“However, I can’t keep it from you any longer. You have to know everything, and after what happened to your dad, I didn’t think you’d turn me in to the Lord, or maybe you will. I’m not sure of anything anymore, but this has been eating me up inside, and I can’t keep it from you anymore.”
“Eating you up inside? You’re a very good actress then.”
And that was what incensed him the most. He’d never suspected she was capable of keeping something this big from him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said. “I didn’t know how to do it, and I never saw a good time to do so.”
A niggling doubt wormed its way insidiously through his mind. She’d spent a lot of time with Orin while he’d been gone. Had something more developed between them? Would she tell him if it had?
“Are you fucking my brother?” he asked.
She recoiled as if he’d slapped her. The distress she radiated almost made him regret the question, but then he recalled that she was a great actress.
“No!” she cried. “He’s an asshole.”
Cole couldn’t argue with that. “Some women like that in a man, and he is a dark fae. We are known for our ability to seduce.”
“I deserve your anger and distrust, but I would never do that to you. I love you.”
Those three words managed to work through some of his fury, but was she telling him the truth, or was it some sort of manipulation?
He’d never doubted her before, never would have put her in the same category as Becca, but now he wasn’t sure what to believe.
Had she been using him for power? Did she intend to play him and Orin against each other?
The rational dark fae part of him understood why she’d kept this from him. He hadn’t told her everything about himself either. Still, the lycan part was furious, jealous, and determined to see her and Orin together so he could judge their relationship for himself.
The more emotional lycan was winning.
He took a couple of steadying breaths, and for a second, it helped to calm him. Then he pictured Orin beneath her manor and near her when he couldn’t be, and his blood pressure skyrocketed.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he rose and stalked over to his armoire. He tore the door from the hinges when he yanked it open. He almost smashed it against the wall, but he retained enough control to set it beside the armoire.
“Is Orin still there?” he demanded.
“I think so, but he comes and goes. He finds more refugees and brings them back before going back out to find food for them. Sometimes he’s gone for a few days.”
“Get dressed. We’re going to see him.”
“Cole….”
He didn’t look back at her as he pulled on a pair of pants and a tunic.
“Cole….”
Steeling himself for the wave of anger he knew was about to follow, he glanced at her over his shoulder. Cole gritted his teeth and tried not to picture Orin touching her and knowing her in the same intimate way he did.
“I am sorry I kept this from you, but I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you,” she said.
“Semantics.”
“Maybe, but I do believe I’m doing the right thing by helping those refugees. No matter what, I love you and would never betray you with anyone else.”
He wished he could believe her.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Lexi tried to keep up with Cole as he stalked through the palace. When he stopped outside a door, she stood to the side and waited while he banged on it.
She had no idea what to say or do to get through to him, and she wasn’t sure she could. Ever since she’d told him about Orin, his eyes had burned silver fire. The lycan part of him was in control now, and a pissed-off lycan was far from reasonable.
She’d expected him to react badly to her revelation, but she hadn’t expected this distance or for him to think she’d slept with Orin. She winced as she recalled that accusation and the way his silver eyes shuttered over when he asked if she was sleeping with his brother. It was as if she ceased to exist to him.
She’d never imagined he would jump to that conclusion, but she’d also never seen him this livid. She ached to hug him and tell him that she’d never considered sleeping with Orin, but he wouldn’t welcome her touch. He’d probably push her away, and she couldn’t handle that.
And truth be told, she was angry too. She was working to keep it under control, but he’d accused her of being unfaithful when she’d never given him any reason to doubt her.
You kept the brother he’s been hunting hidden from him. A brother who is a good part of the reason his father is dead. That could be why he doubts you.
And that was the only reason she hadn’t told him to fuck off when he accused her of cheating on him. If he continued not to believe her, she’d tell him exactly where to go and how to get there.
She loved him, but she wouldn’t put up with that.
When Cole banged on the door again, it rattled in its frame. A muffled shout came from the other side, and a few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Brokk. His pants hung low on his hips, and his blond hair stuck up around his handsome face as he glowered at Cole.
“Do you know what time it is?” he demanded.
“Get dressed and meet me outside in five minutes. We’re leaving,” Cole said.
The sleepy look left Brokk’s face, and his shoulders went back as he glanced between them. “What is it?”
“Not now. Meet me in five minutes.”
Cole didn’t wait to hear Brokk’s reply before he turned and stormed away. Lexi glanced at Brokk, who stared after Cole in confusion. Once Brokk learned the truth, he’d be pissed at her too. She was also going to have to face Sahira’s wrath.
This was not going to be a good day.
“What crawled up his ass?” Brokk asked as he nodded toward Cole, who rode his black stallion fifty feet ahead of them.
Cole’s shoulders were back and his head high. On his back, he wore the fae sword he’d retrieved from a weapon room almost the size of her manor. The metal handle of the sword glinted in the sun spilling down on it.
Lexi shifted on her horse as she tried to think of how to answer him. It hadn’t helped Cole’s mood when she insisted on bringing her horses back with them. He hadn’t wanted to wait while they were saddled and brought to them, but she wouldn’t leave them behind. He might decide she wasn’t welcome in the Gloaming, and these horses were her friends.
“I did something I shouldn’t have,” she said. “No, that’s not true,” she corrected. “I should have done it. I don’t regret it, but I should have told him about it sooner.”
“Can I ask what that something is?”
“You’re about to find out,” Lexi said as her manor came into view.
Brokk didn’t question her further as they rode around the lake and toward her home. Normally, the sight of her manor brought a rush of joy. This was her home; it was where she grew up surrounded by love and laughter, but now it seemed ominous and menacing.
What was Cole going to do when he saw Orin? What was Orin going to do when he saw Cole? She glanced at Brokk and bit her lip. He was far more easygoing than either of his older brothers, but how was he going to react to this revelation?