Chapter 42
Bait
I sit in Bradan’s lap in the living room of the suite we’ve been sharing on the pack grounds. “Brother,” Dagger says and nods as he appears with a tiny brown-skinned redhead at his side.
She sort of looks like Seraphina, but I can see the differences. The brown skin, her kind eyes, and her wild curls are just a few. If I didn’t know they were sisters beforehand, I might not have made the connection.
“It shouldn’t have taken an entire day for you to arrive,” Bradan says to the woman.
“That’s on me,” Dagger replies.
“You didn’t have to make the trip with her,” Bradan says.
“All due respect, brother, I felt like I did.”
“Nori, it’s good to see you. You do understand this is no punishment to you. Your sister has pushed me too far and this ends now.”
Nori bows her head. “I owe my life to you and the brotherhood. Your brothers specifically have gone to great lengths to secure my safety when none of you had to. I love my sister, but I warned her many times that coveting you would bring her nothing but trouble and heartache.”
“Speaking of hearts. I have acquired something of yours from your people’s prince. Once I have your sister, it will be yours,” Bradan says, causing me to look at him.
Bradan has a hard, unyielding look on his face. He’s been in a mood since my run in with Seraphina. He seems to be in a darker mood than usual.
I look to Nori as she speaks nervously. “Oh no, does this mean he will come after me?”
Bradan tilts his head. “Of course not. Not unless he wants to die. Once I hand over your heart, it is yours. There will be no need to hide, and Dagger can release the magical seals he has placed around you. You are still under our protection.”
I look between the two as I try to figure out what the heck they are talking about. How can someone have someone else’s heart? What exactly is going on here?
“It’s a long story. She was promised to the cruel fire fairy prince. He had a spell created to trap her heart to keep her obedient. Seraphina freed her from the royal palace in the fairy realm, but she couldn’t retrieve her heart. Dagger has been blocking the spell to seal Nori off from the magic so that she didn’t feel whatever the prince did to the heart in the pendant I now own,” Bradan explains through our link.
“Oh,” I reply as if it makes any type of sense to me.
“And what of my sister?” Nori whispers.
“She has forfeited her life. She will not survive her punishment.”
Tears begin to spill from Nori’s eyes. I wish I could find it in me to feel sympathy for her and her sister, but I can’t. While I do feel bad about what happened between Nori and the prince, her sister doesn’t deserve my pity or an ounce of mourning for her.
“I wish to tell her something before you kill her. I think she should know the truth,” Nori says.
“I will grant you this one request, but if I sense you are trying to help or warn her, it will be your life as well,” Bradan says.
I notice that Dagger flinches, but he remains quiet. There is so much tension in the air at the moment. I get the feeling there’s a lot more I’m missing here.
“I understand. I only wish to tell her something our family should have told us both a long time ago.”
“I will take my leave. Kendrick needs me back at the clubhouse,” Dagger says before reaching to give Nori’s hand a squeeze. “Be safe. I will see you back at the clubhouse when this is all over.”
“I will see you then.”