I cleared my throat. “So, what do we do next?”
Rhodes tilted his head slightly, his gray-blue eyes steady on mine. “Well, you’ve got two evils waiting on the other side of that door, both needing to be addressed. First, my brother, who’s refusing to speak to anyone that isn’t you.”
I swallowed hard, already feeling the weight of that responsibility resting on my shoulders.
“And second,” Rhodes continued, his tone dropping into something heavier, “your biological father. He’s returned from a mission.”
The air in the room thickened.
Rhodes hesitated before finishing, “And he’s the General of Hollow Summit.”
I paused.
“Are you sure?” I whispered.
Rhodes gave a single nod. “Positive. Noemi confirmed it.”
My heart dropped to my stomach. Fallon had mentioned that she’d been following ourmarekemever since she knew I existed. I hadn’t dared to ask her questions about our father. I’d convinced myself I didn’t want answers to questions I was too cowardly to face.
But I’d never stopped to think about how our father played into all of this.
General.
The title echoed in my head, a chilling reminder of the power that came with it. A man in that position would have the resources—an army at his disposal—to find me, to break me free from the confines of that cursed shed where I’d spent years in captivity.
Had he known? Had he chosen not to act? So many questions rang in my mind that my head grew suddenly dizzy.
I wanted to laugh, to cry, to scream—all at once. Of course, the timing was impeccable. Because why wouldn’t my life throw one more storm at me when I was already drowning?
“Scarlet,” Rhodes said gently, his voice pulling me back. “You don’t have to face either evil alone. Not this time.”
I looked at him, at the unwavering resolve in his expression, and for a fleeting moment, I believed him. But then again, facing things alone was the only thing I’d ever known.
I could feel a part of myself, deep within, wanting to push Rhodes away. But I was so tired—tired of walking through life alone.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted under my breath.
He winked. “First, you get bathed and changed. You’re not allowed to walk out in public wearing only my t-shirt.”
I playfully slapped his chest. “Excuse me?”
Rhodes smirked and flicked my nose. “Because I don’t want others looking at what’s mine. You can kick me out, yell, scream, even throw vases at me if you want—but I’ve already claimed you, Scarlet Thorne.”
His voice softened, a rare vulnerability slipping through. “I don’t have many things in this life that are truly mine, and I don’t plan on ever letting your stubborn ass go. I even sparred with an identical version of you to try and help you, and that absolutely tortured me.”
My heart squeezed.
Rhodes leaned closer, his voice like velvet. “So now you can hop in my washtub—it has hot, running water. I’ll collect some clean leathers for you. Then you can decide what’s next.”
His warm breath tickled my skin, and I felt a familiar pull deep in my chest. My eyes flicked down to his full lips, the ones I knew were capable of magic. My heart raced, betraying me, and heat coiled in my core.
“I’m keeping the shirt.”
Rhodes grinned, that infuriating, cocky grin that always left me teetering between wanting to hit him and kiss him. “It looks better on you—on or off, anyway.”
Before I could come up with a witty retort, he leaned down, brushing a soft kiss against my cheek. The warmth of his lips lingered, leaving my skin tingling.
He stood and walked to the dresser, grabbing a leather jacket and slipping it over his shirt.
