Chapter 44
The figure took a step closer to the cell bars, and the light from the window hit his face.
Patrick was so similar to Declan if you didn’t look deeper.
He had that same white-blond hair, but his was peppered with gray now.
Fair skin. Gray eyes. But those eyes held an evil in them I’d seen from the beginning.
I wasn’t shocked it was him holding me. Nothing he did would shock me at this point. But my stomach twisted at the memory Cillian shared with us. What Patrick had done to his mother and him.
“What? No hello? No curtsy?” Patrick chided with a sneer.
“I only bow to rightful kings, and you’ll be replaced in a matter of weeks.”
His eyes flashed that molten silver. “Watch your tongue, girl. I can make your stay here easy or very, very painful.”
A sound came from behind Patrick. It was so faint it barely registered. But Patrick whirled.
I could just make out the side of his face as he took in the other individual. Patrick struggled to fix his expression to something…warmer. “Lights, please, Niall.”
A second later, low lights flickered, illuminating the space. I recognized the two guards Patrick always had with him. The tall, blond, Viking-like figure was the one who’d turned on the lights. Niall. But my gaze was instantly pulled back to the fourth figure.
Connor.
His shoulders were hunched. His face was pale. He wouldn’t even look at me.
Patrick slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a warrior now. A true hero. Our clan will be praising you for years to come.”
Connor bobbed his head in a slight nod but didn’t say anything.
Patrick squeezed that shoulder, hard. “You have honored me.”
Connor’s gaze lifted at that, hope in his eyes.
I wanted to be sick. He believed Patrick, hook, line, and sinker.
The dragon king grinned down at Connor. “I’ll be recommending you for guard training at our next horde meeting.”
“Really?” Connor asked, a true smile stretching across his lips.
“Of course.” Patrick gave him one more hard slap. “Go on now, and keep me up to date on everything those mongrels are up to.”
Connor dipped his head. “Of course.”
Mongrels.
He was talking about my mates. The loves of my life.
Connor’s gaze caught mine, and I glared at him. “I hope Trace locks you in the basement and removes each of your fingernails one by one. Then I hope he moves on to your organs.”
Connor went pale, swallowing hard.
Patrick let out a bellowing laugh. “I guess she does have a backbone after all.” He jerked his chin at Connor. “Go.”
Connor didn’t waste a second. He hurried out of the dungeon like the hounds of hell were on his heels.
I glared daggers at his disappearing back, wishing there was some way I could send a mental message to the guys that there was a traitor in their midst.
“We’re not so different, you and I,” Patrick said coolly.
My head snapped in his direction. “We’re nothing alike.”
He made a tsking sound. “We’re both determined to keep the people we love safe. We’re willing to do anything to make that possible.”
“There isn’t a soul on this earth that you love,” I shot back.
Patrick shook his head as if he pitied me. “That simply isn’t true. I love all my people. My clan. I’d do anything for them.”
I stared directly into the psychopath’s face. “Like rape and murder.”
He jerked slightly, his eyes flaring. “Never.”
“That’s not what I heard,” I challenged.
Rage pulsed through Patrick’s expression, and he struggled to keep his voice even. “Then someone is trying to sully my good reputation.”
I snorted. His lying needed work.
Patrick’s teeth gnashed together. “I’m trying to make sure that we can live as we should. To make sure we’re protected from outside sources. The Assembly has grown weak. They aren’t looking out for our best interests.”
I blinked at him. “And let me guess. You’d be much better at making those decisions?”
A grin spread across his face. “Of course, I would. I’ve proven what a successful leader I can be.”
The blond guard to his right, Niall, shifted slightly. I swore there was the briefest flicker of rage in his expression, but it vanished within a single breath.
“I’ve built my army to be the strongest of the clans,” Patrick went on.
“Being a leader isn’t just about military strength,” I argued.
He laughed as if I’d just told the most hilarious joke. “Said like a true woman.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying what I truly wanted. “Said like someone who sees people as more than pawns.”
Patrick shrugged. “There will always be those who must be sacrificed for the greater good.”
My stomach wrenched in a vicious twist. This was truly how he saw the people he was supposed to love and care for. As simply tools to get what he wanted. More power. But when he reached the next level, that wouldn’t be enough either. No amount of power would ever fulfill him.
“You don’t have the numbers,” I warned. “The supernaturals of Emerald Bay will stand against you.”
I knew they would. The second they saw what Patrick was up to, even the vamps would join in.
Patrick chuckled, low and throaty. “Oh, Leighton. I don’t need the numbers. I have something so much better.”