Chapter 10
Nelle
It didn’t take long before we were striding out of the day market and blinking into the harsh late afternoon sun edging the low-rises of the red-brick district.
Sweltering heat wrapped around me like a muggy blanket, and fat beads of sweat gathered at the nape of my neck.
Caidan and I walked side by side toward the bustling street, the jarring noise of traffic swelling around us.
By the time my toes met the curb, his convoy had double-parked right in front of us.
Car horns blared in fury until the bodyguards deployed and turned their severe glares on the traffic held up behind us.
I studied Caidan’s profile as he scanned the city street.
Unlike Graysen’s usual uniform of jeans and t-shirts, Caidan was dressed for a different kind of battle, one held in boardrooms and elegant surroundings.
He wore a fine navy suit, formal with a debonair red tie and gold cufflinks catching the sunlight.
He hadn’t dressed like this just to deliver a weapons bag.
I popped a hand onto my hip. “What were you intending to do in the city?”
All the tiny hairs on my arms prickled in irritation at the thought he might’ve dressed up for a girl.
Definitely not my sister. Not after she’d slapped him after he’d told her most of the truth.
I flicked my fingers at his tailored suit.
“You seem rather overdressed for returning your brother’s weapons. ”
Caidan’s gaze slid sideways and he raised an eyebrow. The shopping bags crinkled as he shifted them all to one hand. “I have an appointment later,” he replied vaguely.
Before I could push for more information, the driver in her smart black uniform arrived and opened the limousine door.
I didn’t wait for Caidan. This was my right as Wychthorn, and it had been ingrained in me from birth that I led and others followed.
Ducking in, I lowered myself onto a quilted leather seat.
This was the first time I’d been in a limousine since that morning with Danne, and a burst of anxiety punched through my chest. Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the panic down with slow, steady breaths.
Caidan entered a moment later, settling onto the rear seat and placing the shopping bags by his polished brown shoes.
The driver shut the door, sealing out the city noise, and soft music flowed through the speakers.
Caidan crossed his legs, angling himself to stare through the tinted windows as the limousine pulled into the traffic.
Buckling up, I smoothed the pale-yellow skirt over my knees and folded my hands on my lap as I sized Caidan up. We had a long drive ahead of us. Plenty of time to make him squirm and then force him into helping me.
Caidan differed from his brother in both looks and manner.
Graysen was darker, broody, and sullen, while Caidan always carried a lightness about him, easy to smile with a mischievous sparkle in his violet eyes.
As I considered whether I could twist him into removing the collar from my neck, I let my gaze run over his brawnier build, the broader planes of his face, and the dimples ghosting a lazy smile.
Deep down, I knew what he felt for Evvie was real.
It might have started out differently, him seeking her friendship with betrayal at its roots, but it had ended in truth.
He cared greatly for my sister. Unfortunately, like Graysen, he didn’t care deeply enough to put an end to his family’s plans for me.
First, I wanted to start at the beginning and learn more about his relationship with Evvie. The leather seat groaned as I relaxed back and tapped a finger on the armrest. “How long have you been friends with my sister?”
He blinked, startled by my bluntness, and double-checked to see if the privacy window was up. He swung his gaze to mine, staring thoughtfully. “A while now.”
“How long?” I wanted specifics. I wanted to know how long Evvie had been keeping this friendship a secret.
Caidan leaned forward and lifted a decanter from the minibar.
The cut crystal glittered as he tilted it toward me in silent offer.
Part of me desired to down the entire contents of the decanter, but I waved him off.
Alcohol might loosen his tongue, while I needed to remain sharply focused.
He shrugged at my answer and swiped a tumbler to pour himself a drink instead.
Amber liquid caught the light as he took a long pull, staring at me over the rim.
“We became friends the night you and my brother signed the Alverac,” he answered as he placed the decanter back into the minibar.
“Five years ago?” I breathed. Hurt, sharp as a barbed thorn, pierced my heart.
He took another sip, then lowered the glass to rest on his thigh. “Evvie snuck out that night. We ran into each other at the fighting pit.”
I blinked, astounded. Even I knew of the fighting pit—a place carved out beneath Ascendria’s steel foundations, where the upper ranks fought each other in bare-knuckle brawls for money and pride.
My head was awhirl with the fact that my sweet, rule-abiding sister had defied my parents and stolen out of the house, let alone gone there. “I can’t believe she did that.”
He flashed a mega-bright grin with dimpled cheeks, and a deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “She was a right mess trying to fit in with the rest of us.” His smile faded as he turned back to the window, watching the blur of buildings and faces as we swept by.
“I looked out for her that night. We hung out, and she had fun. We’ve been doing much the same ever since. ”
For five long years, she’d been sneaking out with Caidan and keeping this secret friendship from me.
Fury erupted, slashing through my veins and boiling my blood. But worse, it fucking stung. “You used her to get to me!”
Exasperation flashed in his gaze. Hurt too.
His mouth curled into a snarl as tension locked his body tight.
“Not that you or Evvie will believe me,” he ground out, “but my friendship with your sister was real. There wasn’t any deceit in it.
” He flung the hand holding the whiskey wide.
The uneven motion caused beads of amber to arc over the edge of the glass and splatter over his jacket.
“What we had together had nothing to do with you or any of this.”
Our gazes clashed, and mine burned with every inch of rage I felt. He broke first, cursing under his breath as he flicked the droplets from his jacket and slumped dejectedly against the seat. His lips pinched into a hard line as he frowned up at the curved ceiling.
When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. “Your family didn’t know about us. Neither did my father or aunt. Not even my brothers knew.”
My fingers rushed to untie the scarf around my neck, and I tugged it free to reveal Zrenyth’s rope. “Let me go.” The silk fell across my lap. “I know only a Crowther can untie this knot. Just do it, Caidan. Prove to Evvie you care for her.”
His head whipped back to mine. Torn and confused, he shifted forward as if to reach for me, then jerked his hand back. “It’s not as simple as that. My mother—”
“What about me?” I hissed, thumping a fist on the armrest. “My sister will never forgive you for what you’re going to do. Your mother won’t either!”
“Maybe… maybe not!” he whisper-hissed back.
I’m innocent in all of this—I went to shout, but his words silenced me as they rang in my head.
Maybe… maybe not.
“She’s our mother… She’ll be devastated because we’ve been put in this position.
” Scowling, he threw back his head and emptied the glass of whiskey, his throat working the fiery liquid down.
He wiped his mouth with his palm. “Maybe she’s suffered so much she’d trade places with anyone in a heartbeat…
Maybe she gave my father permission a long time ago to save her.
And to do it by any means necessary. Because maybe she’s crossed that line herself. ”
The world went quiet inside my head. “How do you know that?”
He sighed, running a hand down his face. He sounded bone-tired when he answered. “Something my father said years ago, when he was drunk and lost and in so much pain without her. I was frightened he’d be forever broken.”
I stared at him. At the anger and hurt and misery sweeping across his features. He wasn’t asking for forgiveness, nor understanding either.
“She didn’t sacrifice herself for you,” he continued in that same weary voice. “She sacrificed herself for Graysen. For my family. How far would you go to save those you loved?”
I tipped up my chin, feeling the iron truth in every inch of my body. “Further than you.”
He smiled, and it was small and sad and mirrored my own. “Exactly.”
The thing was, I didn’t need Caidan to help me.
I already had the mites.
The limousine slowed down, and I suddenly became aware that we’d been traveling uphill. The vehicle came to a rumbling standstill. I glanced through the window and frowned. Too little time had passed for us to have left Ascendria.
A moment later, the door opened. Caidan ducked out first and offered me his hand.
Warmth and strength met my fingers when I wrapped mine around his.
I climbed out of the limousine and let go to straighten my spine and breathe in the smell of the city, of greenery too, with the rushing sound of raining water from a nearby fountain.
We were at a drop-off point outside the lobby of a low-rise building.
And we weren’t alone.