Leah's POV
Lycidas peeled off his gloves slow, deliberate, a smile curling his lips like blood seeping from a wound. "Leah, my sweetest sister, you know me. I'd never hurt anyone. They just keep crawling back, begging to be my dog."
There it was - the Old King's dominance and viciousness, alive in him, a shadow Lucian never cast. "From childhood to adulthood," I said, my voice hard as iron, "I always knew you were more his son than Lucian ever was. Pity the Old King never saw it. Not until he was rotting in the ground. Lucian was all he had in his shriveled heart."
Lycidas' smile stiffened, a crack of fury splintering through his mask. "Darren disappointed me," he said, "so I tossed him to Leo for his little experiments. But Leo didn't like this human being. He said he didn't meet his standard and sent him back. You wanna know what happened to your precious old flame? Go sniff out Leo. You two always got on better than you and me. I mean, he'll help you, I'm sure."
My fist clenched, memories clawing up - Leo and Jalin, their hypnosis twisting my mind, Leo's jealousy burning like a fever. "I'm taking Darren," I growled. "None of you can stop me."
Lycidas spread his hands, a mocking bow, then slung an arm around Finn's waist, tugging him close. "And I won't stop you. After all, I'm plenty occupied."
I reached out through the mindlink, Lycan to Lycan, locking Finn out. "Listen, I'm done with the Kingdom. I just want Darren, the human world, a life. You can go back to the Kingdome and take it all - everything the Old King owed you. But don't trust Finn Farrow."
His reply slithered back, thick with scorn. "Worried for me? I'm touched. But I don't need your blessing, sister. An enhanced freak can't match a true Lycan's power."
I bared my teeth in a silent snarl. "You think the throne's a two-man brawl? Who could outmuscle your uncle? Yet the Old King took the throne from him, along with his life. You're blind to Finn. He hates every Lycan - lives for revenge. He's playing you, and when he's done, he'll rip you apart."
Finn's voice oozed behind me, cold and lazy as poison. "Leah, glad to see you recover."
I turned, my stare ice. "Your brother - has he recovered?"
He chuckled, a sound like bones rattling. "Lucas is a mess. What, you miss him? Regret stabbing that hollow chest? Rejecting him again?"
I stepped in, voice low, lethal. "Tell him this - next time I see him, I'll twist his head clean off. Let's see if the Moon Goddess will stitch him back together."
I shoved past them, aiming for the door. Finn's words chased me, slick and sharp. "Better find Leo quick, or Darren might snap and hurt you very badly. And by the way, you look beautiful, Leah. Glowing. There must be something in you."
My heart lurched, boots freezing mid-step. He knew. The bastard knew about the life kicking inside me. I spun back, eyes locked on his. "Your look like shit - worse than that time when I found you at Sak's night club. What? You've got something in you?"
His face twisted, vicious and raw, a snarl barely leashed. I didn't wait for the snap. I turned and strode out, calm as a shadow, and slid into Liam's car at the curb.
Darren lay in the back, still out, and I pulled him close toward my belly.
Liam turned back and looked confused.
"Drive. Let's go home," I told Liam, the engine purring as we peeled away, police sirens howling too late in the distance.
-
The morning sun clawed through the curtains, its light too sharp, too clean for the ache in my bones. I woke with a heaviness in my chest, like something feral had curled up there overnight, gnawing at my edges. The air smelled of warmth and sugar, and I heard Liam humming - a low, careless tune that scraped against my nerves. I sat up, my body sluggish, my scars prickling under the thin shirt I'd slept in. The mirror across the room caught my reflection, but I didn't look. I already knew the hollows under my eyes, the way my face carried the weight of too many nights spent kneeling to beasts.
I shuffled to the kitchen, where Liam stood, his back to me, broad and solid in a white T-shirt that clung to every line of muscle. His loose black pants hung low, teasing the dip of his waist, and I stopped short, my breath catching like a hook in my throat. Desire - raw, unbidden - snaked through me, hot and shameful. I hadn't wanted a man's body for so long, not since what Finn had done to me at the slave market. My skin flushed, and I hated it, hated the way my blood stirred, betraying me.
"Morning, boss," Liam said, turning with a grin that was too bright, too easy. "Pancakes?" He gestured to a stack on the counter, golden and steaming, but his eyes lingered on me, curious, like he'd caught the scent of my unease.
I didn't answer. Instead, I reached for the maple syrup jar, plunging my fingers into its sticky sweetness. I sucked the syrup off my skin, waiting for the rush of sugar, the comfort of taste. Nothing. My tongue was dead, my senses dulled, like the world was slipping out from under me. I frowned, staring at my glistening fingers, and when I looked up, Liam was watching, his gaze too close, too knowing.
I was standing too near him, my body drawn forward without my permission. Heat crawled up my neck, and I fumbled for a tissue, wiping my hands as I stepped back, putting cold air between us. My heart thudded, unsteady, and I grabbed a glass of milk and a plate of pancakes, drowning them in syrup. I didn't look at Liam again. I couldn't. Tray in hand, I turned and descended to the basement, where the dark waited, where Darren waited.