Chapter 14 #3
In his eyes was a barely contained storm, and I usually would fight his command. But I was tired. Either he was taking advantage of my weakness, or he was so far gone in his anger that he didn’t notice.
I froze, unable to move as I stared at him.
“What happened?” His tone cut into me like a knife, and my breath hitched. “How the hell did you go from being with Kieran, to living in a trafficking ring? What did they do to you?”
“Now that’s just too far!” Brayden had gotten to his feet and grabbed Bryce’s shoulder. “Can’t you see that she’s upset?”
“Of course she’s upset.” Bryce released me and brushed Brayden’s hand away. “And I want to know why so we can fix it.”
But what was the point of rehashing the past? I wasn’t in that situation any longer; I’d moved on the best way I could.
I was trying not to be a victim.
So why couldn’t everyone let it go?
They argued. Brayden continued to express concern, and Bryce refused to budge. However, it didn’t matter who won because I couldn’t answer anyway. There was simply no way.
I stared at them as the last threads of my composure stretched to a breaking point.
Titus had once told me that Bryce would stop at nothing to bring down his enemies. From the deathly expression currently on his face, I believed it. And even though Brayden was arguing with him, he also radiated murderous intent .
He wouldn’t push me. But he held just as much anger as his brother.
The two of them hid their ferocity behind masks of indifference and joviality, but when the facade fell, and their patience wore thin, the result was terrifying.
But, simultaneously, my heart began to pound for another reason.
They were angry for me . Their bloodlust was thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.
That feeling was present on my behalf.
I wasn’t sure what to think about this development.
Their emotional investment was almost as heartwarming as Titus’s offer to bring me Mr. Richards’s spine—much less disgusting too.
I mean, what kind of offering was that? What would it accomplish?
It was much more practical to trap your enemies into soul contracts where they had no choice but to do your bidding forever and always. In such situations, vengeance would be eternal.
Still, it had been sweet of Titus to offer.
The door slammed open, rattling the tinted windows.
Titus stormed into the greenhouse, his fierce expression highlighted by the knot of hair at the base of his skull and the grease smudged across his unshaven jaw.
His eyes locked on to mine, and before Bryce or Brayden could react, Titus crossed the room and pulled me to his side.
“What’s wrong?” He ran his warm hands down my arms, and the chill lingering on my skin faded. “Did they do something stupid?” His voice ended in a growl, and his eyes flashed dangerously as his focus moved over the room .
Bryce made a sound, but I shifted, clutching the ring tightly against my chest, which drew the dragon’s attention back to me.
“It’s okay,” I managed. “But I think they’re going to kill people.”
The air was thick with tension, but I wasn’t afraid anymore. My skin grew warmer as a strange, giddy sensation electrified my nerves.
The anger dropped from Titus’s expression, curiosity leaking into its place. Even so, he continued to run his hands down my arms as his gaze remained locked on the two brothers.
“And that makes you pleased?” he asked.
His question snapped my attention back to the present, and the feeling vanished.
“No!” What kind of question was that? I wasn’t a monster. “Of course not!”
“Oh.” Titus rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly disappointed. “I could have sworn…” he started, but his words trailed off. “What were you happy about then?”
I glanced back at Bryce and Brayden. They had finished their argument and were now looking at us. My skin heated, and I turned back toward Titus, burying my face in his chest.
It was too embarrassing to say.
“It doesn’t matter,” Titus said. “I heard arguing. Are you sure everything is okay? What were you talking about?”
My breath caught, and I swayed slightly.
I’d completely forgotten that we’d been discussing Kieran .
It was such a slight reaction, but he noticed. He drew closer, holding me against him. With my face pressed against his chest, I could feel his pounding heartbeat, and when he spoke next, his tone had become menacing. “What did you do?”
“It’s okay,” I said, interrupting Bryce and Brayden before they could respond. “They were just asking questions… about Kieran. ”
Titus stiffened, and the world shifted in a flurry of movement. His hands gripped my forearms, and his face lowered close to mine. There was a hint of panic in the depths of his green eyes. “You know Kieran?”
I nodded, words escaping me. Why did he seem stunned?
“It’s such a coincidence. Kieran raised her until his death, apparently,” Bryce interjected.
There was a note of hesitance at the end of his statement, and Titus narrowed his eyes at the other man. “But…?”
Bryce shrugged. “Did you know he escaped from Whisperwind after Bianca was born? Who would have thought he’d have taken her?”
Titus growled. “You knew he had her!”
“It couldn’t be helped.” Bryce waved his hand in the air. “It’d been easy for him to fall through the cracks.”
“I would have protected her,” Titus protested.
“At seven years old?” Bryce rolled his eyes. “You were barely old enough to shift.”
“Why are you opening up now?” Titus asked, stepping between me and my brothers. “You wouldn’t talk about it before.”
“We swore an oath,” Bryce said. “But we’re not breaking any rules. Besides, we’re only talking about Kieran.”
“Technically.” Brayden nodded.
“ Whisperwind was dangerous for Kieran as a mixed breed,” Bryce continued. “He was safer away from the fae.”
“Also technically true,” Brayden interjected again. “As an Unseelie in the Seelie court and trained by shifters, Kieran never really fit in. Beyond the prophecy, there’s the issue of court rivalries. Anyone with mixed blood was at risk.”
“Stop acting like this is about Kieran,” Titus said sharply. “We already know about your family’s background.”
“It’s the same for Kieran,” Bryce pointed out .
“Mixed blood?” I asked.
“Our mother was a Stephens,” Bryce said, as if that explained everything.
I glared at him. That didn’t mean anything to me.
Brayden sighed and clarified, “Our great-grandfather was Unseelie and married into the Seelie court. Our grandfather and Uncle Gregory, who is technically our great-uncle, are half-bloods.”
“What about Mr. Weaver?” I asked, noticing they hadn’t mentioned him. Wasn’t he Dr. Stephens’s brother?
“Uncle Caleb has a different mother. He’s completely Unseelie,” Brayden explained. “Some fae are very particular about blood purity. The Xing family has always been Seelie, so if Mu were born with Unseelie blood, some would see it as a curse.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, Unseelie are thought to have a more aggressive nature than the Seelie,” Bryce said, almost dismissive. “They say we have frightening imaginations and tempestuous tempers. But I can’t imagine where they’d get that idea.”
I nodded. That seemed like a silly thing to be afraid of. I certainly didn’t fit that description.
“It does explain quite a bit,” Titus mused. “Though some of it might be more about personality. You always did straddle the lines between the courts.”
“Hey!” I pushed my hand against Titus’s chest, glaring up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” Titus stroked my hair, and for an instant, time stopped. The adoring look in his eyes caused my heart to race and my cheeks to heat. “You’re perfect the way you are. You understand me.”
“Oh, gag.” Brayden stomped past us. “It’s bad enough when it’s Damen, but we laugh at his expense. But this is nauseating. You’re not supposed to know how to flirt.”
Titus grinned.
“How did Kieran die?” Bryce asked, returning to the original topic.
The question cut through the air, and Brayden stopped mid-step, turning to glare at Bryce. “She already said she didn’t know,” Brayden snapped. “Do you not understand anything about sensitivity?”
“She said she didn’t see his body,” Bryce countered. “That’s not the same thing. But fine, I’ll drop it.” He glanced at me, his gaze lingering on my closed fist. “In the meantime, put the ring on,” he added. “It’ll help discourage unwanted attention when you return to campus.”
My attention turned to my fist, and I opened my hand to look at it. “Why would this discourage anyone?”
There was a pregnant pause, and I glanced up. Titus was eyeing Bryce.
“It works,” Bryce argued, shrugging. “Unless you have a better idea.”
Titus narrowed his eyes and glanced at me. His expression softened slightly. “No,” he said, raising his hand to touch my cheek. “It’s better than nothing. I dislike the idea of her going on campus in general.”
“You don’t want me to go to school?” This was surprising. He had been most insistent about my attending classes.
“Miles’s idea is actually brilliant. Right now, the more visible you make your ‘marriage,’ the safer you’ll be.” His mouth curled in the corner. “No one there is going to risk angering Bryce. I do want you to go to school. This is a good solution, and things will get worse before they get better. ”
“It is going to be a pain in the ass,” Brayden agreed. “No matter what.”
Despite his words, Titus’s eyes were still conflicted. The look made my heart twist guiltily. I was making him worry.
What was I doing?
Of course, there was a solution that would resolve his fears about school. But should I suggest it?
I wasn’t sure.
All I knew was that if I went that route, I would have to rethink everything I’d planned. But considering the changes in my life lately, would that be the end of the world?