’t even look at us. We are royalty and yet she regards us like we are serfs from the berry fields.

Everything Kas and I did, we did for her.

Kas wants to be forgiven, but I’m beginning to crave revenge.

Our sister’s jeweled fingers thread their way through Winnie’s hair. An overwhelming sense of urgency wells up my throat.

I’ve seen this done many times before. I know how this ends.

“Let’s begin,” our sister says.

Bright white light glows beneath her hands and Winnie’s face contorts with pain.

Beside me, Kas shifts his weight from one foot to the other like he’s fighting the urge to leap across the room and take our dear sister down.

Winnie screams.

Pan grits his teeth.

The light builds as our sister digs in and roots around inside the Darling’s head.

Does she even know what she’s looking for all of these years later? Does she care enough to dig deep enough?

All at the expense of our little Darling.

Tilly focuses in on the task, fingers turning into claws as she shoves forward with her power.

Kas and I once watched her turn a man’s brains into mush because he insulted her in front of the court. She put her hands to his head and ten seconds later, his brain was leaking out his nose.

I shouldn’t care about what happens to Winnie, but the gnawing of my conscience is making it difficult.

I don’t want her to turn out like the rest—dazed and faraway.

Like her mother. We made Merry a promise and we broke it.

There is a single moment where I consider stopping Tilly, damn the consequences.

I nearly do it too.

But someone else beats me to it.

Not my brother. Not Pan.

But Vane.

It’s the Death Shadow that leaps in.