#Chapter 9 – Rule Number Two

Lila Vanessa stepped forward with the same smug energy I remembered from childhood, her voice ringing through the hall. “Your Majesty, I request that this woman be expelled from the palace.” There was no hesitation, no pretense of civility. She pointed at me like I was dirt beneath her heel, like she expected Damon to agree without question. I almost laughed. Maybe getting thrown out wouldn’t be such a punishment after all. I could return home having fulfilled my debt to my father and get my mother’s treatment. With the added bonus of getting away from the Lycan King. Maybe I should thank Vanessa. I shifted my gaze to Damon, waiting for his reaction. But to my surprise, his expression didn’t darken with anger from the other night. He didn’t so much as frown at me. Whatever he was thinking was a mystery to me. Silence stretched out while everyone waited, clearly expecting an outburst, but instead, Damon’s deep voice carried through the air, cold and firm. “I don’t w