“But then by the time you were ten, he was glad he wasn’t your father.” Linden glowered up at me. “You looked just like your mother. Used to constantly go on about how he planned to—”
With a broken cry, I lunged forward. My foot connected with the side of his head before I started raining punches on him. He was too weak and broken to fight back.
The skin of my knuckles broke open as I punched wildly and blindly, hitting and clawing even as my nails broke.
I lost track of how many times I hit him before strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off of him. He didn’t move as I was dragged into the hallway.
The guard who had opened the door slammed it shut, cutting me off from the sight of my completely helpless, destroyed uncle.
I had wanted to see this man brought low my entire life, but I never imagined like this.
“Calm yourself, sweetheart,” Nikolai whispered, his voice soothing against my ear and fighting through the turmoil in my head.
The fight left me in a rush. I sagged against him, wanting nothing more than to bawl my eyes out.
“Can I do anything?” Lulu asked softly, stepping into my periphery. She wrung her hands, looking nervous.
“Leave us,” Nikolai ordered. “I will tend to my daughter.”
The guard locked Linden’s cell as Lulu gave me a weak smile. They both left down the corridor together.
“I’m okay,” I whispered as soon as they were out of sight.
I wasn’t okay, but I also wasn’t going to fall apart right now. My nerves were frayed and raw, and I worried if I started crying, I might not stop.
“All right,” he allowed, slowly turning me in his arms so that he was grasping me by the shoulders as he peered into my eyes. “Let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?”
I nodded mutely, not resisting as he took my hand in his and led me away from this awful place.
‘Away from here’ was Nikolai’s office tucked inside the mountain another several floors up. The space was massive and had a large bathroom attached that I used to wash up. It took forever to scrub the dried blood from under my nails.
I splashed cold water on my pale face, wondering how long I could hide in here before Nikolai gave up and left me alone.
By the time I mustered the courage to come out, Nikolai was already changed and cleaned. His hair was even wet like he had showered.
He pointed to the door on the other side of his office. “I have a bedroom through there with another bathroom. I took the time to clean up while you did.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice impossibly small as I hesitated in the doorway.
“Please sit,” he invited, motioning to the large sectional sofa by the fireplace. Someone had already lit a fire that was roaring and crackling, throwing off waves of warmth I wanted to wrap myself in.
I moved to the spot closest to the fire, watching warily as he sat in the matching armchair across from me.
“Skye,” he started, “I know we don’t know each other very well, but I’m hoping you’ll tell me what that was about.”
I bit my lower lip. “Why don’t you tell me why you were in there?”
Nikolai’s eyes narrowed, and I thought he would object, but he simply leaned back in the chair and folded his hands over his stomach.
“Very well,” he agreed. “I inferred enough from Dimitri to know that your former pack was less than desirable.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That was the understatement of the freaking century.
“I wished to speak with your former Alpha to ascertain what happened,” he finished. “You are my daughter, and your safety was his responsibility as your Alpha.”
“And did he tell you?”
Nikolai grinned, the look he gave me was positively wolfish. More predator than anything I had seen. “He wasn’t bleeding because he was cooperative, little wolf.”
“Oh.” I licked my lips nervously.
“He blamed your mother mostly.” He said that so aloofly that I almost missed the undercurrent of rage barely vibrating under the surface.
“He’s a liar,” I snapped.
Another thin smile. “So I figured out for myself.”
I tucked my legs up, hugging them with my arms. “Good.”
“But you said something that caught my attention.”
I froze, my gaze locked on the dancing flames.
“You said our bond was broken,” he said softly. “Not that your mother broke it.”
“She didn’t,” I replied after a beat. I finally looked at him. “I didn’t know that either until a few minutes before I found you with Linden.”
The pain and fury in his eyes made my breath catch.
“I see,” he murmured after a moment. “But I still don’t understand why she never reached out. I would have come for you. For her.”
I rested my chin on my knees as I watched him. “I told you. Where we lived … Where they kept us, we didn’t have access to things like phones or the internet.”
Or food or clean drinking water on a regular basis.
“I spent years being hurt by her refusing our bond,” he said, his voice almost detached of emotion. “I thought her the villain.”
“She’s not,” I whispered back, my voice cracking. “She protected me as much as she could. The things they did to her …” I shuddered hard enough to rattle my teeth. Those memories were lead weights tied to my ankles. I dragged them along with me no matter where I was.
I sniffled against the back of my hand. “She did what she had to so that we could survive.”
He rubbed his jaw absently, his gaze moving to the fire. “I see that now. Perhaps one day you will tell me about it.”
I hesitated. “Honestly? There’s a lot I don’t know, and what I do know? That’s Mom’s story. I won’t betray her by telling you what happened to her.”
His lips thinned. “Very well. I shall wait then until I talk to her.”
“You’re planning to talk to her?” I asked slowly.
“We share a child,” he reminded me with a chuckle. “We will always be connected by you, Skye.”
Silence blanketed the air between us for several minutes.
“Those things they did to her,” he finally asked quietly, “did they do those things to you?”
“They would have,” I said quietly, looking down at my lap. “But she got me out in time. She saved my life.”
“Then it would seem I owe her a great debt,” he replied gently.
That makes two of us, I thought. I had spent the last few days missing my mom, but also furious at her for all the truths she had kept from me.
It was getting harder and harder to feel that anger now. Not when I weighed it against everything she had been through. Especially now.
Allan had always been exceptionally, disgustingly, fond of my mother. It was her room he visited the most. The fact that he was the reason the bond was broken between my parents was a bitter pill to swallow.
I couldn’t imagine that pain. Imagine after being with Remy, having someone shatter our bond by force. Having Remy thinking I betrayed him while the pack I loved turned their backs on me. While my parents literally sold me out.
“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 gri
nned. “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.
Remy.
I was a minute later than the hour he had given me.
“Tell Remy I said hi,” she called out as she headed into the bathroom and closed the door.
Sighing, I answered the video call, already mentally preparing for him to be rightfully annoyed.
“One hour, babe,” he ground out, eyes flashing. “I said to call me in one hour.”
“It’s only been a minute!” I protested weakly.
“Do you know how many what-if scenarios you can conjure up in sixty seconds?” His brows rose dramatically. “Twenty-three.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, hating that I made him worry. I could only imagine how powerless he felt being so far away. Hell, I felt it, too. I hated that he was dealing with Norwood and everything in Blackwater without me.
He sighed deeply. “You’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” I promised, meaning it this time. “I was talking to Tate. She seems … okay.”
He seemed slightly more relaxed by that. “Good.” He paused. “You scared the shit out of me earlier. What was that about?”
I sank deeper into the couch. “It was what you said. Well, what my mom said. It literally made me sick.”
A pained look flashed across his face. “Baby.”
“I went to see Linden.”
Shock morphed his features before fury took over. “You did what?”
“I needed answers, and he was the only person who might have known what happened back then,” I replied evenly. I stood by my decision.
“Your uncle is a fucking lunatic,” he snapped. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
I blinked slowly. “I get that you may not want me near him, but have we hit the point of our relationship where
you’re ordering me what I can and can’t do?”
His eyes closed briefly. When they opened, he seemed slightly calmer. “Skye, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But I can’t be there to protect you right now.”
Eyes narrowed, I held up the back of my hand to the screen, my bruised knuckles on display. “Actually? It was Linden who needed the protection.”
“You hit him?”
“Multiple times,” I confirmed, dropping my hand. “But to be fair, Nikolai had already worked him over before I got there.”
“Jesus Christ,” he swore, leaning back. “Why?”
“He said it was because he held Linden accountable for what happened in Long Mesa,” I answered.
“He knows?”
“Not everything. Dimitri has kept quiet about the details. He said it was my story to tell, or not. But Nikolai pieced together enough to know Linden was a shit Alpha.”
“That’s the fucking truth,” he growled, dark eyes flashing. “I wouldn’t mind a few minutes alone with him.”
I nibbled on my lower lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know that Nikolai is going to leave anything left for you.”
Remy watched me, quiet and patient as I organized my thoughts.
I sighed quietly. “It was Allan who broke their bond. Preston’s dad. I don’t know the details, but if mom said the bond was broken for her … Linden mentioned that at one point Allan thought he might have been my father.”
“Shit.” He grimaced as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“When we were at the Summit, Preston mentioned something about how his dad had more control in the pack than we knew. The night he took me outside the club? He was going off about Linden needing to be put in check or something.”
“Okay. We have some people we trust near Long Mesa. They’ve been watching for movement, mostly to see if anyone from Norwood has come in, but I’ll see what we can dig up on Allan.”
“I hate him,” I hissed, rubbing my temples. “I hate their whole freaking family. At least Dane is dead. One less Loomis in the world.”
“Preston’s dead, too,” he told me quietly.
My eyes snapped to his. “What?”
He nodded slowly. “I found him after the explosion. He was pinned by a piece of rebar, in bad shape.”
Legacy (Blackwater Pack Book 3) Page 16
