Page 9 of The Reign of Blood

“And that means we should keep her captive?” I clarify, watching as he peers at Kryll and Brody for backup but comes up empty-handed.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Taking a step toward him, I try to push down the disappointment threatening to rise within me. “I took her from the compound because I could see it in your father’s eyes.”

“What?”

“Your look is the same now. He wanted to keep her, too.” His gaze narrows on me, but he doesn’t deny it. Instead, he curses under his breath. “Maybe the apple doesn’t always fall far from the tree.”

“Fuck off, Raiden. She lied,” he bites, but I see the hurt in his eyes from my words. Not because I said them, but because they could be true.

“Technically, she omitted,” Brody interjects, and I have to bite back the grin from my face.

“And why the fuck would she tell us anyway?” Kryll pipes in, fueling the anger emitting from the wolf.

“Because we have a right to know.”

“Do we? All we’ve done is wreak havoc on her life,” Brody pushes back.

Kryll holds his hands up. “I haven’t.” Silence descends over us because the same can’t be said for the rest of us. “What do we do with this little snippet of information then?”

“We dangle it over her head until we learn everything there is to know,” I reply with a shrug. I might not want to hold her captive, but I still want the information. Color me intrigued.

“We won’t have long then,” Cassian murmurs, wiping a hand down his face.

“Why?”

“Something tells me my father will use the confirmation of who she is to his advantage.” That’s true. That’s truer than true.

“This isn’t his territory,” Brody states, which is also true.

“Nothing is ever his territory, remember?” There’s a sass to my voice as I take a swipe at Cassian, but the fact still remains: his reach is greater than most. Sighing, I consider what I learned from her already. Which really isn’t much. “She wouldn’t tell me anything about her sister that Kenner mentioned, but before I let her go, she told me about her ears.”

“And?” Kryll nudges.

“It happened the night they escaped the castle.” Cassian’s hands ball into fists as a solemn reality washes over us. “How does that make you feel?” I ask him, intrigued to see the truth.

“Mad as fuck that I was blindsided.”

But not mad as fuck that it happened. Should I read into that? Something about it pisses me off, and once again, I find myself making uncalculated moves.

“Now imagine how she feels,” I rasp, making the others frown at me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cassian grunts, and I shake my head.

“You’re such a fucking wolf.”

“Spit it out.”

Cocking a brow at him, I sneer. I don’t know whether I’m simply intent on hurting him today or if it’s merely a coincidence.

“Do you really think she’s going to go anywhere near you now? She’s been fucking you. The son of the man who hurt her.”

5

ADRIANNA

Darkness sweeps around us, my heart racing in my chest as I try to breathe past another hiccup.

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