Both brothers were hot on my heels, following me into her new room. Ion's gaze kept bouncing from her to Nicu like he was wondering what kind of shit storm this was going to start, but it didn't matter. She was staying, and that was final. I said so, cat-dragon be damned.
“Cezar,” Nicu’s voice vibrated with fury behind that clenched jaw and perfect teeth. I wonder if my Roma liked nice teeth? Running my tongue over my teeth, I counted them as Nicu continued. “This doesnotlook like Margaret Jones. Explain.”
Dude, they're not going to get it, and they’re going to ruin this for us! Your brothers think you're crazy.
“Well, I don't think they're wrong,” I grumbled back to Cal as I moved past my brothers and out of her room so we didn't disturb her. She needed her sleep. Her world was going to be different when she woke up. How did you take care of a woman? Clothes, food, water?
Yes. Special water. Soothing water. That’s what my woman needed.
Making a beeline for the kitchen, their footsteps echoed behind me. Rolling my eyes, I could feel their tension coming at me like missiles, but it was useless. They needed to chillax. They may need to watch a movie, sing a song, take their mind off some things.
Opening my mouth to throw out the suggestions, I was all thrown off when a set of hands grabbed me, turning me around to face their wrath. Nicu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, squeezing my shoulders. If he wanted to give me a massage, all he had to do was ask.
“Cezar, I need you to explain who that girl is and why she’s here?”
He’s trying so hard for me that it almost made me feel something, but then my mind replayed her song in my head, and my heart thumped like a wild beast, and my soul surged forward. She was the only person on this planet that got a reaction like that out of me. I needed her.
Your brothers are just going to kill her. They’re idiots. Ruthless idiots like your father.
Nan’s words awoke a savage beast inside. The words tore out of me, “No, they're not!” My whole body shook as red-hot fury filled my veins. “None of us are anything like him!” Never. Never would we be like him. Never would I do the things that he’s done. I would never let my brothers turn into him. I would kill them first.
With my head pounding, heaving in and out, I looked up to see Nicu’s face flash with concern, but it only took a second before that concern disappeared and the family heir took over. His eyes narrowed into slits, and my blood turned into ice, reminding me of my place in this world.Oh no. It looked like Big Brother was coming out to play.
His fingers dug into my shoulder like he was carving his way to my bones, but I was no stranger to pain, and I grinned. “Cezar. Fucking concentrate and quit talking to the voices. I need to know who the fuck that girl is and where Margaret Jones is?!”
Screaming that last part, the smell of sickly sweet desperation circled the air around him, such a familiar scent that if I closed my eyes, I would be transported back to my dungeon. The only place I consider home.
“Dead. Margaret Jones is dead.”
His grip loosened, his hands falling to his sides as his breathing kicked up a notch and his eyes shifted from side to side. I knew he was going down the big bro rabbit hole, worrying about our father and his demands, but what could we do…she’s dead.
“You didn't kill her, right?”
Swinging my head around, I faced Ion and his accusatory tone. “No, asshole. I'm crazy, not dumb.”
He lifted a brow at me and folded his arms across his chest. Is this dick doubting me? The muscles in my arm started to twitch, wanting to land a solid blow right in his pretty boy face.
When Nicu faced me, hesitation and questions circling his eyes, I threw up my hands. “I was at her grave! I saw the headstone!”
“Did you dig it up to make sure it was her?”
Something about Nicu’s easy tone pissed me off. Sometimes, it burned my blood, being the youngest and the one they questioned the most. Cezar, why did you sever that guy's head? We needed him to talk. Cezar, why do you act before you think it through? Cezar, can you just act like a normal person for once?
Rolling my neck, I growled, “I didn't need to. I saw her daughter mourning at her grave.”
Oh, Cez, honey, you shouldn’t have said that.
Following Nan’s words, I straightened up, flicking my eyes to both brothers, who were now glaring at me.
Ion couldn't keep it in, jabbing a finger toward her door as he yelled, “Don’t fucking tell me that the woman you just brought here is our target's daughter?!”
Shrugging my shoulders, tongue in cheek, I responded, “And what if she is?”
He threw up his arms, cursing like he was trying to say everything he knew. Nicu stepped forward, his voice low and menacing, which meant I somehow fucked up, but I still couldn't figure out how.
“You fucking pick her up and take her back to whatever shit hole you found her in. She is not the target.”
He turned away, done with me, but the voices in my head and my pounding chest disagreed, and I was going to side with them today. “No.”
