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I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “You killed mom and dad.”

Ezra turned his head to look away from me. “…yes.”

“Because Alaroth told you to do it.”

“Yes.”

“And then you kidnapped me to pimp me out to him?”

We didn’t have a bond like my pack, but we had that specialconnection that twins shared, the kind that keyed us into each other’s thoughts and feelings. I could sense the pain and remorse coursing through his body.

“…Yes.”

He knew what he’d done was beyond messed up, beyond evil, and yet he still retained total loyalty to this fae king. I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Then get the fuck away from me. There is nothing, and I meanabsolutely nothing, you could ever do that would allow me to forgive you. I honestly wish youhaddied eight years ago. That’s far more preferable to the betrayal I feel right now.”

His body shook next to mine, but I couldn’t even bear to look at him.

“Marlowe…”

Footsteps sounded up the short staircase to our platform and Alaroth grinned. “My, my, what have I missed? There’s so much tension in the air I can taste it. Don’t tell me you two are fighting once more? Or has our good Captain Nivardi said something vulgar to his previous lover’s daughter?”

I turned towards the fae captain still trying to regain his composure. “Captain Nivardi was the perfect gentleman,” I stated.

The king actually looked disappointed, like he’d been hoping to rub more salt in Nivardi’s wounds. “Well, that’s good to hear. Ezra, are you ready?”

My brother stood, his expression stoic. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Wonderful. Come, beloved, let’s sit and watch what your brother can do.”

54

THE RED WOLF

We stalked the young blood taker through the mountainous woods. We’d eaten a strange meal earlier, but shifting between our forms took energy, and I was getting hungry again.

That would unfortunately have to wait.

The male, his scent thick with muddled blood, was loud, sated from mating, and not paying attention at all to the pack of wolves that now followed him back to his home.

He was lucky we didn’t mean him any harm, otherwise he would have been an easy, if poor tasting, next meal.

The blood taker we traveled with helped obscure us further with his shadow magic. The darkness that followed me was cool, and made my fur stand on end.

I did not like it, but he insisted it would help.

We did not need help for this.

But my human trusted this male, so I allowed him to blanket me with a black cloud.

Eventually the young one stopped, casually looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was around, before whistling strangely. Another whistle like a bird call responded, and then he stepped forward, vanishing into thin air.

His scent was gone.

55

NOLAN