“Who is Allan?”
I startled at the question. I’d forgotten where I was for a moment and that I wasn’t alone. My head swung to look at the man across from me.
“He was Linden’s beta,” I replied, pushing away the cringe-worthy thoughts his name evoked. “He’s a monster.”
“There are many monsters in this world,” Nikolai muttered.
“Yeah, well, he’s definitely earned a spot in the seventh circle,” I replied bitterly.
“The circle reserved for those who commit acts of brutality against others,” he said slowly.
I blinked in surprise. “You’ve read Dante’s Inferno?”
“Literature is one of my favorite pastimes,” he answered honestly.
“Mine, too,” I admitted.
He grinned. “We’re more alike than we even knew.”
“I killed his son,” I blurted out, not sure why I felt the need to share that.
Maybe because I had walked in on this man, my father, casually ripping Linden apart like it was his favorite weekend hobby.
He arched a brow.
“Allan, I mean,” I clarified, clearing my throat. “I killed his son. He was … he raped another pack member. And I killed him. It’s why Mom and I had to leave, among other things.”
Nikolai smiled softly at me, something eerily like pride lighting his eyes. “And the similarities continue as I plan to kill his father.”
20
Skye
Tate was sitting cross-legged on my bed when I came back into my room. Nikolai had escorted me back, and I had taken him up on his offer to eat breakfast in my room before he started questioning Elias.
I was hoping there would be less blood involved in that meeting.
Tate slid off the bed as I closed the door, her hazel eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” I joked weakly, heading into the closet. I stripped out of my clothes, leaving them in the middle of the floor. I grabbed a new pair of jeans and a shirt before coming out of the closet, phone in hand. I only had a couple minutes before Remy’s one hour time allowance was up.
“How are you?” I inquired softly, watching as she moved to the sitting area in front of the crackling fireplace. It hadn’t stopped since Lulu had turned it on or whatever the day before.
She pulled her knees up to her chest. “Not great,” she admitted, turning her sad eyes to me. She brushed away tears. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
I sat across from her, not sure if I should hug her or leave her alone. Her body language was clearly stating ‘do not touch.’
“I’m so sorry,” I told her quietly. “Luke was a great man. I’m really sorry that I didn’t get to know him more.”
She swiped another tear from under her eye. “He saved my life. I thought adults and parents were evil until he came along. He taught me to be strong and stand up for myself.”
“He loved you so much,” I told her, reaching out and grabbing her hand in mine. I squeezed it twice.
A garbled chuckle bubbled out of her. “Oh, God, you should have seen his face the night I told him I was with Dante and Ryder. He just gave me this … weird look and started laughing. He told me that if I was happy, he was happy. And he would break their legs if I was ever not happy.”
I slid across the cushion separating us and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as her laughter turned into soft sobs.
She wiped a hand down her face after several minutes. “God, I’m so sick of crying.”
“Crying isn’t bad,” I said softly. “You’re crying because you loved him. Crying means he meant something to you, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“Yeah, well, right now I want to focus on getting home,” she replied evenly, blinking away the last of her tears.
Tate blew out a long breath as she refocused her energy. “Dante said there’s a storm? We can’t go home yet?”
I shook my head. “Not until the end of the week.”
She swallowed audibly and nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
I launched into what I knew about the Summit and the explosion. Food arrived around the time I explained to her who Nikolai was. By the time we polished off all the food, Tate looked as stunned as I felt.
“So, you’re like an actual princess,” she said slowly.
I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m not.”
She waved a wild hand around the room. “Skye, we’re practically in a castle right now.”
“It’s a house,” I argued.
A very big house, my mind chided.
“And magic?” Tate got off the couch and started pacing. “Magic is a real thing?”
“Apparently.”
“This is all just … wow.” She ran a hand through her hair. “This is all crazy. You know that, right? Like it’s all some weird ass dream.”
“Feels like it,” I mumbled in agreement.
“So … what happens now?” Tate sank back onto the couch, her sudden rush of energy depleted.
“Nikolai is supposed to come by and get me. We’re going to talk to Elias today.”
“Fucking asshole,” she seethed. “I can’t believe he was in on this.”
“You never got any weird vibes from him?” I asked hesitantly. “You’ve known him longer.”
“I first met Elias when I was a kid, right after Dad saved me. He came up to our pack to talk to me about my parents and see if I knew anything else about the people my parents knew.” Her lips thinned. “People who sold their daughters to the highest bidder.”
“Yeah. You said your dad was working to take down a ring of people who did what your parents did?”
She nodded her head grimly. “Yeah. Apparently you would be surprised at the amount of people who see little girls as a payday. Or want to unload unwanted boys onto desperately barren couples. Dad took down the network my parents were in, but it wasn’t the only one.”
“Elias knew about this?”
“Yeah. He said he was trying to help stop them, but now I have to wonder if that’s the truth.” Her gaze hardened. “He knows who took Maren, doesn’t he?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “I plan on asking him today.”
“Want company?” she offered, a cold glint in her eye.
I shrugged. “You’re welcome to come, but it’s also kind of up to Nikolai.”
“Ah, the mysterious bio-dad.”
“Yeah. Him.”
“When is he supposed to come get you?”
I glanced at my phone for the time. “I have about twenty minutes.”
Tate got up with a sigh. “Good. I can take a shower then.” She glanced down. “Any chance I could borrow some clothes?”
I waved a hand at the closet. “Help yourself.”
She disappeared inside with a low whistle. “Damn, girl.” She came out with a pile of clothes and gave me a look. “You may not want to own that princess title, but that closet begs to differ.”
My phone rang, saving me from having to argue with her. I glanced down and winced.