Page 53 of Deceived By a Warrior

“For centuries you’ve restricted me from doing anything for my‘safety’.You do realize I’m not the teenage girl who was turned anymore? I’m hundreds of years old. I’ve lived lifetimes.”

“You’re still my little sister,” he told her. She was also his only living family member. He’d do anything to keep her alive. He couldn’t suddenly stop protecting her because she asked him to. She waseverythingto him.

“A little sister who is much more capable than you ever allowed yourself to believe.”

He hated hearing this from his sister, though he was proud of her for summoning enough courage to admit how she truly felt about their relationship.

“Are you?” From what he knew, she spent most of her days locked in her room. Though the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if that was true or simply something he always assumed.

She nodded. “You have no idea. Give me a chance and I will show you how helpful I can be.”

Give her a chance? That meant putting her in danger. “No, Karina. I don’t think so.”

She shrugged, not seeming bothered by his refusal. “I thought you’d say that, but I think you’ll regret it. I have something that you might needverybadly.”

He jerked his head back. Could it be? Her self-assurance, a trait he didn’t often see on his sister, led him to believe she was speaking the truth.

Curious, he asked, “What’s that? Honestly, I’m a bit confused.” How could sweet Karina have procured something he needed, something he hadn’t procured himself yet?

“Maybe you don’t understand because you spent so much time protecting me that you didn’t spend much time getting to know me.”

Her words hit him.Hard.He never thought of their relationship that way. He thought he was only helping her all these years. Maybe she was right, he was so busy protecting her that he missed out on building a friendship with her. “I haven’t?”

She shook her head, and he slumped down.Another thing I’ve failed at in life.“I’m sorry,” he told her.

“Don’t be. We’re immortal, aren’t we? You have lifetimes to make it up to me. Literally. But please stop underestimating me.”

“Underestimate you?” Darius loved her, but he didn’t believe he ever underestimated her. Then again, when did he ever believe she was capable of helping him?

Never.

“Yes. For example, you don’t see what I do, what I see, and what I hear everyday because you never ask me. You’ve blinded yourself with what I’m incapable of so much that you’ve never looked at what I’m capable of. Darius, I grew up a long time ago. It’s time you accept that.” Her words hit him. They were powerful.

He wished she didn’t wait so long to approach him about this. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t believe me. But now someone we both care about is in need, and you need my help to get to her.”

Was it possible she could help? He didn’t see the harm in asking her how. “Can you bring me to her?”

“Absolutely.”

“How?” Darius’ breathing quickened. Was it possible Karina was going to help him when he needed it most, rather than him helping her when she needed it?

A mischievous grin spread across her face as she dug into her pocket and pulled something out, dangling it from her hands. “With the keys to Eva’s cell, of course.”

Chapter Thirty

Eva Maas

Eva stared at the empty tray of food beside her, her stomach grumbling. She finished that food over a day ago. Yet there it remained, taunting her.

“Uhh,”she groaned, digging her fingers into her stomach as if that would somehow reduce the hunger pangs she felt.

Between the lack of food and lack of any blanket to sleep with, Eva didn’t know what was worse - starving to death or freezing to death.

These cells gave off no source of heat. On the other hand, there was plenty areas where cold air burst in through tiny crevices in the walls. Considering how high up in the mountains this fortress was, saying it wasfreezingwas not being over dramatic.

It was beyond freezing.

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