However, he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
“Yes, you will,” Lexi said.
“Tell me.”
Lexi gulped before blurting, “I know where Orin is.”
He’d been so certain she was about to tell him she was leaving and never coming back, that it took his brain a couple of seconds to figure out what she said. When it did, everything in him came screeching to a halt.
Her gaze darted around the room before settling on him again. She fiddled with the blanket as she edged away from him. What was going on here?
“Where?” he demanded.
“Promise me you’ll let me tell you everything before you react.”
“Where?”
“Promise me, Cole.”
“I promise.”
She frowned at him as she seemed to debate whether or not to continue. Finally, she took a deep breath and plunged in. Cole didn’t react as she spoke, but as her revelations continued, his fury mounted until it became a cacophony reverberating throughout his entire being.
In the corners of the room, the shadows swayed as they slithered forth before retreating again. Lexi’s hands stilled on the blanket when she noticed them, but she didn’t stop talking.
Cole’s blood thundered in his ears as the depth of her revelation sank in. His brother had been beneath her manor thisentiretime; she’d kept this secret from him thiswholetime.
His hands fisted, and his claws dug into his palms. The blood welling in his hands dripped onto the bedspread.
“Don’t,” she whispered, but when she reached for him, he pulled away from her.
Her hands hung in the air between them before falling to the bed. She stared at the blanket as she told him the rest. When she finished, the seconds ticked away as he tried to process everything she revealed.
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” he demanded.
“The time was never right. When you and Brokk first came to the manor, I didn’t know if I could trust you not to turn me in to the Lord for hiding him. And after things changed between us, I didn’t want you to hate me. After you left with Brokk, I got him out of the tunnels. But then, when you didn’t come back and he did, I decided it was time to choose a side.”
“And you decided to choose the side against me.”
“That’s not why I decided to help Orin again. You haven’t seen those people and immortals living in those tunnels, and believe me, they donothave much of a life. They’re battered, hungry, scared, and being ruthlessly hunted by a monster. My father died fighting for the Lord, but I couldn’t turn those people and immortals away. I was handing them a death sentence if I did, and I couldneverlive with that.
“And then you returned with news of your father’s death and the revelation you were going to face the trials. I couldn’t tell you about Orin then. You were already nervous about leaving me behind because of Malakai. It would have broken me if you died during the trials, and I would have always questioned if it was because you were distracted by me.”
“So, you continued to lie to me.”
She winced, and her head fell forward so that her hair shielded her beautiful features. He’d trusted her more than any other woman in his life, and she’d kept thismassivesecret from him. He’d always known women could be treacherous; he just hadn’t expected it fromher.
Then she lifted her head, and her chin rose defiantly. “I did what I believed was best, and I won’t apologize for that. When you returned from the trials, I decided to tell you everything, but then there was your father’s memorial and your coronation to deal with first. I couldn’t dump Orin on you before all of that.
“However, I can’t keep it from you any longer. You have to know everything, and after what happened to your dad, I didn’t think you’d turn me in to the Lord, or maybe you will. I’m not sure of anything anymore, but this has been eating me up inside, and I can’t keep it from you anymore.”
“Eating you up inside? You’re a very good actress then.”
And that was what incensed him the most. He’d never suspected she wascapableof keeping something this big from him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said. “I didn’t know how to do it, and I never saw a good time to do so.”
A niggling doubt wormed its way insidiously through his mind. She’d spent a lot of time with Orin while he’d been gone. Had something more developed between them? Would she tell him if it had?
