“There’s no need to be so hostile,” Ember growled. “I come in peace and all that. Truly.” She held her hands out, opening herself even more to an attack. “I’m not here for revenge.”
If nothing else about this encounter were suspicious, then that would be. What kind of sister, what kind oftwin, wouldn’t seek revenge for the murder of her beloved brother? Myreluctance must have shown on my face because she sighed andsaton the fucking ground like a child at circle time. Criss-cross applesauce and all.
“I was close with my brother.” Her voice was low, full of hurt, but I heard her clearly enough. “And trust me when I say the person responsible for his deathwillbe punished… but it isn’t you or the heir you guard that I hold in that debt.”
“Keep talking.”
She snorted, but continued, “As I said, I was close with my brother, and I knew he held the Alantes heir in high regard. Enough to meet with him and the others of like-minded temperament, outside of the tribunal’s knowledge. So I know he wouldn’t have instigated a fight with Kaiden Alantes without reason. Not unless it was his only option.”
I gave her a brief nod. Kai and I had come to the same conclusion. It was why we hadn’t intended to kill him in the first place, only stop him, and why we carried such guilt over that night. Dalton wasn’t exactly a friend, but he was definitely an ally, and he was missed. The animosity fled my body as the feeling of danger passed. I believed her. And that was before she handed me the envelope.
“I found this note my brother left for me. It details how Kol Von Bauer was manipulating and blackmailing him with threats to my safety. Dalton would do anything to protect me,” she swallowed and true grief shined in her gaze. “Haddone all he could. I owe it to him to pick up where he left off in terms of our people. I will strive to be the best heir I possibly can, and that starts with making sure assholes like the Van Bauer’s don’t rule the tribunal.”
I felt her conviction and already plans were forming in my mind of how she could fill the hole her brother left, but it was still suspicious that she sought me out instead of Kai. Therewould be a few trials in her future, but if she was as loyal as she claimed, she would make her brother proud, I was sure.
When I tried to hand her back the note, she shook her head. “Keep it. It’s more proof that Kaiden wasn’t at fault for Dalton’s death, should you need it.”
We most definitely would. Kol’s father wasn’t backing down despite the video evidence of self-defense and his son’s obvious mental deterioration. “Why come to me instead of Kaiden?” I asked, too curious to play the long game and figure out the answer myself.
“The witch heir is volatile right now,” she explained. “He has a new bonded mate and would undoubtedly feel threatened by me. I know he and his bonded are due back at the tribunal soon for the traditional ceremonies, and I wanted to set up communication beforehand. I trust you to carry on the message.”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment of that trust. It wasn’t a light thing she was leaving me with. The proof of her brother’s manipulation when he attacked Eryn was also enough evidence to damn the rest of us in the eyes of the tribunal. She was handing over all her leverage.
She finally stood, slowly and with careful movements. Brushing the dirt off her pants, she met my gaze once more, fangs fully tucked away this time.
“Tell your heir he can reach me through the same channels he did my brother, should he need. There is trouble on the horizon, Alantes, for all of us. We need to be prepared.”
And with that lovely foreboding warning, she tipped her head and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving me with a whole host of questions and a serious need to put eyes on Rani.
My duty warred with my heart. I knew it was my responsibility to get this information to Kai straight away. Every moment of delay could cost us, but there was a tug in my chestthat drew me to the cliffside and the trail that led down to the beach. Rani was in as much danger as the rest of us, though she didn’t know it.
There was enough turmoil surrounding her that we’d hardly had a chance to explain the basics of being a supernatural, let alone tell her one of the most powerful families in our world still had it out for her. And now that she was a siren? There was a giant ass list of things she needed to learn.
Was this what it was like for my cousin once he learned of his bond? This overwhelming, constant war between my instincts and rational thought. How was I supposed to make intelligent decisions like this? Fuck!
Deciding to give in for once, I left the shadows of the trees and stalked down the trail toward the student reserved section of the beach. My obsession with Rani started when I first laid eyes on her, and I thought it was because she turned me down. Women didn’t do that. They clawed at me, begged me, threw themselves at my damn feet just to have a sliver of my attention. But this one? She told me to fuck off in every type of way.
And I would have listened had she not mixed it in with a whole bunch of other signals. There was no doubt that she thought little of me and what had once been described as my “whoremongering ways”, but there was a spark of interest that even she couldn’t deny. It was always push and pull with Rani. Flirting and insulting in the same breath. A scowl followed by the most devastating smile.
She flipped my world upside down, and that was when she was fully human and the lure of the bond wasn’t even at full strength. I was drawn to her, always, like a tether, and my decision to give in to its pull released some of the strain I’d been carrying since the morning I found her on this very beach.
Worry grew in the pit of my stomach at the sight before me. The Kappa sorority was having an end-of-semester party, sothat explained my bond’s presence. But Rani avoided all talk or mention of the beach since her change. And I knew she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t have to be.
The thought of her lost in a panic attack while her clueless and less-than-loyal sisters partied around her was enough to push me from the parking lot and onto the sand. I probably wasn’t welcome here, but that wouldn’t stop me. I finally spotted her on the edge of the crowd, looking so out of place it hurt.
She held a cup in her hand, wore a sundress short enough that one foul breeze would make me punch someone, and her hair tied up in a bun. Anyone who glanced at her would think she fit right in. But they weren’t looking close enough. Her free arm was wrapped around her waist in a protective embrace as she tried to dodge those dancing closest to her. She avoided touch like it was a knife stabbing at her rather than the brush of an arm or hand.
Fuck, it’s worse than I thought.
The fear in her body language was obvious, and the anger that not a single person here noticed was enough to get me moving again. The closer I got, the more I saw. The purple under her eyes was a telling sign, and she looked thinner than before. I knew she had trouble sleeping, thanks to my daily check-ins with Eryn, but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad.
The sand swallowed my steps, making moving difficult when I had to dodge roaming hands and the drunk co-eds finally taking notice of me. I winced at the fact that I’d already slept with most of them, and I tried not to focus on it. Rani was all I cared about. The music was too loud for me to call out, so when I drew close enough for her to catch sight of me, she fell back in surprise.
Not exactly the reaction I was going for. Her gray eyes widened, highlighting her sooty lashes as they lifted toward her brows. Something deep inside my chest gave a hard jerk. Thescowl on her face told me she felt it too. Gone was the forlorn cloud that hung over her only moments ago. My spitfire was back, and the glare she leveled at me sent sparks straight to my cock.
“Go away,” she growled. “This event is Greek only.”
I snorted. Like I was ever denied entry to these things. “No can do, babe. You and I need to talk.”
