Page 95 of Gilded Locks

“There are three of them and one of me. Swearing helps my street cred’.”

She laughed, the sound as melodic as chimes in a breeze. “You should hear them when they think they’re around people who can’t understand Russian.” Katya’s smile grew stronger. “Though I bet you understand more than they think you do.”

“I’m trying. Hunter gave me a book and he’s been helping me practice.”

“Hunter? That surprises me.”

“Why?”

“He’s not the most tolerant.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” She thought back to the last time she was with Hunter, and how exacting he could be. “But I think he has a soft spot for me.”

“From what I hear, they all do.”

Marigold’s cheeks heated. “I suppose it’s strange for you to imagine the three of them with one woman.”

“Not really. They do everything together. It’s how they got the nickname The Three Bears.”

“You’re kidding. People actually call them that?”

Katya laughed and nodded. “When we came to Kassel, they said all the islands were occupied. The Northern Isles were considered undesirable due to the long winters and harsh climates. They had been abandoned for nearly a century. Stone said it reminded him of Mother Russia, so we moved in that day. I was just happy that we were back together again.”

“Were you separated?”

A startled look danced across her beautiful face. “Didn’t they tell you?”

“No.” It occurred to Marigold that she’d been so focused on surviving the present she only let herself think of the future. “We never talk about their past.”

“It was terrible, what they survived. I wasn’t there, but when they came back to me they looked nothing like the boys who left.”

A chill chased up Marigold’s spine, despite the tropical temperatures. Outside the glass walls, snow still dusted the white landscape, but inside, everything was warm and green and alive. “Where did they go?”

“It was an expedition. Our father had thought it would be a good idea to toughen them up on the North Sea. But their vessel was commandeered by a cargo ship occupied by pirates. They were transported to Libya, where they were sold with other refugees and exploited in underground fights.”

“They were trafficked?”

Lines of compassion formed deep grooves around her emerald eyes. “Hunter was determined to survive. His body count was unfathomable.”

Marigold sucked in a harsh breath. “He actually killed people?”

“He’s not proud of it. He was oldest. Those years shaped him in ways he’ll never undo. He had to be terrifying to protect Stone, and then Ash.”

“Is that where he met Ash?”

She nodded. “Ash nearly died. If not for Hunter’s protection and after care, he wouldn’t have made it.”

It was no wonder their bond was so strong.

“But Stone had it the worst,” Katya continued. “He was smallest, and used as bait. He’d always been docile, which is probably why they chose him. The bait fighters were restrained until training time. Then, they were used to hone the killer instincts of the more aggressive fighters.”

“Oh, my God.” Her heart plummeted as her stomach turned. How could anyone be so brutally cruel?

“Sometimes, Stone still needs to feel the bite of pain to function. They almost broke him.”

That must have been what she walked in on the other day. And, of course, Ash would value aftercare above all else, especially when his brothers were the reason for his survival. “I had no idea.”

“No one, outside of this family, truly knows what happened. They just know that our loyalty runs deep. My brothers will do anything to protect those they love.”