Page 149 of Cursed Heirs

I nodded. “Some of it.”

Tears filled her eyes and I wanted to reach out to comfort her more than anything. In my peripheral vision, I saw Talon itching to do so too. And Xavier had awoken sometime during this and he was sitting up ramrod straight on the bed and looking on, pain all over his face.

“I feel so violated, so ashamed, so disgusted.”

“None of it was your fault. None of it,” I ground out, unable to keep the vehemence from my voice. “He’s a centuries-old Vampire Elder, a renowned manipulator who was using a mass amount of black magic to control you. No one would have been able to overcome that and avoid his control. Not even Elliot and your mom. The fact you survived at all is a fucking miracle, the fact you’re standing here with us, that you’re fighting, trying… it’s a true testament to your strength.”

“And to how special you are, beautiful,” Xavier said, pushing off the bed and coming close to my side, but not enough to infringe on her personal space.

“Word’s been all over the Academy about what a warrior you are,” Tal told her.

“I don’t feel like it.”

“I know,” I told her, sadly. “I know, my little angel.”

She shocked us all then as she collapsed into me and buried her face in my chest, trembling as she sobbed and broke down, finally starting to let it all out.

I carefully wrapped my arms around her and held her as she cried, as she took some comfort, that which she’d been denying since she’d been liberated from that madman’s clutches.

“We’ve got you,” I breathed into her hair. “Through anything. Always, Alena.”

32

~Talon~

She hadn’t left his side in days.

Alena was joined to Orpheus at the hip.

Ever since she’d broken down in his chambers and actually taken comfort in him, it had shifted something for her.

Just toward him so far.

There was nothing X and I could do but wait for her to feel comfortable with us again, to reach out and touch us, hug us, and be close to us.

It was a huge step either way, though, that she’d managed to do it with Ore. And it was a really good sign too. I just had to focus on that.

And not the thing that sparked my anger to life whenever I allowed my mind to go there.

That Constantine had ripped our foursome apart, that he’d fucked with the special thing we’d been building between us.

“Talon?”

I blinked and swung my head toward Alena.

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you’re going to get started?”

I looked at the tree stump in front of her and the shimmering gold framework of a house she’d already started creating.

Orpheus had brought us out here to work on our control.

He was giving his army a much-needed break, so now there was this.

X was doing a whole lot better with his control ever since he’d first felt Ore’s blood spark his own magic in him. And he’d been feeding from him since, so he was in a really good place.

I nodded at Alena. “Yeah, just gearing myself up.”

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