Page 59

Scepter’s eyes widened. “Fuck. I never thought about that. He knew about the bond between Bianca and you, but he chose to send her to me. He had you shipped off before she arrived. That bastard orchestrated everything. Damn, if he knew, then it’s possible others also had that knowledge.”

“I’m going to reach out to Jenna. She might know more. She’s much older than any of us and has reach that extends beyond our species.” Aurora tried to get up from Savage’s lap, her words breathless.

“Do it, my love. Ask her to come here as soon as she can. Of course, her males are welcome.” Savage sounded magnanimous, though they all knew he didn’t like other powerful males in his domain.

A powerful surge flowed into the room. Two identical males appeared by the massive double doors. They wore black slacks, but one had a white shirt on while the other wore a black one. Each stood with their arms crossed over their chests, frowning as they looked around the room.

“What do you want with our female?” the male with the white shirt asked.

Scepter explained that their father knew about their Bonded mate before they did, or rather, that he’d manipulated him into taking Severin’s female as his through their twin link. “Sounds fucked up, but it’s true,” Scepter said.

“Hmm, I see. I’ll be right back.” The male disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the one in the black shirt standing alone.

“Lucas is gonna go see if our father has heard of anything like that in his time. He’s older than any of us. You know, since he’s our dad and all. Our mother is a shifter, so we’re a mix of the two races. I’d never say our mother is old, though. She’d beat the shit out of us.”

Severin could see the deep affection in Lucas’s eyes as he spoke about his parents. He couldn’t feel the same affection for his own mom and dad. Growing up, his father didn’t believe in showing love to either of them, and he certainly didn’t allow their mother to. He’d believed the saying that whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Their mother had been cold and brittle, whether because their dad treated her the same way or because she’d been brought up that way. He didn’t know, and he didn't care now. She’d rather beat them with a wooden spoon for the smallest slight than for teasing, or for catching them doing something they weren’t supposed to.

Chapter 28

“Sadly, we can’t relate to the lovey-dovey parenting,” Scepter said, glancing at Sev.

“Yeah, our mom and dad would rather have seen our asses red and our bodies showing signs of black-and-blue when we were young. They believed that was the mark of bringing us up right.” Those truths used to make him angry. Now it was just a fact.

“Well, no use crying over spilled milk, right, Bràthair?” Scepter asked, clapping him on the shoulder.

Severin looked at the male he’d loved and missed for hundreds of years. “I haven’t cried since we were children. How about you?”

Scepter let out a dry laugh. “I can’t remember the last time I cried, either.”

For some reason, Severin didn’t believe his twin. He felt Scepter’s tears were tied to him and to Bianca's loss years earlier. That pain still hurt Scepter and had destroyed their twin bond. If he could go back in time, he wished things had been different. Maybe...they could’ve broken the bond between him and Bianca. However, if things had been different, Scepter wouldn’t have found Starla, and he wouldn’t have found Thana.

“Well, if wishes were hand grenades and all that.” Savage shrugged.

“Um, I think the saying is, if wishes were horses, beggars could ride, Savage,” Thana said, laughing as the sound rang through the room.

“No, if we could all wish for a hand grenade whenever we needed one, we’d all be fucking happy. Basically, they’re the same thing.”

“Oh my gawd, that is so man math.” Starla pointed at her sister. “You are so fucked, sister.”

Aurora rubbed her abdomen. “Obviously.”

Starla made a retching sound. “So gross. Scepter, Mom and Dad are talking about doing the nasty. Tell them to stop.”

“Well, you’re both welcome to stay at our place until you decide where to go next. Thana, I know you share a home with Thane and the others, but Aurora’s and mine is far larger and more secluded. Why don’t you both stay at our place so we can all go to the annual Hallows Eve party at Club Jus Sanguine tomorrow night?” Savage ran his hand over Aurora’s abdomen almost absently.

“Are the two of you going to wear couples costumes?” Thane asked.

“If she let me wear her on my dick, we’d win best costume, for sure,” Savage said in a deep, amused rumble.

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal in every state.” Thana covered her mouth, but laughter she couldn’t suppress escaped with every word.

“We’ll be glad to stay with you if Thana’s good with that. By the way, how are the females from the storage container doing?” Severin asked.

Thane’s low growl was the only sound in the room for a long moment. “The others have been placed in the new sanctuary. Mari and Pax haven’t returned from Fey yet. Luckily, Savage let Aurora name the location. Otherwise, he’d planned to call it The Safe Vein Human Haven. Like, who wouldn’t raise an eyebrow at that?”

Severin couldn’t help it. He bent over and laughed, ignoring Thana’s hand slapping his arm. “That’s fucking awesome. Please, fucking do it. I’ll pay you a million dollars. No, I’ll donate two million to the sanctuary and fund its ongoing operations.”

“Don’t encourage him, Severin. It won’t end well if you do,” Aurora warned. “I will completely ruin your female and you in some unfathomable way.”