Page 15 of Enemies By Fate

“She should be able to verify your story, shouldn’t she?”

She clamps her mouth firmly and shakes her head. “She’s not a part of this,” she whispers. “You don’t have to believe me, but I’m not telling you her name.”

Malachi smirks. “Yeah, this all sounds really legit. I’m glad you two are buying all of it.”

He glares at me and Warrick.

“Take her upstairs,” Warrick grunts.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Malachi growls.

Warrick and I watch them leave, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as Malachi mutters furiously under his breath. He’s more annoyed than I’ve seen him in a long time.

“Should I go with them?” I offer.

“No. Malachi might intimidate her into saying something else—and she won’t touch him if she’s smart. He’s too pissed off to realize he’s attracted to her beneath all his anger right now.”

I give my brother a sidelong look, impressed by his astuteness.

He returns my look. “It’s better for both of us if Malachi takes her. But you’re right—she needs to stay in the estate. The underground cells are no place for her. Tavric took a really special interest in her, didn’t he? What was that about?”

“I have no idea,” I answer honestly, sinking back onto one of the chairs. “Do you know who her father is, Warrick?”

“No idea,” he answers, and I believe him. “Where were we ten years ago, though? We’d just taken over the pack. There was so much happening with the rebels.”

I still shudder at the memory of the prisoners in the underground cells during those early days. Chaos erupted after our parents died, leaving us to pick up the shattered pieces. At sixteen, I was just a kid grieving the loss of my mother and all three of my fathers, while the immense weight of the Apex Alphas' responsibilities came crashing down on me and my brothers.

“You’re assuming she really is telling the truth,” Warrick adds. “For all we know, this could be about something else entirely.”

“She’s telling the truth,” I tell him.

He eyes me speculatively. “She thinks she’s telling the truth,” Warrick corrects me. “She admitted that she doesn’t know the reality. Did you hear what she said about dreaming it? We needto find out where she’s been these past ten years and figure it out from there.”

Sitting forward, I tip my head to the side. “Did you see the birthmark behind her ear?”

He shakes his head. “Is that why you stopped me from going after her at the bonfire? Is that what you were looking at?”

I nod. “I swear I’ve seen it before.”

Warrick rubs his verdant eyes, his thumb resting over the prominent scar over his left eyebrow. A flash of regret shoots through me as he touches it, but I remind myself that we had narrowly avoided disaster with that, too.

“It’s been a long night,” he grumbles. “Let’s forget about this for now and get some rest.”

“Fine,” I agree, but I know I won’t be getting any sleep tonight, and I doubt he will either, despite what he just said. Not while Poppy’s energy keeps calling out to me from under the same roof.

Chapter 4

Malachi

The tradition of passing everything to the eldest child has always puzzled me. Why would the firstborn automatically take on the leadership role, even if he wasn’t best suited to it? Case in point, this atrocity in front of me. If I had my way, this heathen witch—or whatever she is—would be in the underground cells with the rest of the rebels where she belongs.

But no one ever listens to me. I’m just the baby brother, too stupid to know any better. My brothers are too captivated by her beauty, her allure, and the electrifying energy between us to recognize the real danger Poppy poses.

I’m the only one who is onto her.

“Can’t you walk any faster? You’ve been sitting for the past hour. How tired can you possibly be?” I spit.

Poppy glances at me, half-balefully, half-worriedly, but picks up the pace as she follows me through the main floor of the estate, toward the bank of elevators. She doesn’t realize where she’s going yet, but I’m keeping her as close as I can, just in case she tries something like she did with Warrick. I’m more than prepared.

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