Page 69 of Fated to be Enemies

My sister’s breath hitched, no longer playfully teasing with her assumptions. She knew how serious this was and how complex things could get. “Oh shit, you’re not . . . was it Markus? Please, no . . .”

“That got your attention.” I chuckled. “And no, Markus was kept . . . away.” Now that I’d said that, I didn’t know where he was. Or if he was out yet. Did he know the entire ordeal had passed? “So I never saw him. But things have gotten slightly complicated around here.”

“Yeah, we heard all about it.” I was glad I warned them before they heard it from members of Fire and Fluorite. They would know the truth. It wasn’t hard for them to figure out, especially considering Adora’s presence when I was exiled. “Believe me, it continues to cause quite the uproar on this side.”

I cursed under my breath. “How bad? Are you guys okay?”

“Pssh,” she responded. “Nothing we can’t handle.”

But I heard a flicker in her voice. I knew there was something she wasn’t saying. Before all of this, I had spoken to my sister every day since the moment we could talk. Even on days we’d fought, even when we’d been mad at each other—we’d never shut each other out completely. I knew her sounds, her inflections, and tones.

“Adora,” I started, letting a moment pass between my words. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She sighed, sending a crackle through the phone as the air hit the receiving end. “We’ve always been targets. You know this. It was just that we tried to fade into the background. Now we’re front and center because of everything that happened. We’re constantly watched. Tracked. Getting a secure line to you was hard, but I found the magic I needed on my last trip to No Man’s Land. It’s just . . . you know how it goes.”

“Rowe?” I asked.

“Safe for now.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Mom and Abbey?”

“They’re with other members of the Inland pack right now. Just setting up potential safe houses in case . . .”

My jaw dropped. Mathis would never allow them to leave his pack. For my mom to be willing to leave our home . . . things would have to be dire. That simple act spoke volumes about the instability of their situation. Inland was the pack Abbey was from, just one of the many under the protection and rule of Fire and Fluorite. No matter what happened, they would always be loyal to my family.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. Guilt washed over me. My family was suffering. They were in danger because of me. I was safely tucked away in Blood and Beryl while they had become the target of Mathis and his wrath. “This is all my fault. I should have just?—”

“Stop,” my sister ordered, the firm and harsh set of her voice leaving no room for argument. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. There is no world that exists where this is your fault. There is no world where Mom and Abbey and I would have wanted you to accept Markus as your mate. To live that life. You deserve better than that, and if for one second you’ve started to believe otherwise, you’ve lost yourself, sister. That’s not who you are.”

I huffed through my nose, my eyes welling with unshed tears. “No. It’s not.”

“We’ll manage. Have a little faith. Mom might get a little weepy at times, but she’s powerful, and she knows how to survive. You’re both fighters.”

“So are you,” I reminded her.

“Oh, I know I am,” she said. “Never have been one to stay in line, have I?”

I snorted. “Must be a peacock thing.”

“Pretty sure it’s just a Kresley thing.”

I barked a laugh, missing the back and forth between us. The silence spanned for several moments, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. “You know, I think you’d like it here,” I said, changing the subject. “It’s a lot like home. A lot of the same trees. Similar smells. It rains about as often. It’s not all that bad. Elias is going to find a way to get you all here when things settle. I promise.”

“Sounds tempting. How’s the other scenery?” she asked, and I could imagine her waggling her eyebrows. “Anybody at court worth courting?”

“I haven’t looked, to be honest,” I admitted. And it was true. I’d really only been focused on Elias. I knew I didn’t have options, so I hadn’t been looking around.

“What’s he like?”

“Elias?” I asked. She hummed in response. “Not what you’d expect. On the one hand, I absolutely see where he gets his reputation from. The rumors aren’t exaggerated. I wouldn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of his anger. On the flip side, he’s actually thoughtful and genuine. And . . . nice. I don’t know what else to say. I enjoy spending time with him.”

“Oh wow,” Adora mused. “You have feelings for him. I can hear it in your voice.”

And there it was. The truth.

“I . . . yeah, there’s something there, I think. It’s so complicated, I don’t know what to do with it all.” I scratched my nail against the stone wall surrounding the pond. “And then with the heat?—”

“Wait. You and Elias? While you were in heat?” Adora’s shock wasn’t contained as part of her question squeaked out toward the end.

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