“It is only him,” she tried to soothe, but I was already shaking my head, backing away from her, feeling trapped.“He has his guards, Vay.Not even my allies are stupid enough to come here alone.”
“No,” I cried, taking another step back, holding my belly protectively.“They’re here.I can feel them.”
Anya turned to her guards.“Who is with Vega?”
“Just his lieutenants.”The men kept their eyes trained on me, as if I might become rabid at any moment and start biting people.“Do you want us to escort them out?”
“No!”I whisper-shouted.
They couldn’t go.
As much as I didn’t want to see my men, I suddenly couldn’t stand the thought ofnotseeing them.They were so close.I didn’t know why they were there with Vega, claiming to be his lieutenants or whatever, but they were.And that was what mattered.
Fuck.
I needed to get my shit together.
“Now or never,” I muttered to myself once again, steeling my spine.“Let’s get this over with.”
Vega
With each step I took,I could feel them more strongly.Goose bumps popped up along my skin.My heart beat harder and faster until it felt like I was running, but I was lagging behind Anya as she led the way to the library.
Pausing outside a door, she glanced back at me, one brow raised.I sucked in a breath, lied to myself that I was ready, and gave her a nod.
Opening the thick, mahogany door, she stepped inside, and I faltered.Reaching for the frame to steady myself, to use as a shield, I closed my eyes, straining my ears for any sound of my men.
“Vega,” Anya greeted in a neutral tone.“Brennan.O’Machain.”
I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest, confirmation of their presence causing my heart to leap.A person’s heart skipping a beat was not a good thing.That was a freaking sign of cardiac distress, and fuck, my heart was already beat-up enough.
“Anya.”I didn’t recognize that voice, yet it caused another pang in the center of my chest.“Where is she?”
“Give her a moment, Ernesto,” she admonished.“She wasn’t expecting a full audience for this meeting.You said this was for you.The fact that you ambushed me with these two is very…distressing to me.”
That sounded like a warning.
“My apologies.The last twenty-four hours have been eventful.I didn’t think to forewarn you after I received your call last night.”His voice was rough, deep, and something floated through my mind.Like smoke, barely an image, a memory out of reach.I tried to focus on it, but it kept fading before it fully formed.“All I could think about was getting to her.I see now that this may be a bit overwhelming.”
Each word that reached my ears felt like a drum beating in my chest.I kept anticipating other voices, yearning for them, eager to hear Kane or Ryder.Yet I needed to hear more ofhisvoice.Tears stung the backs of my eyes.I could almost picture his face.The way his brows pulled together when he was trying so hard to be serious, but I was his bright little star.
He couldn’t tell me no, not ever…
“Papa?”I whispered, longing and hope warring inside me, while my mind told me it wasn’t possible.My parents were dead.I was an orphan, a ward of the state of Pennsylvania from the age of five because I had had no other family.
Yes, Anya had said Ernesto was looking for his daughter, but I didn’t believe it was actually me.Estrella Vega and Vega Estrella were two different people.A mistake of identity, or a mistake of a comma?
Needing to know, to prove to myself I wasn’t losing my mind, I stomped into the library.
And stumbled again when I saw them.They were standing by the fireplace, the flames glowing behind them, their faces and clothes covered in a substance I was familiar with.
Kane’s hair had more gray than the last time I’d seen him, as if years had passed instead of mere months.His eyes looked at me with a hauntedness that hadn’t been there before.Ryder stood completely still, something that I thought was impossible.He was always moving, always.Yet he seemed like a statue, not even appearing to breathe as his blue eyes stared straight at me.
I had to clench my hands into tight fists to keep from reaching for them, the need to check them for injuries so strong, I found it nearly impossible to contain myself.
“Why are you covered in blood?”I wasn’t sure if I whispered it or shouted it.
“Wars get messy,mo réiltín.”
