Page 63 of Seized to Sacrifice
‘Kade. You remember the others. This is Elle.’ Mace said, ignoring Thorne.
Glancing at Elle, Kade nodded at her and then his eyes narrowed as they focused on Thorne.
‘Never thought I'd see you again,’ he muttered, grabbing a plate, and piling it high with food.
‘It's not from your lack of trying,’ Thorne replied, his lip curling. ‘After all, you triedand failedto kill me again the last time we saw each other, you cunt.’
Kade snarled. ‘Perhaps one of these days you’ll stay fucking dead, you two-legged prick.’
Thorne made a sound of disgust, standing up and leaving the table without a backwards glance.
‘What was that about?’ Elle asked Nyx who rolled his eyes.
‘Thorne and Kade don’t get along well. They come from the same Dark Realm,’ he said. ‘Their kinds have been at war since before the first histories were written.’
Kade made a sound of derision. ‘If you ever went to our home realm, you'd see why.’
But that was all he said about it, eating the rest of his meal in silence. Kora filled a goblet of wine for him, and he gave her a small smile, grasping her hand as she moved away and kissing her palm before letting her go.
These men clearly loved Kora. What was she to them? Mace had called her a Fourth, but Elle didn’t know the term. Perhaps it simply meant that they shared her, as they clearly did.
When Kade finally pushed his plate away, and the babe had begun to fuss, Kora shooed the men out, telling them to go tell their tales in the hall.
Lucien handed the squalling girl to Kora with a fond grin, telling her to bring their daughter down to them when she willed.
‘We’ll just be downstairs,’ Nyx said to Elle tipping her face up to look at his, and she nodded as he stepped away.
Kora gave her a friendly smile.
‘Come and sit with me,’ she said, settling into one of the comfortable chairs by the hearth with her restless child as the men left.
Elle poured herself and Kora a cup of wine, getting them on the small table between the two chairs.
Elle sat down next to her, staring into the fire.
‘So how is it that you're traveling with these men?’ Kora asked. ‘Are you their Fourth?’
Elle shook her head. ‘In truth, I'm not sure what a Fourth is.’
Kora gave her a small smile. ‘Dark Brothers come in units of three, bound together by blood magick. A Fourth is quite rare I’m told, and many units don’t have one. Mace, Kade and Lucien have described it to me as a feeling, a pull towards me. I’ve felt it as well. When a Fourth is found, they’re bound to the unit. Have you been?’
Elle shook her head. ‘Not that I remember,’ she muttered.
Kora’s brow furrowed. ‘They said that you’re journeying to the Dark Brothers Camp.’
‘Yes,’ Elle said. ‘They’re waiting at the foot of the mountains.’
Kora frowned. ‘When you enter the Brothers’ domain, their laws are practically the words of the gods to them.’ She leant forward. ‘You must ensure that you’re bound to them by the time you enter the Camp’s boundaries.’
‘What will happen if I'm not?’ Elle asked.
‘You can be taken as spoils by another unit or by the Camp itself as a slave. It's the Brothers’ way,’ she said with a frown. ‘They should have told you this.’
Elle gave her a smile to put her at ease. ‘If they don’t, I will ensure it’s done before we get there,’ she promised her new friend, though secretly she wondered why none of them had said anything to her about this.
Were they taking her to her doom? Was this another punishment for her past crimes? A cold feeling settled in her chest. Was Nyx going to betray her? She almost expected it from the others but not from him.
‘Would you like to hold her?’ Kora asked, breaking Elle out of her dark thoughts.
