She cracked her head against the floor.
“Stop,” Orion and I snarled, both of us vibrating with inexplicable rage that she dared to hurt herself in our presence.
“Because, Father.” She choked on the word. “You enslaved me to these vile men. And some brands have more sinister implications than others.”
Lothaire opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand to silence him.
Arabella spoke slowly like it pained her to voice the words aloud, “I can’t leave their presence without excruciating pain. It must be a consequence of this type of brand.”
My jaw dropped.
Scorpius swore.
Orion choked.
Our sudden feelings of irrational possessiveness and rage made sense. It wasn’t our emotions; it was the tattoo.
We were stuck with her disgusting presence. Somehow Arabella kept ruining our lives.
Scorpius smiled, and Arabella shuddered.
It wasn’t a friendly expression.
It was a promise.
We were going to destroy her.
Lothaire staggered back like he’d been struck. “No.” He grabbed Arabella by the arm and resumed dragging her down the hall.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a monotone voice, eyes blank as she let her father manhandle her.
Orion’s pretty features darkened, and Scorpius made a harsh noise.
I agreed.
Arabella didn’t belong to him.
She was ours.
Lothaire’s jagged scar was stark against his tight features as he looked back at us and ordered, “You three, stay close.”
I fisted my flaming hands and wanted to snarl at him to stop touching her.
Instead, I nodded curtly at my mates and said, “Let’s go.”
Lothaire pulled Arabella into the bedroom, and we followed him inside.
Sparks leaped around him as he looked at us. “You four are going to stay in this room and not leave until I figure out what’s going on.”
Arabella yanked her arm out of his hold and flopped down on her bed. She mumbled under her breath, “Good plan. Leave me with the fucking crazy men. Real smart.”
Lothaire whirled around. “Language!”
She rolled her eyes.
He turned back around to address us, and she mouthed, “Go fuck yourself,” behind his back.
Lothaire ordered, “The three of you will not talk to my daughter. You will not look at her, touch her, or even breathe in her direction until I come back. I will handle the situation.”