“What the fuck, Greed?” Lust yanked the blade free, glaring at Greed as he stepped forward, aggression rolling off him in waves. “You want to brawl, brother?” He shrugged his suit jacket off, eyes flashing as he roughly rolled up his shirtsleeves. “Let’s go.”
“Lust, stand down.” Wrath stepped in front of his brother, checking him with his massive body. “Either stay and be useful or take this trivial nonsense elsewhere.”
“Greed threw his House dagger at me; that’s not trivial nonsense. I’m here doing him a favor. I could be well into debauchery and drink instead of listening to cursed skulls and Sloth’s less-than-scintillating observations.”
“You’re still standing here. Which means Greed didn’t hit anything vital.” Wrath turned to Greed, not giving Lust a chance to respond. “Where did you find Vesta’s body?”
A beat of silence passed before Greed responded. “In her bathing chamber. She’d finished training and was cleaning up before our dinner meeting. When she didn’t arrive, I knew something was wrong. Vesta was never late to anything.” He strode over to the tumbler he’d left on his desk and gulped the liquid down. Almost faster than I could process, he threw the glass against the wall, watching it shatter. “Vesta was special. There is never going to be another like her. You know who did this. She even placed rubies in the skull’s eyes to send a message. On honor of my House, I demand a blood retribution. If you do not grant me this, then House Greed declares you and yours an enemy.”
Wrath slowly turned to me. “Emilia.”
His quiet tone, the way Lust and Sloth suddenly found the invisible lint on their suits to be interesting, the hard stare coming from Greed. The insistence it was a werewolf. They were laying out the evidence. Against my sister.
I wasn’t entirely sure what their blood retribution entailed, but I couldn’t let them harm Vittoria without more facts. At the same time, I knew we didn’t need Greed to be openly at war with us.
Wrath glanced at me, his expression now the cold mask of a ruling prince of Hell, before turning back to his brother. “Sloth, what is the probability a beast other than a shifter inflicted those wounds?”
“Slim. I don’t have exact percentages, but it’s highly unlikely another creature breached the walls or wards surrounding the castle without first being noticed. Now, a shifter who can cross realms magically would have a much better chance at transporting themselves into these walls.”
“And Envy said the abomination had no trouble getting through his wards,” Greed added. “She made it all the way to his private wing, where she put on quite a show, but Envy suspected her taking Alexei so publicly was a ruse to keep him distracted. There’s no telling what nasty trick she was up to. He’s been searching to see if anything was stolen but hasn’t reported anything.”
“I doubt Envy would be so forthcoming if he did find something missing,” Sloth said.
I shook my head—was that enough evidence to confirm my sister was to blame? I turned to Greed. “Vittoria had an alliance with you. Why would she attack your House? What were the terms of your agreement?”
Greed didn’t appear inclined to answer my question, but Wrath gave him a hard look that had him rethinking ignoring his soon-to-be queen. I let the slight roll off me for now, though I wouldn’t tolerate such disrespectful behavior a second time.
“Your sister wanted an ally in the Seven Circles for reasons I will not disclose in front of rival demon courts. Part of the terms included a vow to not harm any wolves. Something that seemed fair since she’d already formed an alliance with them and demanded the same from them in return. I was interested in the idea of taming such beasts. Seeing what they might offer. We are normally at odds, so it was an interesting gamble to take.”
“It doesn’t sound as if Vittoria would have cause to make you an enemy.” I looked him over. “Why would she go back on her word? You keep mentioning how special Vesta was, but if you’re not inclined to share with us how she was special—aside from her battle talents—is that something my sister would have discovered?”
“I do not deign to act as if I understand the way Vittoria’s twisted mind works. Your sister likely found out I was acting as a spy for Wrath and took her revenge. I imagine it’s that simple.”
I glanced at my prince, unable to hide my surprise. “You were having him spy on my twin?”
“I wanted eyes on any potential threat to you.” Wrath didn’t sound or look sorry.
“You see?” Greed said. “Even your betrothed knows to keep a careful watch on her. She is a vengeful, spiteful wretch.” Greed looked ready to exact some vengeance of his own as he leveled his glare at me. “She sent the hexed skull to taunt us. She not only murdered, she maimed my third beyond recognition. Your sister needs to meet her maker for her crimes. And if my brother does not sanction her death, then I will come for you and your family, and I will not stop until the last drop of her tainted blood has been wiped from this realm. Vittoria took from me, and now I will return the favor to make us even.”
My heart stuttered. Yes, the evidence was damning, but anyone could have made it appear that way. “You cannot—” I moved away from the princes, needing a second to think. “The skull, it didn’t sound like my twin.”
“And how would you know what her enchanted skulls are supposed to sound like?” Greed challenged. “Has she sent threats to House Wrath, too?”
I spun around, hope filling my veins as I looked to Wrath. Vittoria had admitted to me earlier that she’d sent me at least one enchanted skull. I wasn’t sure if Wrath wished to share this House secret, but he didn’t offer any indication for me to keep it to myself.
“I recently received enchanted skulls, but they weren’t threats. And each skull always sounded eerily like her. This one does not. She also never sent a skull with rubies before.” I met Wrath’s gaze. “We still have the skulls, correct? We’ll fetch them and bring them here, and everyone can listen.”
“That doesn’t prove a thing,” Greed argued. “She could have easily had someone else speak the rhyme in this instance. Maybe she did it to plant a seed of doubt. Besides, the rubies are a stone she’s widely known for.”
“All the more reason to think someone could have framed her.”
“Who?” Greed challenged.
“Is there anyone who would want to harm Vesta?” I shot back. “Anyone who’d wish to harm you by attacking her? And how are you so certain the remains belong to your third?” I asked Greed, gaining the attention of each prince again. “There’s not much left that’s identifiable. Aside from finding the remains in her chamber, how do you know it’s Vesta and not one of her attendants? Or how do you know the sex for that matter?”
“I—” Greed paced around his desk. He looked to Sloth. “You tested the blood?”
“I did, but there were a couple of different profiles—demon and werewolf—that made identification difficult, though werewolf was the strongest scent. Not unsurprising given the content of their blood typically reads stronger than that of any other creature. And Lady Emilia is correct; I couldn’t determine the sex.”
“Which means you cannot know with certainty that Vesta is dead and not simply kidnapped or gone of her own free will.” I looked directly at Sloth. “Correct?”
Sloth blew out a slow breath. “Correct, though I believe unlikely.”
“And what of the werewolf blood?” I asked Greed. “Why would the commander of your army have anything other than demon blood show up?”
Greed scowled. “I imagine that could be from her attacker. Further proving the werewolves acted on your twin’s behalf.”
“You cannot know for certain who acted on who’s command. That’s pure conjecture. If you’re to condemn my sister”—I faced Wrath again, speaking directly to him—“I should hope you’d do so based on facts, not simply the likelihood of her guilt. You say the rubies are something she’s widely known for, but then anyone with that knowledge could easily frame her. Including Greed.”
“You overstep, Shadow Witch.” Greed’s voice was a low growl.
“If you have nothing to hide, this conjecture shouldn’t offend you, your highness. The skulls she sent me recently did not contain any rubies. It’s rather odd that yours did. If I were you and seeking the truth, I’d be very curious about Vesta and what she was doing in the hours leading up to her death. Did anyone hear anything unusual or see anything strange outside her chamber?”
“No,” Greed said curtly.
“Was Vesta at odds with anyone in court?” I pressed.
The prince of this circle gave me a nasty look. “She was the commander of my army. Talented beyond measure and focused on her duty. She had little interest in pleasing anyone at court. She was meant to be feared, not adored.”