“You were one of them?” Elizabeth felt the muscles in Rhys’ arm growing tense with the more this asshole shared. Soon her secrets would be all out in the open.
“The games they played did nothing more than bring out your true identity; so in reality, they did you a favor by awakening you from the damn sleep you were in…It didn’t kill Abigail. It brought her to life for the first time ever.”
“That’s not possible.” Elizabeth’s words were a breath between them. Confusion clouded her brain. Rhys took a step back, taking her with him.
“You were supposed to be told.” Evan ran his hand through his hair. “On your twenty-fifth birthday, your uncle was supposed to prepare you for what to expect when you returned to us. Shit.”
“What the hell are you talking about; I don’t have an uncle.” She screamed.
Dylan interrupted her argument. “I called Trapp. He’s on his way.”
“Abigail…”
“That is not my name!” she yelled. Something inside her snapped, and she swung, her fist making contact with Evan’s nose. She heard the crunch of his bones as his face whipped to the side. He slowly turned to face her; his glowing red eyes matched the blood from his busted lip.
“Want to play hardball?” He narrowed his eyes. “Fine. I thought it would help to ease you into this information, but no.” He rubbed his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “You, princess, are a natural-born descendant of the royal line of Jordanians. They’re a sacred breed of ancient shifters whose main mission in life is protection. You don’t haveoneanimal to call your own. They areallyours, and Iamyour guard.”
“Nice job you’re doing.” Her lips curled. She turned her back on the crazy man. She cupped Rhys’ face and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You can deal with him. I’m starved.” She winked before she sidestepped him, heading for the kitchen. She paused at the threshold and glanced over her shoulder. “You were wrong about one thing, Guardian.” The word dripped with hatred and distrust. “Rhysismy mate and is more of a protector than you’ll ever be.”
“Your father has called you home.”
She clenched the door frame at his words. Ice skirted down her spine and through her veins.
She slowly turned in place to face the liar. “My father is dead.”
“The human man who raised you is dead. He was your uncle, killed by the same people that abducted you. He’s the one that failed to explain things to you before you turned twenty-five. It’s not his royal blood coursing through your veins that gave you life.”
She ground her teeth. If Trapp didn’t get here soon, he’d be staring at a dead suspect in the women’s abductions. “I have his eyes,” she countered, her words a whisper in the quiet room. “And my mother’s temper.” Her voice was becoming louder. “There is no way that you will ever convince me that the man who raised me was not my father, so you can save your breath.” Her nostrils flared, her vision flashed red, and her nails lengthened without a shift.
“Your father was a twin. One was to be king, the other a commoner among mortal men.”
Rhys growled at the accusation, but her anger eased.
This man was mental. He was sick. That was the only explanation she could form. “Assuming this breed even exists, you’re trying to tell me that the Jordanian King let a commoner raise one of his children?”
“His only child.” He bowed and lifted his arm across his chest in a weird salute. “Princess Abigail. Your father sent you to live with his brother so you could understand exactly what you were meant to fight for. You weren’t supposed to find out until you were ready. You alone can save both of our kinds.”
“Great,” she mumbled. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but I can’t even locate three women that went missing from a nightclub, much less know how to save not one but two races. Well, go ahead and kiss your ass goodbye. We’re all doomed.” She glanced toward her mate, the one she still hadn’t legally claimed. “Rhys, I’m going to fix a sandwich and check the woods for any lingering animals. Will you tell me when Trapp arrives?”
“Max, Dylan.” He gave them a nod to follow her.
“I’ll call Marcus to open the bar.” Dylan’s brows dipped.
“I’ll make the food.” Max started pulling things out of the fridge.
