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In her peripheral, she could see Kade turn his face, listening.

“What are you talking about. You were there. You know he did.”

“I wasn’t there, though. I was just at the Crew meeting after he was killed, with everyone else, listening to the story of what had happened.”

“You saw the heartbreak. You heard the truth in our voices.”

“Did I? It’s all kind of blurry these days. Did Kade kill Tanner?” she asked, forming the question carefully, so he couldn’t half-lie his way out of it.

“I think you’ve been away from Sister’s Edge for too long, and you’re getting confused,” Derek gritted out.

“Yes, or no. Did Kade kill Tanner?”

“Yes.” But it was there. He was almost good enough to get away with the lie. Almost. Hell, perhaps he’d tried to convince himself that Kade had done it, but she’d heard the false note under the layers of that word as Derek had uttered it. That ‘yes’ was shaky.

She allowed the suspicion on her face as she leaned back and nodded. “Did Samuel kill Tanner?”

A snarl ripped out of her Alpha, and he stood with the phone. “Kade is so deep in your head, isn’t he? He’s so deep and now you can’t see the truth. That’s your brother you’re talking about. You know him. He would never kill a member of Sister’s Edge.”

“Lie!” she yelled, standing. “Every word you are saying is a lie and you know it. Can you hear yourself? I can. Lies, lies, lies—”

“Shut up!” he roared. “You will come home. Now! You will find a ride and get back here right now. That’s an order. I know you can hear an order still, Jess. I can feel that bond I still have to you. It’s thinner because of your horrible choices, but it’s there. Come. Home.”

“Or what?”

“Or I will come get you.” And there it was. There was truth in his voice with that threat.

“For my offspring I haven’t even had,” she gritted out, realizing so, so many things in this moment. So many messed up things. So many unacceptable things.

Her only value to Sister’s Edge was her witch-blooded lineage that had been nothing but a curse to her.

“I don’t practice witchcraft,” she told him. “My mother didn’t practice. My grandmother didn’t practice. I have no spells. I’ve never had training. Samuel has no power as a male, so I don’t even know why the hell you would protect him from consequences of his own actions. He can’t give you want you want. I won’t give you what you want. I will never practice, and I will never teach myoffspring.” God, she hated that word. “I’ll also never sign away my kids for anything. I might be unsightly, and submissive, and hard to keep in line, but I know wrong from right, and you, Derek…you’re wrong.”

“Mmm,” he said, eyes glowing. He nodded slowly. “You’re going to figure out what Sister’s Edge is sooner or later, Jess. I just hope it’s not too late when you do.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?” she asked.

“It’s the only place that can keep that little curse off the people you love, and you know it. Keep that locket safe, will you? You have a day to get back home. I don’t care if you fuckin’ hitchhike here. Come home. Make sure to bring the locket back with you.” An empty smile stretched his face right before he ended the call.

Chills rippled up her arms, and her blood ran cold.

How did he know about the locket? How?

Samuel didn’t even know about it. The only person she’d ever told about it was…

Her cheeks heated with anger as she opened her text thread to Misty.I’ll never forgive you.Send.

I guess we’re even then.The text came back almost immediately, and she didn’t even hate Misty as much as she hated herself for being so weak as to lean on anyone. She’d known all those years ago that telling Misty about her family’s curse would come back to bite her in the ass. She’d known it, but she’d been so lonely with it, and Misty seemed to be a friend at the time, and Jess had made a mistake. It was the one rule her mother had preached since she could understand words—never expose the locket or the secrets sealed inside of it.

Her eyes burned and she chucked her phone against the couch pillow and buried her face in her hands to contain her emotions.

What should she do?

“Breathe.” Kade’s voice was soft over the harsh roaring in her ears.

What should she do!

“Just breathe.” Kade’s voice was near her now, right beside her.