He holds out his hand, and I take it, allowing him to pull me up from the ground. After brushing off dust and dirt, he grabs my face and slams his lips to mine. I open my mouth for him. The kiss is claiming, encompassing. It’s full of relief that we’re finally back in each other’s arms.
I almost forget where we are for a moment before Locheran pulls away.
“We need to get out of here,” he says and leads me out the door.
We walk down a long hallway, passing a few bodies that are passed out and hunched against the walls. I hope they’re just passed out. I know how important it was that the hunters were caught, not killed.
I stop when we get to a flight of stairs, forcing Locheran to jerk back as I tighten my hold on his hand. “Did you find the woman? She has curly red hair.”
“I sent Thorne to find her. Don’t worry.”
He tugs my hand, and we ascend the stairs. Once we’ve safely made it outside behind the building, I plant my feet into the ground and peel myself from his hold.
“What? What is it? Is something wrong?” Locheran asks, trying to grab my hand. I step back and he frowns.
“I have to ask you…”
“Anything,” he says and moves to me. He takes both of my hands in his, and this time I don’t try to pull away.
“My brother, Ethan…”
Pressure builds behind my eyes at the mention of my little brother. Locheran’s entire body freezes, as still as a statue, as if expecting my next words.
“My father said… he said… it was you. You killed him. A claw to his throat.”
He steps even closer, pulling our embraced hands to his chest.
“That didn’t happen.”
“So you didn’t kill him?”
“I couldn’t save him.”
I can’t stop the sob from leaving my mouth. My grief battles with my morals. Ethan was a monster hunter. He actively harmed, and likely killed, innocent lives. But he was still my brother. I raised him when my mother died. I loved him because he’s the only one who treated me like I wasn’t the outcast of the family.
“I promise I didn’t kill him, Farrah.”
I shake my head, tears falling down my cheeks. “I don’t understand.”
He sighs and closes his eyes, as if remembering that night months ago. “I’m not sure what your father told you. Ethan ran to the roof, and I followed. He went to the edge and looked down. He was considering jumping, but it was too far. He would have died. Once he realized that, he turned around and lifted his arms in surrender.
“He looked regretful. Ifelthis regret. I didn’t understand how I could sense that emotion from him, maybe it was because of my connection to you. Anyway, Ethan was standing on the wall’s barrier, seconds from stepping down, when a gun fired. He was hit in the shoulder, and the impact caused him to lose his balance. He started to fall but grabbed onto the cement ledge just in time. I knew I had to save him. I rushed over and reached out for him, but more shots were fired. They missed me, but not your brother. Ethan was hit in the head. The bullets were wooden. It wasn’t us, Farrah.”
I shake my head again, refusing to believe this. “My father… No. He wouldn’t. He…”
My father lied. I shouldn’t be shocked by his betrayal.
I rip my hands from Locheran and slam them into his chest. Not expecting the move, he stumbles back.
“Why didn’t you tell me this? All this time, why?”
He glances around, making sure the area is secure. The faint sound of fighting reaches us. A few screams and clanks of metal. Not the raging battle from minutes earlier. The fight is nearly over.
“I should have told you. I’m sorry I didn’t. To be honest, a lot of hunters were killed that night. And when you told us about your family, we were newly mated. I wasn’t thinking right. I didn’t put two and two together until after Rorik read your mind. But we were still overwhelmed with the need to solidify the mating bond. I also knew you were dealing with a lot of emotions with your family, and I didn’t want to add one more thing. I was going to wait until after—”
“You had no right to make that decision for me.”
I fist my hands and pound them on his chest. The tears flow down my cheeks in an endless river.
