Page 23

Dove

“That’s what you’ve been distracted with,”

Kairos said, shaking his head with wide eyes in disbelief. “Screwing with Dove’s head. I should have known.”

The Lord of Nightmares laughed. “That’s the problem with thinking you can control everything, Kairos. I told you my powers had grown. As has my connection with Dove. And it would be impossible to screw with her more than you three already have. Since you deprived me of the chance to strengthen our bond, I knew I needed to find another way to explain the truth to her. Tell her that she’s my—”

Enko growled. “Don’t say another fucking word, Damon.”

“You can’t threaten me. You may be able to beat me physically, but as you know, power within the Mind is much stronger. If you tried, you’ll be on the ground screaming before you make it within ten feet of me, Beast.”

“Don’t call me that,”

Enko snarled. “We all agreed on the terms.”

“All? You mean you three knuckleheads and the Archfox? Because I certainly didn’t. Did Dove agree? I highly doubt that. Being that she now knows the truth.”

Seven, Kairos, and Enko snapped their gaze to me, an unspoken question. My fists were tightly clenched. My breathing was heavy and ragged.

“He’s full of shit, Dove,”

Kairos began, silencing himself as my head shook dangerously.

“How could you keep it from me?”

I demanded, but nobody answered. They were all still trying to keep the truth secret, wondering how much I knew. Had Damon been right?

Damon let out a long low whistle. “Oh no, looks like you three are in trouble.”

I turned my attention to him, striding forward toward him. The other three all rushed into action the moment I moved, hustling forward as though to stop me, but I shook my head once more, glaring.

I stabbed a finger at Damon’s chest as I reached him. “Quiet. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you’ve hurt Enko.”

Then I turned to the others. “You knew I was Fated to him and you kept it from me. I trusted you.”

Kairos shook his head, “We wanted to tell you, Dove. You just weren’t ready to know yet—”

“That’s enough,”

I said, silencing the room with an uncanny power I hadn’t known I possessed. My rage pulsed to the surface and I stifled it back down as much as I could without letting my tears free from the betrayal. “Wasn’t it my decision? Is it ever my decision?”

Damon leaned back against the brick wall, crossing his arms as though he held some kind of upperhand over the others but I ignored him for now.

“I tried to tell you three what would happen if you kept this from her,”

Damon muttered, shooting a glance at me for approval, but he only received another shot of my full wrath.

“You’re a new kitsune, Dove. You haven’t had the training to fight him. You have no idea what he’s capable of,”

Kairos explained. “We were trying to teach you to manage the mindspace before releasing this demon into it.”

He jabbed his thumb toward Damon.

“Or were you trying to keep me weak so you could forever keep your secret?”

I demanded.

Kairos’ mouth snapped shut and Seven stepped forward to take over. “We wanted to prevent this from happening, Fated.”

I growled. “Prevent me from making my own choices. Yes, I know. The truth is that Damon has trained me more in my dreams than any of you have in weeks.”

I paused. “Wipe that fucking smirk off your face, Damon.”

The pain in my back flared up again. I’d forgotten to take my meds before stealing one of Kairos’ cars and driving all the way to Lethe. Each jolting step of my jog threatened to rip the healing wound open once more.

“Explain yourself,”

I demanded of Kairos.

Kairos’ teeth clenched, side-eyeing Damon. “In front of him? We should have this talk in private, Dove.”

“Apparently, he’s the only one who’s been truthful since I met all of you,”

I snapped, cringing as I twisted my upper half to hook a thumb toward the Lord of Nightmares.

Enko growled. “Because in this big of a Fated group, there’s always a rogue. Thankfully, we already found out who he was before we met you.”

“Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”

My voice faltered as the pain shot up my spine.

Seven rushed forward, curling his arm under my armpit and around my back. “Take it easy, Fated. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Damon demanded, trying to get closer to me, but Kairos and Enko blocked his way.

“She was hurt in the battle. Your reinforcements arrived a little late,”

Kairos said.

A stream of cooling energy pulsed through one of the mindlinks. “You should have informed me, I can ease her pain—”

“Stop that, my pain is my own. I can handle it myself.”

I snapped at Damon, Enko growling and stepping closer to him.

As he released his pain-relieving distraction, the pain came back in full force and I cried out. Kairos took my other side, helping to support me gently.

“We need to get you back to bed, Fated.”

“Back away, Beast, before I hurt you. You’re far more in danger of losing control and hurting her than I am,”

Damon snapped at Enko. “Actually, I might be the only one here that’s actually in control of my foxfire.”

“You’re the reason I can barely control mine. Now keep out of her head,”

Enko snarled.

“Did you forget where you are? This is my city. With a single thought, I can call in fifty soldiers, both demon and kitsune to settle this—”

“You won’t. Not if you ever want to be with me,”

I whispered. “You’re one mistake away from losing me forever.”

Despite my quiet order, everyone heard. Damon’s face fell, and I could feel a rush of emotional pain rush through our mindlink. Was it in his control? Or was he trying to guilt me?

Seven’s lip trembled as he tried to keep his simpering smirk hidden. That’s our girl.

“And you’ll stop manipulating my dreams,”

I continued, leaning into Kairos’ hold, barely able to support myself in my pain. Not just physical pain, but the emotional pain of betrayal.

“I would never manipulate you. Not like your other Fated have. I was only trying to help heal your trauma, my little bird—”

“Don’t call me that,”

I snapped, repeating the sentiment of one of my Fated males. “I barely even know you.”

“Whose fault is that?”

Damon demanded, his eyes widened with shock as though I’d given him a physical blow. “It’s only fair I get the same chance as the others, Dove.”

Now Kairos and Enko grinned.

“If you don’t want to be treated like the enemy, then stop acting like one.”

I took a deep breath. “We’re going back to the academy.”

Kairos and Seven supported me for a moment before Enko took over and held out his arms. I staggered forward into them and allowed him to lift me and cradle me against his chest as we headed out to Seven’s Land Rover. Kairos’ eyes flared as he saw I’d taken one of his precious classic cars but he didn’t say anything as he snagged the keys from me and drove behind us.

When we got back to the Archfox’s mansion, Rhys immediately appeared at the top of the steps in front of his portrait. “You three were supposed to be back an hour ago—”

He stopped speaking as he saw me. “What is she doing out of bed?”

Seven stormed up the stairs to him. “You were supposed to be keeping an eye on her, brother.”

“We had a security breach, a false alarm at the perimeter,”

the Archfox explained.

“The Lord of Nightmares created a distraction,”

Enko snarled. “And you fell for it.”

“You left her here alone,”

Kairos snapped. “So that the Lord of Nightmares could have his way with his Fated.”

“What did you just say?”

the Archfox questioned, giving me a look as though their secret was still safe.

“Yeah, Damon told me you guys have been lying. That’s he’s Fated to me too,” I began.

“Can I not count on you three for anything? You had one job. One.”

Rhys’ hands flew upwards. “Dove, I know you’re religious and grew up in a temple, but believe it or not, not all Fated are meant to be together. A rogue kitsune like the Lord of Nightmares is dangerous. There’s no law holding him to any standard.”

“I’ll be making decisions about my Fated mates from now on, Rhys,”

I told him, almost as sternly as he spoke, striding past him and up the stairs toward my new bedroom and slamming the door behind me.