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I’m not sulking or feeling sorry for myself, I repeat internally as I stare at the ceiling of my cabin hours later, refusing to see them. I don’t want this mate bond or for them to want me, but what Kitt said hurt.

Stupid feelings and stupid magical fate.

Okay, maybe I’m sulking a little. It’s just that I finally have my freedom and a shot at revenge, and I’m laden with five mates who hate my guts and want me dead. Oh, and they also want to give me back to the man who’s responsible for all this. Nice going, fate.

I hear one of them coming, but I don’t speak, even when I sense their presence at my open door. I considered closing it, but that felt childish. Besides, it wouldn’t stop them. I don’t lift my head, but my muscles tense just in case they want another fight. I don’t sense any murderous intent, but I never know with them.

“I came to check on you.” It’s the last person I expected—okay, second to last. Kitt would be the last, but Torrin is a close second, mainly because he’s hurt and resting, but for that, he seemed to hate me more than all of them combined. Swallowing my nerves, I try to act casual.

“Liar.” I turn as I roll my head to see him at the door where he lingers. “None of you care if I’m mentally or physically okay, so what do you want?”

“To hate you, we all do, but we can’t seem to. I really did come to check on you. I didn’t even know why, but I found myself here.” He enters the room, swallowing the space with his huge frame, having to duck so his horns don’t catch on the door as he sits on the very bottom of my bed, careful of his healing side. He stares at the opposite wall, quiet and contemplative.

He looks better, though he’s still moving with a wince and favouring his bad side, so I guess he’s not completely healed. It’s nice to know they aren’t untouchable.

I don’t know what to say, so I remain quiet, waiting for the true reason he’s here, and it’s not just that. I can sense the questions he wants to ask, but with a man like him, I can’t push. I have to wait for him to be ready. He doesn’t trust me, and rightly so. I don’t trust him either. Eventually, his curiosity must win out over his jaded feelings.

“What did he do?” Torrin asks roughly, and I stare at the side of his face. “Our employer, what did he do that he believes your death will hide?”

His question surprises me, and I think it through before speaking. Words carry weight. “Do you care?”

He looks at me. “It won’t change anything. We will break the bond and complete the job. It’s the only way we’ll remain free, but I’m curious.”

“Well, at least you don’t lie,” I mutter as I sit up, pressing my back against the cabin wall and stretching my legs out, almost touching him. I deliberate it for a moment before giving him the truth. “It’s bigger than him or me. It’s bigger than all of us, and I can’t trust that if I tell you, it won’t get out and hurt those who need to be protected.”

He frowns. “You were a kid. Who could you protect?”

“Nobody, as it turns out. I was foolish, but I tried. Your employer is as bad as they come. He’s also my mother’s mate.” The last word is a sneer. She always knew how to pick them.

“And your mother believed him over you regarding whatever happened?” he surmises.

“Years of manipulation helped, but when it came down to it, she had to be seen punishing one of us, and he was more powerful and more helpful to her. I was just her useless daughter. The irony of it all is that I might never have come into my powers if she hadn’t thrown me away.” I don’t sound bitter at all.

“But still, Gehenna, for a child?” he mutters, eyeing me.

“What I knew would ruin everyone. He knew that, and he told her it was for the best. She is the strongest mage to ever exist, so if her daughter betrayed her and spread lies, then she must be punished severely or my mother would be considered weak. It didn’t take much convincing.”

He stares at me sadly, and I roll my eyes.

“Don’t pity me. There’s nothing worse.”

“I don’t. I’m just sad for you. The person who was supposed to protect you hurt you badly.” His words surprise me, as does his soft tone.

“I’m over it,” I respond like a child.

“No, you’re not. You might tell yourself you are, but you’re not and you’ll never be. That kind of betrayal leaves a scar.” He speaks like he knows.

“And how would you know?” I retort, sitting up so we are practically face-to-face.

“Because my father sold me to the person we are running from. The amount would only help him cover his drug obsession for a few months. I was a child, his child, and he sold me, so yes, I know better than most.”

All my anger dissipates in the face of his earnest pain. “What happened to your father?”

“I checked when we found our freedom. He overdosed on poppy just a few years later.”

“Poppy?” I frown.

“It’s the drug of choice for many poor monsters, the only thing that can get you high, but it’s addictive and deadly.” He smiles bitterly. “I never even got to confront him for what he did to me. It died with him.”