Page 11 of Enemies By Fate

“We need to question her separately from here,” I order.

It’s so unlike me to make significant decisions without my brothers’ input that neither of them questions it, though their wide-eyed stares suggest they think I’ve lost my mind, making me second-guess myself yet again.

Still, I stand firm in my decision.

“Take her to the boardroom,” I announce.

There’s a slight hesitation before the guard reaches forward to seize her arm, the other captives rushing forward in unison.

“Don’t be stupid,” Warrick growls at them, stepping forward.

His words are enough to send them back in fear, and a stab of envy courses through me. They don’t fear me as much as they do my brother, apparently.

The woman tries to pull out of the grip of the guard, but she’s no match for the lumbering bear shifter who snarls menacingly at her. “Don’t make this difficult,” he warns her.

“We let you off nicely last time,” Warrick tells her flatly. “Don’t mistake our kindness for weakness.”

Blood drains from her already fair cheeks, rendering her almost opaque. Flanked between the four of us, she allows herself to be half-dragged back up the maze of tunnels.

“They live through you,” Tavric calls out as the door slams.

My head swivels back to look at him curiously, but he’s already faded back into the shadows.

“What’s he yammering on about?” Warrick mutters, but I have no answer.

The woman casts another look over her shoulder as we whisk her up through the underground toward the estate.

“Bringing her into the house is a bad idea,” Malachi grumbles, but in a tone that signifies he knows he’s outnumbered.

It’s just a bad idea keeping her among those too-thirsty prisoners, even if that’s exactly where she belongs.

Dawn breaks over the distant mountains as we herd her through the back doors, leaving the prison guard outside. If we need him, we’ll summon him, but something tells me she’s not about to try to shift again, not when we’re scrutinizing her so carefully, waiting for her to screw up.

She’s still trembling when she sits in the boardroom. The glass-walled room sits at the heart of our shared workspace; its one-way glass providing an unobstructed view from each of our offices. It’s designed this way so each of us can conduct business “privately” while still knowing what the others are up to, without our visitors knowing they are being observed.

Awe floods her face as she takes in the extravagant fixtures, but she’s doing her best not to show how impressed she is by thesurroundings. It had already been clear by her casual attire that she wasn’t a girl of means, the simple black jeans and tank top were hardly designer brands.

I wonder if this is some kind of robbery attempt gone wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time a coven or human had tried during a full moon event, the posh cars lining up at the lake in the parking lots easy fodder for less than savory souls.

But that doesn’t feel right either.

“What’s your name?” I ask her again when she sits at the head of the table, her shaking hands splayed open in front of her.

Even in the ugly sack dress, her curves are apparent, the lithe lines of her slender form drawing me closer, but I maintain a healthy distance, perching on the edge of the table, folding my arms across my chest as I try to identify her. I know her… somehow. But I’m sure I’ve never seen her in my life. With that face, I’d remember. Through my peripheral view, I can see my brothers struggling with her, too, although in different ways.

Malachi is livid, steam still pluming from his ears and nose as he paces around her.

Warrick is intrigued. He feels the pull, too, but given what she’s done, the ability she possesses, he’s rightfully wary of her.

“You tell me!” she fires back, maintaining her aggression, but it’s faltering under all three of our steadfast stares.

Malachi has had enough of her sass and advances on her, spreading his wings, half-shifting to release a stream of smoke from his nostrils. Dread floods her face, and I smother a sigh. I want to tell him to calm down, that scaring her isn’t helping anything.

“Poppy,” she squeaks. “My name is Poppy.”

Warrick gestures at Malachi to stand down, and my brother spits out a puff of fire onto the floor, causing Poppy to flinch. She sets her gaze down on the table, and Malachi shifts fully backinto his human form, shaking his head while pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

“Why did you come tonight?” I ask. “To the full moon party?”

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