Page 4 of Midnight Deception

ChapterTwo

Had I not been leaning against the wall, I would have fallen as black spots flash across my vision and dizziness threatens to overwhelm me. The burning in my chest reminds me that I need to breathe, and I take a huge, gasping breath as I stare at Kano, my brother.

Half-brother, I correct. There’s nothing about him that’s werewolf, meaning he shares my witch blood and nothing else—at least, if what he’s saying is true, and I’m not inclined to believe someone who just abducted me. A niggling feeling in the back of my mind tells me Iknowhim, though, and I have no explanation for that.

In the arena before they took me, I hadn’t had much chance to take him in, and now that some of the shock has worn off, I skim my eyes over him, looking for any family resemblance.

He’s tall but slim in build, like a runner, and his plain black shirt reveals his pale skin and heavily tattooed arms. The rest of his outfit is dark and gives away nothing about him, so I move my gaze up to his face. His hair is dark, and his jaw is clean-shaven, but I’m taken aback by his eyes, my own widening in surprise—lilac, just like mine. I’d forgotten this detail about him, and could have been forgiven for mistaking the colour given the situation, but there’s no denying it now.

I get that sense of recognition again that I first felt in the arena, but I know that before today, I’ve never met this male. His lilac eyes watch me with the same scrutiny that I’m giving him, curiosity lighting his expression. I get the impression he wanted to come in here cool and collected, but now that he’s seen me, there’s a slight crack in his confident mask. If what he’s saying is true, then how long has he known about me?

His gaze darkens as he takes in my torn clothes and obviously injured ankle. “She’s injured.” The mood in the room instantly changes, the atmosphere cooling as he slowly turns to the beautiful female. “You didn’t send for a healer?” His disapproval is obvious from the edge in his words, and I can practically feel his anger from the opposite end of the room.

I feel sick, my chest tight with how nervous I am. I’m on high alert, the sudden change only making me more uncertain than I was before. However, the female doesn’t even flinch at his tone. Perhaps this behaviour from him isn’t unusual. There’s definitely a difference in hierarchy here, and Kano seems to be the senior of the two.

She steps forward and nods towards me, her voice even as she replies, “I offered, Kano. She declined.”

It looks like he’s about to say something again, his brows lowering. Something pulses in my chest, and before I know it, I’m taking a small step forward.

“I’m fine. It’s not her fault.”

They both turn to stare at me, shock lining their faces. However, no one is as surprised as I am. Why did I just speak up for one of the people who stole me away from my family? Myrealfamily? Silence falls over us for several moments, none of us moving. We look like stunned statues. If the situation wasn’t as it was, I’d laugh.

Kano snorts, breaking the spell we’re under with a shake of his head. “I wish Atlas was here to see that. He’ll never believe me when I tell him that a wolf just stood up for a witch.”

I don’t think he’s talking to me, and when he shoots the female a look, my suspicions are confirmed as she gives him a crooked half-smile. This gives me a small reprieve to pull myself together. My heart is still pounding in my chest, and my nerves are rapidly fraying. Being so disconnected from my wolf and mates causes my carefully constructed barriers to unravel.

“Why am I here?” I bark, drawing their attention back to me. I don’t understand their lack of urgency. Supposedly, I’m their enemy, yet here they are, standing around as if they have all the time in the world.

There’s a hint of sympathy in the female’s gaze, as if she understands my frustration, but it’s not her I focus on. Kano is the one in charge here, that’s becoming abundantly clear, so he’s whom I’m going to get the answers from. Meeting his gaze, I let my determination shine in my eyes, praying that my fear doesn’t show through.

Surprise flashes across his face, but it’s gone so quickly I could have imagined it, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He hums in the back of his throat. “The queen wishes to see you.” He raises a hand to stop my onslaught of questions. “She will explain everything, and any questions you have afterwards will be explained by one of us.”

That’s why I’m here, because their queen wants to see me? There’s more to it than that, I’m sure, but this is the only information I have, and I feel indignant.

“You stole me away from my mates, from my people, because your queen wants to see me.” Anger laces my words, my hands balling into fists at my sides as my fear morphs into something else. I keep waiting for my wolf to wake in my chest, for the dark presence that dwells within me to raise and punish them, but I’m left feeling hollow. It takes everything in me not to press my hand against my chest where the silent bond resides. Instead, I focus on my anger. “You couldn’t have waited for the trial to end and take me to see the queen afterwards?” Baring my teeth, I snarl, strands of my red hair falling into my face, making me look savage, but I don’t care.

“No,” I continue without mirth. “You took me in the most dramatic way possible that would cause the most distress to my people. Instead of tracking me down in the evening and asking me to come with you, you stole me away, knowing exactly what damage that would cause.” I’m practically vibrating with energy, the consequences of their actions slamming into me. “This could cause a war between our people.”

“We’re already at war, Laelia!” Kano shouts, his voice echoing around the room as his face twists into an expression of frustration.

I drop into a defensive position, my lips pulling back over my teeth at his show of anger and the flare of static that causes the hair on my arms to stand on end. He either doesn’t see it or doesn’t care, continuing with a sharp gesture.

My eyes flick to the female, whose expression is grim, but she doesn’t move from her position or voice her own opinion. Sensing that she’s not a threat right now, I look back at the most dangerous person in the room—my supposed half-brother.

“Would you have come with us? If we’d waited and asked you, would you have left them all behind?” he demands, not bothering to wait for a verbal answer before continuing, as he can clearly see the answer on my face. “It’s taken us decades to track you down, Laelia,” he explains, some of the anger slipping from his posture as he frowns, shaking his head slowly. “When we finally did, you were in danger. We had to act.”

He wants me to believe him, and to my surprise, I do. At least, I believe that hethinkshe was doing the right thing. I suppose to an outsider who didn’t understand our customs, the werewolf trials would look brutal—and they would be right. However, I’m sure Kano had additional motives beyond just stepping in to help me out of the goodness of his heart, and that’s what I need to discover.

“Besides,” he says with an arch of his brow, his lips quirking up into a half-smile as his mood seems to shift once more. “The queen doesn’t wait for anyone.” Abruptly looking down at his watch, he claps his hands together, the static magic surrounding us instantly disappearing. “Speaking of which, we need to go. Are you ready?”

I stare at the male, wary of his rapidly shifting moods. I also can’t deny that although I’m afraid, I know I’m relatively safe in this room. Outside those doors, I don’t have that guarantee, and the unknown is so much worse. This mysterious queen that they all serve must be powerful indeed if she has this much control over the witches, and that makes her dangerous.

With more bravado than I feel, I raise my chin and cross my arms over my chest as though meeting the Queen of Witches is something that doesn’t terrify me. “Do I have a choice?”

His jaw tightens, and over his shoulder I see the female shake her head ever so subtly, a silent warning not to push him on this. That tells me everything I need to know. If I don’t follow them, he’ll find a way to force me from this room. Well, I won’t be dragged kicking and screaming. I have more dignity than that.

Pushing away from the wall, I roll my shoulders back and hold my head high. “You better lead the way then.”

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