Page 96 of No One’s Daughter

“From day one.”

I stared at him with widened eyes.

“The family resemblance is uncanny. True borns are incredibly rare back home, never mind here, especially ones as powerful as you.”

“But not powerful enough to stop him from stealing my sister.”

“He’s dangerous, Ailsa,” Davien said, looking at me in a way he had no right to.

“So you just lied to me,” I said, turning my back on him. “That makes you as bad as him.”

I began gathering my discarded clothing, pulling them on—not giving a shit about the fact they were covered in dried blood. There was no decision to be made, no choice to be had. I was going to this party of his, and I was going to get my sister back. After that, I didn’t know. I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. For now, only one thing mattered.

Claire.

I heard the two of them mumbling outside. I didn’t care, they were probably just plotting to betray me some more. Making all the decisions about my life for themselves.

Davien entered the motel room a few minutes later, his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped but no less hot. I fucking hated that I found him attractive. What I hated even more though was that his cocky demeanour had all but disappeared. He looked frighteningly sorry. Like he gave a damn. Fucking wanker.

“I’m going and you can’t stop me,” I said, mustering all the confidence I had to the surface even though internally I was already breaking at the thought of Claire in harm’s way.

“I know.”

How dare he be so calm right now. He’d lied to me. I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was my fault, I let my guard down around him. Began to fucking trust him. “Oh you know, do you!” I shouted at him, unable to hide my hurt. “Because you know me so well? Have you even been truthful about anything?”

My fist collided with the wall of his chest once, twice. Again and again but it didn’t hurt him. Of course it didn’t. He didn’t even react. He just stood there. But I needed to hit something, needed to feel something other than the uncontrollable panic. Tears began pricking at the edges of my vision as the panic settled in my bones.

What if they hurt her to get to me. What if they’ve already hurt her and she’s in pain while I’m what, sharing a bed with one of them. I swallowed hard against the wave of nausea that followed.

All this time.

And he’d known.

Davien swallowed hard, not moving, just letting me rage against him. He didn’t block me, didn’t even flinch. “I… I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your fucking apology.”

The words echoed off the walls as I shoved past him, grabbing the nearest thing I could reach—a glass, a book, I didn’t even know—and threw it. It shattered against the wall behind him, fragments scattered across the floor. Still, he didn't move, he just stood there, taking it, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed somewhere just above my head like he couldn’t quite bring himself to meet my eyes.

A hollow, bitter laugh tore from my chest when I ran out of things to throw. Is that why he’d been calling me ‘princess’ all this time? Just poking fun at me, holding the truth right under my nose with me too dumb to understand.

​“So last night was what?” I poked. “A chance to fuck a princess?”

​He visibly recoiled as though I’d slapped him. “No,” he retorted instantly. “I… I lost control.”

​“Lost control?” I echoed, laughing to myself because if I didn’t, I think I might have tried to kill him.

​He clenched his jaw, his eyes dropping to my lips then down my body as though he was picturing what he saw the night before. “I’ve been in perfect control for centuries. Unrattled by anything. Tempted by nothing. But you—,” he shook his head and looked to the sky as though it might offer him answers. “You get under my skin like no one ever has. I can’t stop thinking about you, worrying about you. I crave your attention.”

​I laughed in his face, because what the actual fuck was he talking about? “You’ve done nothing but let me know how much you hate me these past few weeks. You’ve hurt me, taunted me, punished me, stolen everything from me.”

He audibly swallowed, and I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed. “I thought it would be easier if you hated me, if you felt like I hated you.”

“Why?”

“Because this wasn't supposed to happen. It can’t.”

“Yet it did,” I scoffed, turning my back on him. I couldn’t deal with his regret right now. I needed to get my sister back.