Royal Blood

by Victoria Renteria

  Scoffing, my response is immediate. “Wish in one hand, want in the other, Inna. See which happens first. I’d be willing to bet you get nothing in the end.”

  Inna’s eyes harden, her pupils expand, covering her chestnut irises.

  “How dare you? It’s your fault everything is falling apart, anyway.”

  What in the hell is she talking about? I swear, it’s like this damn family was hit with every branch of the crazy tree. Working my jaw from side to side, I eventually find my voice.

  “You know, maybe you can help me settle something because I have been wracking my brain trying to puzzle this out. And for the life of me, I cannot seem to make heads or tails of it . . .” A devious grin curls the edges of my lips as I glance up at Inna.

  Impatience gets the better of her as she stamps her foot, slinging her arms over her chest and scowls. “And just what might that be?” she lashes out with bitter animosity.

  “Whether you’re crazy as fuck or just plain stupid.”

  What was meant to be a question is issued as a statement. Howling with rage, Inna lunges toward me. Time stalls, moving in slow motion as I watch her take flight, navigating the air with claws at the ready. A moment before she reaches me, time resumes and I breathe deeply, sidestepping her with a haughty laugh.

  “Well, thanks for answering that. Fucking crazy, it is.”

  Inna stumbles forward, regaining her balance with the help of a side table. Revolving with incredible speed, she faces me, her lips curving to bare a set of bleached white teeth. Inna stills, a hint of mania shimmering in the depths of her eyes, a wild and untamed grin spreading across her painted lips. Sliding her hand down her side, she hinges at the waist, plunging her hand into the edge of her boot. Retrieving a long, slender object from her calf, she straightens, never losing the wild and untamed look. Stifling a gasp, my eyes widen just a fraction.

  Unfettered rage consumes me, a river of black tar gnawing through my veins, devouring everything in sight until it’s the only thing left. Light glints off the hilt of the white perlex handle on the dagger. The sight of the dagger only increases my irritation. If it’s a fight she’s looking for, she’ll get it. Heat abrades my skin with the rush of adrenaline flooding every sinewy muscle. A sensation of increased strength washes over me, causing a feral grin to unfurl across my lips.

  “Tell me niece, what is it that you find so amusing?” Her scornful tone is accentuated with an expression of disgust.

  “I just find it adorable that you keep a child’s toy in your boot.”

  Her pupils expand, absorbing her irises entirely. Her shoulders heave with the weight of her forced breaths. Inna stomps forward angrily, one step then two. Stopping abruptly, she halts several feet away.

  “This child’s toy, as you have so eloquently put it, is going to be the end of your existence, which is something I will celebrate for years to come, my darling niece.” She forces the last word out, spittle flying from the corners of her mouth.

  Buffing my nails on my blouse, I feign nonchalance. “Hmm. You could try, but I’d be willing to bet like everything else you’ll be unsuccessful.”

  Inna’s nostrils flare, her face mottling with violent anger. Releasing a roar of fury, she advances, her dagger poised perfectly to hit the crest of my cheek. Parrying to the right, I suck in a sharp breath, grimacing as the bite of her blade registers. Unbridled anger ripples through my extremities, increasing my strength tenfold. Reaching up, I grab hold of her dagger-encased hand, crushing it in a death-defying grip. Her blackened eyes widen, an animalistic snarl rumbling from her chest.

  Furling her arm backward, her wrist strains, her hold on the dagger loosening minutely.

  “I will have what I came for,” she squeaks manically, spit flying from her mouth. Grimacing at the grotesqueness of the situation, I glower down at her unsightly form.

  “And what exactly might that be, Auntie? Hmm?” Derision drips from each word as I glare, unaffected by her threat.

  “Your life,” she states, a smug smile tugging at the edges of her bright red lips.

  “What exactly is it with you people wanting to kill me?” I ask, applying more pressure.

  A pained expression crosses her face as the dagger clatters loudly to the floor. Scrambling to get free, her knee comes up, pummeling me in the stomach. All of the air gushes forth, exiting me in one fell swoop. In my winded state, Inna wrangles free of my hold with a violent shove. Stumbling back a few paces, I come to an abrupt stop as my hip smashes into the corner of the sofa table. Fragments of icy pain scatter through my hipbone, spreading down to my toes.

  Forcing a breath out through my nostrils, I glower at Inna. Snorting, she casually crosses her arms, hatred contorting her features. Reclaiming her composure, one corner of her mouth tilts up. Silently, we glare at each other for a moment, both catching our breath. A hint of light catches my attention, pulling my gaze toward the floor. Looking down, I see the blade from earlier lying in the middle of the tile glimmering in the fluorescent light.

  “Come now, Kylee. You can’t be that naïve,” Inna tsks.

  Tilting my head to the side, I observe my aunt for a moment. A cunning smile pulls at the edges of her mouth, forcing me to move. As I bolt into action, Inna leaps forward, diving toward the blade with her arms outstretched.

  “Fuck.”

  The curse explodes from my lungs as I realize she’s closer to the blade than I am. Unable to stop a body that’s already in motion, I change my strategy, praying it works. Sliding across the tile on my belly, I kick out my right leg, striking Inna in the thigh just as she reaches the blade. The sickening sound of oozing blood and suction fill the air as I wrench the heel of my stiletto free of her muscled thigh.

  “Ahhh. You little bitch,” Inna seethes.

  Hissing a breath through her teeth, she pounces, waving the blade dangerously close to my face. Seizing her wrists, we roll, fighting for control of the blade. Inna lashes out with her uninjured leg, catching me unaware with a swift knee to the oblique. Wincing, I breathe through the pain. Inna presses down firmly on the dagger. My hold loosening as the tip of the blade inches closer to the pulsating artery in my neck.

  “You will pay for stealing what is mine!”

  Her face twists with anger, her menacing gaze boring holes into my skull as she presses harder on the handle. The blade slips again, scraping the inside of my neck. Panic wells up inside me, threatening to smother me with its chilling hands. As dread works its way through my nervous system, a familiar voice echoes in the throes of my subconscious.

  Do what needs to be done, Ttal. You are a Sun-ye. We do not back down from our enemies. Even when our enemies come dressed as family.

  “No,” I whisper, shaking the thought from my head.

  Hooking my right leg between her inner thighs, I drive upward with my hips, shoving Inna off. Landing on the floor with a loud thwack, her head cracks on the tile.

  “You are really pissing me off.”

  “Tell me something I didn’t know.”

  Smirking, I climb to my feet, hovering a few feet away. The air is thick with tension as she slowly stands, clasping the dagger tightly in her fist. Planting her feet wide, she holds out her arms, gesturing to the entire space.

  “All of this should be mine right now. Would be mine, if you hadn’t come along and ruined everything.”

  Bitterness seeps into her tone as she takes a menacing step forward. My gaze locks on the dagger momentarily as I try to wrap my head around what she’s just said. Wasn’t Sang-Hyun supposed to take over my mother’s family assets? How does that equate to her owning everything? Confusion muddles my brain.

  “What? Cat got your tongue?” Inna quips, interrupting my inner turmoil.

  “No, you’ve just yet to say anything worth responding to,” I retort, raising an eyebrow in defiance.

  “You think you’re so smart but you’re not. Tell me, niece, have you even figured it out yet?”

  Shrugging, I remain silent
. Sneering with condescension, Inna glides forward, erasing some of the distance between us. Discreetly, I peruse the room, looking for any object within reach I can use as a weapon. A small letter opener sits in plain view on the sofa table no more than ten feet away. Breathing a small sigh of relief, I inch back just a fraction.

  The high-pitched tone of my aunt’s voice has me snapping my gaze forward. “Just what I thought. No beauty or brains. It’s a shame, really. Your mother had so much to offer until she blew it.”

  The hair on my arms stands, goose bumps rising on every inch of exposed skin. Snarling, my lip curls in disgust.

  “Holy shit. If you’re going to sit here and throw your momma is so ugly jabs, hand me the dagger already so I can kill myself.”

  Her flinty irises glare unmercifully at me. Growling, she advances a half step.

  “So eager to die,” she taunts.

  “If it shuts you up, yes.”

  Pounding her fist against her uninjured thigh, she screeches, pointing the dagger at me, her tenacious hold on the hilt turning her knuckles white as she frantically waves it in my direction.

  “Everything was in place, everything was set. He was going to take over. It was a matter of days. Days! And then you had to come along and ruin it all!”

  Enraged, she gulps, greedily sucking down air, her wild eyes never leaving my face. Taking a giant leap forward, she moves in, closing most of the distance, jostling the dagger recklessly. My heart plummets into my stomach, twisting my insides into an agitated mess. Wrinkling her brow, she angles her body to the side, allowing me to take a full step back without her noticing. Running the tip of the blade over the pad of her index finger, she shudders, a fake smile stretching from ear to ear.

  Wobbling unsteadily, she turns to face me, a smile still plastered on her face. Wildness flares in her chestnut irises, a dark presence running so deep I can feel it gravitating toward me.

  “Well, not to worry. I’m going to take care of it now. I will claim what is mine . . . finish the task that we started.” She pauses, a frown creasing her brow. Her tone blazes with anger, the full force of her wrath now directly aimed at me.

  “It’s your fault he is injured. All. Your. Fault!” she spits out.

  “What in the hell are you talking about? I swear, you have officially boarded the damn crazy train.”

  Inching back another step, the back of my legs hit the table. Lightness permeates my chest, excitement filling me to the brim as I move my hands behind my back. Grunting incoherently, she waves the knife erratically.

  “Sang-Hyun!” she shouts.

  “And I swear, if you call me crazy one more time . . .” Her words end on a forceful exhale.

  “Uh huh. Again, you’re talking me to death, yet you have not once explained why it is you feel you’re entitled to what is mine.”

  Laughing manically, her eyes glass over with a distant look. “Yours?” she chortles.

  “No, my dear. Never yours. It was always intended to be mine.” Pacing, her eyes bounce around the room.

  “I planned it all from the beginning. Introduced Min to Sang-Hyun, put him in the position to take over, and planned to eradicate every single member of my family so in the end it was me who ruled the entire syndicate. Of course keeping Sang-Hyun by my side. A woman can always use a good henchman, or a boy toy. Same thing, really. But you had to come along and fuck it all up.” Turning, she pins me with her frigid stare.

  Frozen in place, my eyes dilate in shock at her response. Shit. I didn’t see that one coming. My aunt is sleeping with Sang-Hyun. Talk about gross.

  “Aw, speechless again.”

  “Actually, I was just trying to scrub the images of you and honey buns out of my head. That shit is lethal. Damn, can I borrow that thing and stab my own eye out?”

  Grinning, I jab a finger at the dagger. A scream laces the air as my aunt lunges, racing toward me with the blade held high above her head. Turning swiftly, I grope the table, desperately reaching for the letter opener. Missing it on the first pass, I swipe it up on the second go, turning just in time to see the tip of Inna’s dagger moving toward my throat. Parrying to the left, the side of her dagger misses my throat, glancing off my shoulder as it tears through the blouse and muscle. Nausea churns violently in my stomach, bile threatening to force its way up my esophagus from the intense burning taking over my shoulder.

  Panting, I grab a fistful of her blouse and head-butt her. Inna flounders, staggering back as her hands cover her bleeding nose. The room spins, dizziness courting the edges of my vision. Wielding the letter opener, I breathe through the nausea and dizzying pain.

  “Inna, end this now. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

  “Oh, but it does.”

  Grunting, she charges forward like a defensive lineman. Dropping low, she barrels into my abdomen with the force of a wrecking ball, sending us both to the floor. My head bounces off the tile with an audible thwack. The hold I had on the letter opener fails, and it skitters across the floor, out of reach. Bells sound, ringing loudly in my ears while spots dance before my eyes. Grinning evilly, Inna advances, aiming for my jugular.

  Groaning in pain, I throw both hands up to block the blow. Electricity sparks, shooting through my left forearm as the blade swipes across it, chewing into my flesh. With an upward thrust of my hips, I gain enough momentum to throw her off balance, launching her forward several inches. Using my left arm, I jab her in the abdomen, raining blow after blow until she slumps over, wheezing in pain. Rolling to my stomach, I frantically search the floor for the letter opener. Blazing white light glints off the floor not to far from Inna.

  Scrambling, I scoot forward as fast as I can, reaching the dagger at the same time she does. Our fingers collide in a fierce duel, striving to gain control. Inna strikes me with the heel of her boot, stabbing into the flesh of my thigh just as I punch her in the face with my left hand. Her head snaps back momentarily as I grasp the dagger coming to my knees. All of my energy slowly begins to drain as I glare at the woman in front of me.

  “Enough,” I clip out.

  “Never.” She lunges toward me, a hint of silver sparkling in her hand.

  “Kill her,” my mother’s voice whispers through my mind once more.

  No, it doesn’t have to be this way, I argue.

  “Do your duty, Ttal. Kill her and take your place as my rightful heir. This is your destiny.”

  Her final words enter my mind as I drive the blade deep into my aunt’s chest. Her pupils retract, the lovely chestnut coming back as her weapon clangs loudly to the floor. Choking on a laugh, she falls onto her bottom. Shuddering, she looks me dead in the eye.

  “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  Collapsing on the floor, her expression becomes vacant, blood pouring from her mouth and nose as her chest stutters, halting altogether with her final breath. Millions of tiny stones fill the lining of my stomach, the heavy weight weakening me as I descend completely to the floor. Heaving, my breaths come in short pants, my lungs burning with exertion, the inability to fill them completely stressing my body to the max. My eyes roam from my aunt’s lifeless body to the crimson staining the floor. Turning away, my gaze falls to my hands. The same blood taints my flesh.

  A dull ache fills my chest, a sob catching in my throat. What have I done? Oh my God, what have I done?

  “Fulfilled your destiny, my child. There is no denying you are your mother’s daughter.” Her voice echoes loudly inside my mind.

  Throwing my hands over my ears, I toss my head from side to side, letting out a blood-curdling scream. The final thought to pass through my mind before I succumb to the numbness is: Have I really become my mother?

  FASTER.

  The word ricochets off the walls of my skull. Pressing the accelerator to the floor, I feel the SUV jump, revving toward its top speed. Casting a glance at the clock on the dash, I curse, a hefty weight shifting itself so deep inside my breast I’m afraid to breathe.

  Faster. />
  The word echoes inside my head again, skirting the boundaries of my common sense. Air puffs, exploding from my cheeks brazenly. Common sense? Yeah, right. I don’t have any common sense left at this point. Adrenaline . . . sheer panic and adrenaline.

  That’s all there is, the two things ushering me toward my goddess, the driving force keeping me from losing my shit. And I really want to lose my shit. Because, fuck if it doesn’t feel like the walls are closing in like I’m lying face down in a puddle, drowning. In my agitation, shards of throbbing pain radiate through my palms, the blood receding from my hands as I clasp the steering wheel tighter. From the moment Hwang opened his mouth, dropping the bomb about Sang-Hyun and Inna, my body has been a virtual live wire.

  Thrumming with power, I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything except getting to her as fast as I can. Peering at the clock, I grimace. Mustn’t slow down, have to reach her in time. The errant thought latches onto my erratic brain, increasing my anxiety.

  “Motherfucker!” I bellow, pounding my fist into the steering wheel.

  Why can’t this thing go any faster? I need to get to her now. Removing a hand from the wheel, I run it through my disheveled hair. My eyes automatically fall to the speedometer, and I wince. I’m driving like a bat out of hell with Satan hot on his heels, and it’s still not enough. What I wouldn’t give to be able to teleport right about now.

  The dull ache in the center of my chest grows, my thoughts changing course as I weave in and out of the city streets.

  “Dammit, Grant. You did it again,” I curse, berating myself under my breath.

  I should have seen the signs; they were all there in one way or another, yet I was so focused inward that I didn’t bother to pay attention to what was going on around me. I broke the one rule I gripe about constantly: Don’t get distracted. Some protector I turned out to be. I left her alone with those savages again.

  My heart lurches, dropping into my small intestine before leaping up into my throat at the thought of what I might find, every worst-case scenario playing through my mind. What if she’s been taken again, or worse, hurt? Red hot streams of rage flow wildly through my cardiovascular system. Clasping the steering wheel tightly, I squeeze, the plastic, and it cracks under my crushing grip. If one hair on her head has been harmed, they won’t know what hit them.