Page 149

“I couldn’t say anything,” he told her, his voice pleading with her to understand. “I was ordered to act like normal. There was nothing I could do.”

“Tell her everything, Jordan,” Aven said, his voice firm. “From the beginning.”

Jordan swallowed thickly and whispered, “I had to, Alex.”

No.

“Aven says my brother is alive. He’s going to help me find Luka.”

No.Wrong. All wrong.

“Alex, you have to believe me,” Jordan begged. “It was the only way.”

“Tell her the complete truth,” Aven commanded again. “Tell her how you came to be in my service.”

With emotion-filled eyes, Jordan said, “I went back to the chateau for the weekend because my parents asked me to. I didn’t want to go, especially since I knew you, Dix and Bear were so worried. But they said they had something important to tell me.”

He hesitated for a second before he continued. “When I arrived at the chateau, Aven was there. He and my father are… close. I swear, I had no idea. I tried to escape, but Lena was there too, neutralising my gift so Calista could hold me captive. It was horrible. I was trapped.”

His eyes shadowed at the memory until they brightened again. “But then my father promised me that everything would be okay as long as I listened to Aven. Then they’d let me go. So, I listened. And what I heard—Alex, I don’t know what to say.”

Alex didn’t know what to say either. All she knew was that with every word of his, she felt as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest. Judging by D.C.’s muffled sobs and Bear’s choked expletives, she wasn’t the only one falling apart.

“Aven told me that Luka faked his own death,” Jordan continued. “I didn’t believe him at first. But then he showed me some surveillance footage dated a month ago—amonthago!—where Luka broke into a Techno lab in Mardenia. He’s alive, Alex. Can you believe it?”

No.

“My parents told me they’ve been trying to find him for years,” Jordan said. “Apparently they’ve known all along that his suicide wasn’t real, but they didn’t want to tell me because they knew how upset I’d be. I was so angry with them, but they said that no matter how hard they looked and how close they’d come, they’ve never managed to find him. I would’ve been devastated if I’d known he was out there and I couldn’t contact him. They did the right thing.”

No.Wrong.Stop.

“But then Aven made me an offer,” Jordan continued. “He said he’d help me find Luka if I did something for him first. I had to help him get to Meya. All I had to do was use my gift to hide him and Calista so we could all slip through the doorway when you opened it. It was almost too easy to orchestrate everything, especially after I suggested we use Skyla’s ability to help us. She took on Zain’s appearance to get you going, and then she made herself look like me to make sure you opened the door and came through. It was perfect.”

Alex struggled to draw breath into her lungs.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” he continued. “I know how important you thought it was to keep him away. But Kyia and Zain and Prince Roka, they all lied to us. It wasn’t Aven who murdered those humans and tried to steal the throne—it wasRoka. He framed Aven, making it look like he was innocent, while Aven took the fall and the banishment for his brother’s actions. Aven’s the victim here, Alex.”

Try convincing Skyla of that, she thought.

There was no way the Jordan they knew and loved would fall for such a fictitious story. And he wouldneverrefer to Aven as a ‘victim’, not after everything the Meyarin had done.

Alex turned to look at Aven with hate-filled eyes. “That’s not Jordan talking. My friend would never believe the words coming out of his mouth.”

“Finish your recount, Jordan,” Aven ordered, ignoring Alex.

When she turned back to Jordan, she found him looking at her with eyes full of hurt.

“Itisme, Alex,” he whispered. “I’m still me. Aven Claimed me for my own protection. It’ll help him keep me safe while he saves Meya from its evil rulers. And after that, we’re going to search for Luka together. A brother for a brother, that was our agreement.”

Alex couldn’t accept his words.

“Your agreement?” she repeated, despite her better judgement.

“Jordan,” Aven interrupted. “Answer truthfully. Did I offer to Claim you?”

Jordan hesitated, but then he whispered a quiet, “No.”

Alex’s blood turned to ice.