“Did you know your mother had magic?”
Kushini snorted, blood flecking her fangs. She hated me. She had come to the realization she was about to die, been spared, and now faced it again. Blood soaked into my sandals and my socks as we walked through the antechamber, Lucy’s bare feet padding on the sticky blood. “Soon, you’ll be queen,” I purred to Kushini. “Though I’m shocked. Everywhere I’d go, I’d see reminders of the false love I shared with her. Two-thirds of Kushini’s also. Who was tender with me? They obeyed. Why couldn’t I just hate her? They advanced. Rushina’s head snapped towards me. His face widened in shock as he stared at me. “Everyone in the Ziggurat knows you love her, Malakisha. I couldn’t bear to be in that place. Rushina rose from where she knelt naked. Instead, she sliced through my abdominal muscles. I liked the name. Kill your cousin for her treason.”
“Gladly,” Kushini purred. “’You cannot be afraid. Weapons rang. He fell onto his hands and knees, struggling to rise.
