Page 49 of Tangled Hearts

Oria and I locked eyes. The fear was evident in her hazel gaze.

“We don’t have to use it,” Gray said, as his brother glared at him.

“She said she would give it to us and we could use it anywhere,” Gray explained.

“So?” Soren snapped at him.

“So, it doesn't mean we have to use it right away.” Gray looked at Oria. “We can take her up on her offer and use it in case of an emergency.”

“We don’t have to use it,” Oria nodded. “It would be our safety net.”

“Exactly,” Gray agreed.

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” I said, looking at everyone to gauge how they were feeling. “It’s better we prepare for every possibility.”

“It’s a smart choice; we don’t know how this is going to go,” Ryder sighed. “It seems every time we think we are ahead, something happens. We need to start thinking of every possibility.”

“I agree,” I said, looking over at Soren.

He glanced at all of us before settling his gaze on Oria. Jealousy sparked in me that they could speak to each other through their bond. My jaw clenched tight as I looked away.

“If you could keep the rest of us in the conversations, that would be great,” Ryder snapped.

“Jealous, Ryder, that you haven’t mated her?” Soren chuckled.

“Soren, now is not the time,” Gray said with frustration. “We just want to get this sorted so we can move forward.”

“I am jealous, but this isn’t about me. It's about her safety and how all of this affects her,” he growled. “Look, I get you don’t want to put her in another tower, but…”

“It’s a possibility, Soren,” Oria spoke up with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Soren pursed his lips.

“We all hate the idea of locking her away again, so instead of arguing about it, we need to find a solution,” I said, pushing down my jealousy. “We need to keep her safe and that’s the only thing we need to worry about.”

“Fine,” Soren grumbled. “I don’t want her going back into hiding.”

“We have to do whatever we can to make sure she is safe even if that means hiding her while we figure out a game plan,” Gray said, as he looked at his twin.

Soren growled and nodded.

“OK, I’ll contact Addie. I think we might have another day or two here, and then we need to get moving,” Ryder said. “We need to find a more permanent location for the time being. While we wait, we need to plan. What is our end game?”

He looked at Oria. She sat there looking vulnerable, lost and every bit the inexperienced woman she was.

“What do you mean?”

“Laima needs to be dealt with, but…” Ryder's voice trailed off.

I suspected we all wanted to kill her, but how would Oria feel about it?

“Do you want to kill her or imprison her?” Soren finished Ryder's sentence.

I couldn’t help but smirk at his bluntness. There really was no way to say it gently.

“I assumed killing her was the only option,” she said, looking at each of us.

“I think that’s the only way we know you will be free forever,” I said, leaning my elbows on the tops of my thighs.

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