Page 193 of Owned

I skidded around a corner and almost crashed into a servant carrying an armful of white flowers. I heard their muffled curse as I sprinted past. I didn’t stop to apologize.

I flung open the door to Titus’s library and stormed inside.

The words tumbled out, frantic and raw. “We need to stop this fucking wedding.”

My brothers’ heads snapped up. I slammed the door shut, locking it behind me.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Titus snarled. “That’s the plan—”

“We don’t havetimefor plans,” I choked out.

Valen rose from his chair. “What’s going on— Why— Whose blood is that?”

I looked down at my hands, my clothes and caught sight of my face in the window—a ghoul with a crazed look in his eyes.

“Not mine,” I snapped.

Titus set down his book. “Obviously. Where have you been?”

“It’s worse than we thought,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush. My heart still thundered, adrenaline masking the exhaustion in my limbs. The need to tell them was overwhelming. “So much fucking worse.”

“Spill it,” Titus growled.

“That fucking bastard,” I said. “He’s been planning this since before he killed Avril’s mother.”

Valen and Titus were silent as they stared at me.

“It’s what you thought all along,” I said, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

Valen’s expression twisted. “He’ll kill her. We knew that.”

The words didn’t sting so much this time, not now that we all knew them to be true. Not now that I was prepared for them.

I nodded. “If we don’t stop him— And he won’t stop there. He’ll kill us, too.”

Titus’ chin lifted. “He won’t. He needs us.”

I glared back at my brother. So arrogant. “No. He doesn’t,” I said through gritted teeth. “Not once he has Avril. Once she serves herpurpose.”

His eyes narrowed. “Her purpose? What the hell does that mean?”

“You know what it means,” I shot back. “He wants an heir he can control.”

Valen’s jaw tightened and the cords in his neck tensed as he turned toward the window.

“Start talking,” Titus said, crossing the room. “We need to know everything.”

“He wants her power,” I said. “Lucian believes Avril has something inside her— something her father hid from Lucian. That’s why he waited so long. He had to be sure—”

Valen let out a low breath, almost a growl. “Itoldyou,” he said, not meeting my eyes. “Didn’t I fucking tell you?”

Titus shot him a warning look.

My hands shook, and I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or from fear or from something else.

“That was always his plan,” Valen said, his voice distant. Hollow. “If he has an heir— Then he won’t need us anymore.”

Titus and I locked eyes.

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