Page 50 of Crave Me

“That will take yet more time, something Caleb doesn’t have.” I sucked in a breath and revealed, “Elijah issued a demand.”

“What was it?”

“King.”

“Jesus Christ,” Damien choked.

Asher raised an eyebrow. “The fact you brought this up indicates you’re actually seriously considering it.”

“You don’t give into threats. Ever. Believe me, I know firsthand there,” Damien said, sounding beyond shocked that I was even contemplating it.

“This is different.”

“It’s not,” Asher insisted.

I eyed him across from me. “This is Caleb’s life we’re talking about.”

“You can’t give up King. Not only is it your legacy and a mammoth empire that you’ve spent years cultivating, it’s also the source of your power. Without that, it’ll be an open game on you and yours for your enemies with you having no way to defend yourself. You’ve positioned yourself so incredibly well that your power is your protection. You can’t give that up. Not for anything.”

“All that power and this still happened. My loved ones were still endangered, taken, and abused.”

“An anomaly. It certainly won’t be a one-off if you hand King over to a madman. Can you imagine what somebody like him will do with all that power and influence? It would be absolutely catastrophic.”

When I went to argue my point further, Asher startled me as he suddenly laid his hand on mine, making our gazes clash briefly, while I also had to keep an eye on the road. “I’m here. I won’t let it come to that. If this lead doesn’t pan out, we’ll find another. It’s why you brought me in on this. I won’t stop and I know you won’t either, until Caleb is back safely with you and yours. Don’t allow your desperation and fear of what he’s enduring to get the best of you. It absolutely cannot take the lead here or be the basis for any significant decisions you make at this point nor going forward. The moment that doubt starts to lead the way, Elijah has won. You’re better than that. Do you hear me, Caspian?”

My first reaction was to pull my hand away.

But I didn’t.

More than that, I turned mine to grasp his back.

Intensity passed between us.

“I hear you.”

He smiled. “Very good.”

His phone rang and he gave my hand a squeeze, before pulling away.

He reached into his tactical vest and retrieved his phone, grunting when he checked the call display.

“My woman’s father,” he informed us. He pressed his finger to his lips, gesturing for us not to make our presence known, as he put it on speakerphone on his lap and answered, “Lance. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

A gruff voice boomed through the car, “I know what you’re really doing down there in the City of Rossun.”

“I didn’t doubt that you would after the message I put out.”

“What about your commitment not to engage in this sort of thing anymore? Does my daughter know? The boys?”

“Of course not. It would only worry them. A friend is counting on me, a brother. End of story.”

“Asher—”

“I assume you recall a very fucking unpleasant incident that involved you serving me up on a platter to be tortured by sadists?”

“We’re working through that.”

“Consider keeping this to yourself part of that.”

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