Page 27 of Enemies By Fate

“Take him back to the underground cells,” I order the guards, nodding toward Tavric.

They hustle toward the hovering prisoner and haul him away as Poppy moans.

“You need to calm down,” I hiss at her, lowering my head to hers. “Or I’ll have to put you back in the cells, too. Shift back so we can talk about this.”

Another muffled groan radiates through the shattered boardroom, and I hang my head. “You’re not leaving me any choice, Poppy,” I warn her with a growl.

She closes her eyes defiantly, her hatred toward us palpable now.

“Let’s put her in the underground cells,” I tell the others, morphing back into my wolf’s form to ensure their backup.

Malachi rides her back, glowering at me the whole way as we make our way cautiously back down the halls and through the tunnels.

By the time we reach the cells, Poppy is back in her human form, naked and trembling, but not speaking as we gather around her in an isolated cell.

“Poppy—” I try saying again, but she turns her back and curls onto one of the straw mattresses on the floor, pulling a blanket around her naked form.

“It doesn’t need to be like this,” Asher implores her, also reclaiming his human body.

Malachi snorts, but I read the uncertainty in his face as I throw up my hands in resignation.

“We’ll bring you some things to make you more comfortable,” I mutter, locking the cell door behind me.

“What the hell was that all about?” Malachi challenges me as we ascend from the tunnels. “Why did she react like that? Who was her father?”

We stop on the stone stairs, and I release a whoosh of breath, eying Asher, who is clearly still trying to piece it all together.

“Sharp Brickman,” I reiterate. “Don’t you remember him?”

My youngest brother shrugs and shakes his head. But why would he remember? He’d been fourteen when it had happened, still grieving the loss of our parents. There had been so much bloodshed back then. What was one more body, one more orphaned girl?

“He was the leader of the rebels,” I remind him. “One of the biggest thorns in our sides after we took over the Apex roles. And Poppy’s right; we killed him.”

Chapter 7

Asher

I’m reluctant to leave Poppy in the underground cells with the other prisoners, especially now that we know who she is, but I won’t do any good standing guard down there when she refuses to talk to us. I suspect standing over her will only make her angrier.

Giving her space is probably our best option right now, but I don’t know to what end.

She will be in her own cell, at least, away from the other prisoners.

“What the hell are we going to do with her now?” Malachi wants to know. Concern shadows his face for the first time as we retreat to our home.

“I don’t remember her being there,” I tell Warrick, wracking my brain for a more distinct memory of what had transpired that night.

“She must have been waiting on the road.”

Again, I wrack my brain, trying to recall if Sharp had called out to his daughter.

He might have…

“Why don’t I remember any of this?” Malachi grumbles, slamming the office door closed as we regroup in my workspace.

I turn away from the destruction of the boardroom, my worry for Poppy troubling me more than the mess she left behind.

“Too much was happening back then,” I remind him. “Our parents had just died. You were still in mourning?—”

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