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“We’ll explain everything,” Cade promised, though his tone suggested ‘everything’ was a relative term. “Once we’re inside and secure.”

“I’m not setting foot inside that place until you tell me what’s going on,” I declared, crossing my arms over my chest in what I hoped was a defiant pose rather than a petulant one.

Logan’s chuckle from the driver’s seat suggested I hadn’t quite achieved the effect I was going for. “You don’t have to set foot anywhere. Cade’s perfectly capable of carrying you.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed, just as the SUV pulled into a clearing and the stronghold came into view.

It was exactly as I remembered and nothing like I remembered at the same time. The massive stone structure rose from the forest floor like it had grown there naturally, its gray walls weathered by centuries of Pacific Northwest storms. Turrets and towers reached toward the sky, while thick walls promised safety and security. It was a bizarre architectural fusion—part Scottish castle, part colonial fortress, part modern compound—that somehow worked despite its contradictions.

Just like the Sinclair brothers themselves.

Logan parked in front of the massive oak doors, and Cade was out of the car before I could formulate an escape plan. He opened my door with a flourish, as if he were a chauffeur rather than my kidnapper.

“After you,” he said, his tone making it clear this wasn’t actually a request.

I stayed firmly in my seat. “I meant what I said. I’m not moving until you tell me why we’re here.”

Cade sighed, his patience visibly wearing thin. “Finn, we don’t have time for this.”

“Then give me the CliffsNotes version now,” I insisted. “Because otherwise, I’m staying right here.”

The brothers exchanged a look that spoke volumes—a silent conversation happening right in front of me that I couldn’t hear. It was infuriating, being so connected to them and yet so shut out at the same time.

“Fine,” Cade said finally. “You win.”

I blinked, surprised by the easy victory. That should have been my first warning.

Cade reached into the car and scooped me up like I weighed nothing, throwing me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry that was becoming distressingly familiar.

“Put me down!” I shouted, pounding my fists against his back. “This is assault! Kidnapping! I’ll have you arrested!”

“By all means,” Cade replied calmly, carrying me toward the stronghold’s entrance. “Call the sheriff. I believe he’s our second cousin twice removed.”

“I hate you,” I seethed, though the words lacked conviction even to my own ears. “I hate you and your stupid alpha strength and your ridiculous control issues and?—”

“Are you done?” Cade asked, not slowing his stride as he approached the massive oak doors, which swung open at his approach. “Or would you like to continue this tantrum while I carry you upstairs?”

“It’s not a tantrum when you’re literally being kidnapped,” I shot back, still struggling despite knowing it was useless. “It’s a completely reasonable response to unreasonable behavior!”

Logan followed behind us, his chuckle only fueling my anger. “Still as dramatic as ever, I see.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snapped, twisting to glare at him over Cade’s shoulder. “Is there a more appropriate reaction to being thrown over someone’s shoulder and carried into a fortress against your will? Please, enlighten me.”

“Grateful acceptance that we’re keeping you safe?” Logan suggested, his tone light but his eyes serious.

“Safe from what?” I demanded for what felt like the hundredth time, but we were already inside the stronghold’s cavernous entrance hall, and neither of them seemed inclined to answer.

Cade didn’t slow down, didn’t give me a chance to take in my surroundings or process the fact that I was back in a place I’d sworn never to return to. He headed straight for the elevator at the far end of the hall, Logan falling into step beside him.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, still squirming in Cade’s grip as we entered the elevator. “I’m not a sack of potatoes, you know.”

“No,” Cade agreed, his tone deceptively mild. “Potatoes are generally less vocal about their displeasure.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but the elevator doors closed, cutting off any chance of escape. We ascended in tense silence, the only sound my increasingly labored breathing as panic began to set in. This was really happening. They were really bringing me back, locking me away in their ancestral stronghold, taking away the freedom I’d fought so hard to gain.

When the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, Cade strode out without hesitation, still carrying me like I weighed nothing. He crossed a massive open-concept living space that I barely had time to register before he unceremoniously deposited me on what had to be the largest bed I’d ever seen.

I scrambled backward immediately, pressing myself against the headboard as if I could somehow melt into it and disappear. “What the hell is wrong with you?”