“Elowen, can we talk? Kajus asked, his voice unusually tentative.
No, keep it to yourself; I don’t care.” I kept my back to him, staring resolutely at the wall.
“Elowen…” He moved closer, his scent–now tainted with traces of Thalia–filling the space between us.
“Stop! Why can’t you just let me be? Go back to the ancient lover; I would never bother you again.” I whirled to face him, the pain in my chest hardening into something cold and sharp.
He looked tired, his usual immaculate appearance slightly disheveled, but his amber eyes were clear and focused entirely on me. “Remember when you asked what exactly was the deal I had with Elder Thalia and I told you she wanted something?
“What does this have to do with these?” I gestured vaguely, not wanting to articulate what I’d seen.
“It doesn’t justify anything, but you have the right to know. Thalia had offered her help if only… she could be my queen. She believes I would make her the queen over you, but that is what I let her believe. She is wrong; you would be my queen. She had, doubts, and I had to assure her.” His expression remained steadfast, as if this explanation should somehow make everything better.
“By assure her, you meant ‘fuck her‘?” I spat the words, wanting to hurt him as he’d hurt me.
He didn’t flinch. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? Was it because I discovered? The bitterness in my voice could have poisoned the air between us.
“You know that’s not true.” His voice dropped lower, a hint of his own anger breaking through.
“Then maybe you switch up the plan,” I said, a cruel idea forming.
“What?”
“The deal was to make her queen right?”
“What are you getting at?” Suspicion narrowed his eyes.
“She did her part of the deal, and you should do yours too. Make her queen; I’ll be out of your way.” I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze directly.
“I cannot do that; you are and would always be who I want.” The certainty in his voice might once have moved me. Not now.
“No, you can’t want me; remember, I am your sister.” I wielded the word like a weapon, knowing how it would cut him.
“Half sister,” he corrected automatically.
“Yes that. So move on; just as you already did, I would always be supporting you, of course as a sister would.” I infused the last words with as much venom as I could muster.
“Stop saying that word.” His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching beneath his skin.
“What word? ‘Sister?‘, but that is what I am to you, right?” I pressed on, a vicious satisfaction rising as I saw the pain in his eyes.
“You know what? I do not care if you are partly related to me; I want you, and that’s all that matters.” His declaration caught me off guard.
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Chapter 137
“But that would h
immoral…1 don’t think I could forget about the fact that we are related; I cannot do it with you, not when I
know the truth.” I doubled down on the lie, the DNA results burning hole in my pocket.
“You were okay with this…” Confusion replaced anger in his expression.
“Maybe I am not anymore; maybe 1
“I don’t understand. Isn’t this what you
to see things from your point of view, and you were right.”
e took a step closer, frustrated by my shifting stance.
“I wanted a man I could love without the constant tears; I wanted a than I could love without being so paranoid, imagining you with other women when you are alone; I wanted a man that doesn’t always keep me on my toes, and maybe it was never you; maybe all these time I had loved the wrong person.” The words poured out, raw and honest despite the lie at their center.
“What are you saying?” His voice had gone dangerously quiet.
“I am saying that… you are my half brother.” I forced myself to meet his gaze, to not flinch away from the hurt blooming there.
“Again with that phrase…” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body.
Before he could continue, a sudden noise from outside interrupted us–a howling wind that seemed to rise from nowhere. The windows rattled in their frames, the sound growing to a deafening roar within seconds.
“What is that?” Kaius straightened, instantly alert.
The wind intensified, a preternatural force that sent objects flying across the room. Without warning, the windows shattered inward, sending razor–sharp shards of glass flying toward us.
Kaius moved with inhuman speed, throwing himself between me and the deadly spray. I felt his body jerk as the glass struck him, heard his grunt of pain as he shielded me.
“Frost, go check the others,” he ordered, his voice tight with pain but commanding.
Frost, who had been standing near the door, nodded and disappeared, though I noticed a thin line of blood on his own cheek where glass had caught him.
As suddenly as it had come, the wind died, leaving an eerie silence broken only by the tinkling of glass still falling from the window
frames.
“What was that?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“I can guess, but I am not sure. Are you okay?” Kaius pulled back slightly, his amber eyes scanning me for injuries.
“I am, but you are not.” Blood stained his shirt who
glass had embedded itself in his back and shoulders.
“It’s fine, stay covered.” He tried to move away, but I caught his arm.
“You are injured; there are fragments of glass in your skin; the longer they stay in there the worse, you could start healing with those still there.” The anger from earlier hadn’t disappeared, but it had been temporarily displaced by more im
“I am fine.” He tried to dismiss my worry, but I could see the pain in his eyes.
te concerns.
“Please let me take them out.” I guided him to sit on a chair that had somehow remained upright during the windstorm.
He acquiesced, sitting still as I carefully extracted shards of glass from his skin. Some were small, others alarmingly large, but he didn’t flinch as I worked.
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Chapter 137
“Does it hurt?‘ I asked softly, blacing the removed glass on a nearby table.
“I can take it.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door. “We need to get to a secure room. It’s not safe here.”
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