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“Your little group has no fucking idea how this world runs or the secrets within it,” I said bluntly. “They think that their little jabs at PARA and vampires will make a difference. It never will.”
“How many more secrets?” she pressed.
“A lot.”
“Will you ever tell me all of them?”
I snuck a quick look at her before she started climbing the stairs to leave the beach. “I want to.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Your loyalty isn’t to me or vampires,” I answered gruffly. “I’d rather not deal with another raid from PARA because of you spilling secrets.”
That wasn’t the entire truth, but I didn’t want to end the night with her mad at me. If I told her all of the secrets, or what Amaros had planned for the future, she’d never forgive me. It didn’t matter whether she had any kind of feelings for me. The truth would shatter it all. Her finding out what my necklace meant was nearly enough for her to despise me.
When she found out what we had planned for Project Hope and the other human cities, she’d try to kill me all over again.
Chapter 19
Zan
“Did you tell her?”
Viggo’s voice came from behind me, and I grabbed a blood bag before closing the freezer. I turned to see both of my brothers in the living room, and Viggo fell onto the couch that I’d been sleeping on. My eyes darted down the hall, and I listened for the telltale sounds that Kali was eavesdropping but heard nothing, which meant she was still in my room with the door shut.
“About Pax’s crazy idea?” I asked, tearing open the top of the blood bag. “Yes, I told her.”
Pax frowned as he leaned against the kitchen island. “Tell me again why you attacked me last night?”
My jaw clenched. “I thought you were hurting her.”
“Bullshit,” Viggo muttered. “You know Pax wouldn’t have hurt her.”
“I kept calm when Amaros touched her,” I shot back. “If this bond thing was real, I would have lost it that night too. Shadows can’t bond.”
Pax shook his head. “You stayed calm because it was the best way to keep her alive. You knew that fighting against him would have put her in more danger. You did exactly what you needed to keep her safe.”
“Shit.” Viggo let out a harsh laugh, his scrutinizing stare fixed on me. “It really doesn’t matter if it’s true or not—when it comes to her, you are so royally fucked. She’s going to get you killed if you keep up like this. Our father likes her, Zan. That’s not fucking good.”
“I know that,” I snapped, my stomach knotting. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” Viggo cocked his head. “There are only three ways this can end. Mating with her could kill her if she’s not strong enough. Even if she does survive, she’ll fucking hate you. Then most likely try to kill you. If she turns, she’ll probably try to murder you anyway. Or maybe she’s a Shadow…which we all know would be even worse with how they transition. All these scenarios end with her still hating you.”
Pax’s troubled gaze landed on me. “He’s right.”
I paced the room as I drank the cold blood, not answering. I knew they were right. I never expected any of this to happen when I kept Kali here. She caught my eye, but I figured it would be a passing thing. Clearly, that wasn’t the fucking case.
The click of the door had all of us going quiet. Kali’s heartbeat grew louder as she crept down the hall. I turned to see her entering the living room, and I bit the tip of my tongue. She was wearing a pair of shorts that were just peeking out from under the black shirt that was mine. On her feet were just a pair of socks, which meant her stake was still back in my room.
She barely glanced at any of us before rounding the island and grabbing an apple from the bowl. She might still be angry, but she was getting more comfortable here. Viggo sauntered to the island before resting his elbows on it and giving Kali a wide grin. Her hard stare landed on him, suspicion flitting across her face as she took a small bite of the apple.
“What do you think about all this bonding stuff, Kali?” Viggo asked, cocking his head to the side.
“I think even if there’s some truth to it, Zan and I have no bond at all,” she retorted, her gaze swinging toward me for a split second. “His obsession with me is one-sided.”
Annoyance jolted through my veins, but I kept my expression neutral, not letting her words get to me like she clearly wanted. Instead, I strode into the kitchen, watching her eyes widen slightly as I crowded her against the counter. She gripped the apple tightly, lifting her chin to meet my eyes.
“I understand that you’re angry,” I murmured, grabbing her hips and pulling her against me, a grin pulling up my lips when I heard her heart jump. “But don’t lie about your feelings, Kali.”
