And then there was Sahira. She didn’t want to see the hurt on her aunt’s face, but there was no avoiding it.
Cole dismounted, removed his horse’s bridle, dropped it on the ground, and left the animal standing where it was before striding up the steps to the front door. The animal didn’t wear a saddle. When Lexi and Brokk rode their horses toward the barn, George hurried out.
When Lexi dismounted, he took her reins. “Do you want me to take them inside?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” she said. “Thank you, George.”
“My pleasure, miss.”
When she turned back to the manor, Cole remained standing by the front door, and his horse was happily munching grass. She suspected it wouldn’t go anywhere without him.
Lexi jogged up the stairs, and when she approached him, he turned away to make sure she didn’t accidentally touch him. The subtle rejection stung.
“What is going on?” Brokk muttered from behind her as she opened the door and entered the shadowed hallway.
“Where is he?” Cole demanded.
“I should get Sahira; she should know about this too,” Lexi said as Brokk closed the door behind them.
“She doesn’t already know?” Cole asked.
“Nobody else knows.”
“What don’t I know?” Sahira asked as she emerged from the shadows of the hallway leading to the kitchen. She dried her hands on a dishtowel as she stopped near the stairs. Her eyes shifted questioningly between Lexi and Cole before settling on Lexi; she smiled. “You’re home.”
Lexi managed a tremulous smile in return. “I’m home.”
“How did it go?” Sahira asked as she crossed the hall to embrace Lexi.
Lexi clung to her aunt. The familiar comfort of Sahira’s warm embrace almost made her burst into tears. Sahira was about to be as angry at her as Cole.
“It went,” Lexi said.
When she pulled away from her aunt, Sahira smoothed her hair back and tucked it behind Lexi’s ear. The familiar, comforting gesture was one she often experienced as a child, and it only made all of this worse.
“So, what is it that I don’t know?” Sahira asked.
Lexi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned toward the library. Her gaze settled on the gray stone fireplace across the room.
“I did something,” she whispered. “And now it’s time to face the consequences.”
She walked over to the fireplace, found the stone to open the passageway, and pressed it.
“Lexi,” Sahira hissed.
No one was supposed to know about the tunnels, but it was far too late for that secret to remain hidden.
“It’s okay,” Lexi said. “This is only the beginning.” She looked back at her aunt. “I’m sorry; I should have told you sooner, but it’s time for you to see what’s below.”
Lexi didn’t look back as she entered the passage. She removed the flashlight hanging from the hook near the entrance and clicked it on. She had no idea how Orin would react to their arrival, and she didn’t care.
As horrible as everything was between her and Cole right now, she felt more carefree than she had in weeks as she led the way through the tunnels. She was glad everything was finally out in the open.
She just hoped no one died today.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Cole followed Lexi into the passage. The damp earth aroma hung heavily in the air as the shadows danced away from her beam. They coalesced behind her to glide over his skin.
Their presence fueled his power, and his fingers flexed as he prepared to use the air against his brother if it became necessary.
“What is this place?” Brokk inquired.
“It’s supposed to be a secret,” Sahira said.
Lexi didn’t respond as she turned a corner. When she did, her beam caught and reflected in Orin’s black eyes. However, she didn’t see him. Cole did, though.
Orin smiled at him. “Hello, Cole. Brokk.”
Lexi and Sahira jumped as Brokk stopped walking.
“Holy shit,” Brokk blurted. “Holy shit!”
When Orin emerged from the shadows, Cole’s gaze raked over him. He’d caught glimpses of his brother on the battlefield during the war, but this was the closest they’d been in a few years.
The last time Cole saw Orin this close, his brother told their father that he wasn’t doing enough to take down the Lord, and he was joining the rebellion. Cole tried to follow him out the door to tell him he was making a mistake, or to beat some sense into him, if that was what it took.
His father stopped him and told Cole to let him go. His father believed Orin needed to follow his own path, even if it went against his. Tove had set him free, knowing full well he might never see his son again, and he never did.
And now, their father was dead. A big part of why stood across from him looking as arrogant as always. His father had sought to keep Orin alive, and Cole would try to respect that, but he’d kill Orin if it became necessary to save the Gloaming.
Brother or not, he was only one life compared to thousands.
At one time, he and Orin were extremely close. With only thirty-five years separating them, Orin was closest to him in age. They’d butted heads numerous times, but they worked it out by punching each other or laughing it off before going out to share drinks and prowl for women.
They would not get over their differences so easily this time.
Lexi edged away from Orin and closer to him, but she didn’t get too close. Cole studied Orin and Lexi as he tried to gauge their reaction to each other.
Sahira stared at Orin with an expression of utter confusion. She looked to Lexi and then to Cole; whatever she saw on his face made her eyes widen, and she stepped away.
“What’s going on here?” Sahira asked. “And who are you?”
“This is Cole’s brother, Orin,” Lexi said when no one else answered her.
Sahira gawked at her. “What did you do?”
Lexi’s chin rose, and pride burned in her eyes when they met Cole’s. She stared at him as she answered her aunt. “The right thing.”
Her defiance caused his fingers to twitch. He wasn’t used to anyone being so openly defiant of him, and while he admired her for it, it also pissed him off.
“I was wondering when she would bring you here,” Orin said.
Lexi frowned at him. “Why did you think I’d bring him here?”
“You’ve got a rebellious side, Kitten, but you’re not one for secrets. It was only a matter of time before you spilled to big bro.”
“Don’t call me that!”
The nickname caused the hair on Cole’s nape to rise. His muscles swelled as the lycan tried to assert its dominance. “If you knew I was coming, then why didn’t you run?”
“Because the Lord killed our father, and I knew you would seek revenge for that.”
“And you’re going to help me get it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you gathering forces to start another rebellion?” Cole demanded as he stepped toward his brother. For once, Orin had the sense to look a little wary as he edged away. “The Lord believes you are. That’s why he killed Father.”
Orin’s eyes shifted to the shadows behind him. His Adam’s apple worked as he swallowed before speaking again. “The rebellion never ended just because the war did.”