Page 14 of Enemies By Fate

“And who might that be?” Warrick asks, letting out an annoyed sigh as he drops into a chair. His expression carries a hint of disappointment, as though he’d expected Poppy to deliver a far more shocking revelation.

“I…” she draws in a shaky breath. “I don’t know.”

This time, the silence between us is longer until Malachi releases a laugh of contempt.

“She’s fucking crazy,” he determines, throwing up his hands and pivoting away. “Throw her back in the cells until we can figure out what to do with her.”

“It’s true!” Poppy yells, standing shakily. “You killed him! I’ve seen it in my dreams!”

My brow furrows as I watch her impassioned face. “I was twelve, and he was in the mountain woods!”

I stare at her, the certainty bothering me.

She believes everything she’s saying—even if it does sound crazy.

“But you don’t know his name?” Malachi interjects. “Your own father.”

Her chin quivers as she looks desperately between Warrick and me. “I didn’t remember for a decade. I was found roaming in the woods without any memories of my life before…”

“And then you woke up one day, able to shift into random animals. And you just so happened to remember suddenly that the Bloodstone Alphas murdered the father whose name you don’t know. Sounds legit,” Malachi concludes. “Well, this has been fun. I’m taking her back now. She totally ruined the full moon party.”

He reaches for her, but I stop him.

“Put her in a guest suite,” I tell him.

Malachi halts in his tracks, shaking his head vehemently. “No fucking way! Didn’t you hear her? She’s out of her mind.”

“I did. She needs proper attention and care,” Warrick intercedes before I can respond. “Take her to the guest suite in the west wing, and be careful not to touch her.”

Glowering, Malachi shoots Warrick and me death gazes, but he’s again outnumbered by our votes. Glowering at us both, our youngest brother spins around to gather Poppy.

“Let’s go, Lost One,” he jeers sarcastically. “It looks like your little tale won over my brothers.”

“It’s not a tale,” Poppy mumbles. She shoots me a grateful look before shuffling after him.

“Wait a second,” I call out to her before Malachi can show her to the third floor.

Hesitantly, she looks back at me.

“You said you were found wandering in the woods all those years ago?”

She nods, visibly swallowing.

“Who found you?”

Her eyes pop, and her mouth becomes a fine line.

My eyebrow arches as I wait for an answer. “Well?”

“What difference does that make?”

My eyes narrow slightly. “We need answers, Poppy, if you expect us to let you live.”

She inhales deeply, my words affecting her. “A witch. She adopted me and took me in as her own kid, but she knew I wasn’t a witch.”

“What’s her name?” Warrick demands.

“Why?”

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