The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Her dark eyes glistened with tears as she shuddered.
“It’s not my fault.” She turned to me. “I warned you. You
didn’t listen.”
And then…and then everything sped up.
What came out of my throat was a sound I’d never
made before. My chest cracked open, and what poured out
of it was pure, untapped rage. There was no thinking. There
was no understanding. There would be no ultimatums. All
that mattered was that she’d taken him from me—she’d
killed him, and I let that ancient instinct take over. It knew
what to do with all the rage and pain.
I threw out my arms, breaking Casteel’s hold as the
wave of energy pulsed out of me and rolled through the
chamber. Casteel skidded back as Kieran turned. Royal
Guards and knights rushed forward. They slammed into
Tawny, where she stood frozen, her mouth open as she
stared at me. I lost sight of her in the crush of men and
shields and drawn swords as they circled the Blood Queen.
And I saw the flicker of surprise on Isbeth’s face just as the
covered windows along the walls cracked and shattered.
Intense silvery-white light crowded my vision and formed in
my mind, a thick webbing that stretched out from me as I
took a step forward. I took out the Royal Guards first,
shattering their shields and swords, and in the next breath,
them.
Casteel unsheathed his swords as guards spilled into the
chamber, but there was no one between Isbeth and me.
Drawing in the anger and fear throbbing around me, I pulled
on my hatred, funneling it through the cords snapping and
streaming toward her. I was going to tear apart the walls
around her mind like I had wanted to do with Casteel’s
father. I wouldn’t stop this time. I would peel apart her mind,
one section at a time as I broke every single godsdamn
bone in her body. The silvery-white light pulsed over her and
—
Isbeth laughed.