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“He could have,” Ryan agrees. “But I know Kane. I’ve been in the service of your family for a long time. I knew he didn’t plan on actually hurting me.”
I arch my brow it him. “That’s a hell of a gamble to take, Ryan. My brother isn’t exactly known for his sane moments.”
“Kane is many things, but rash isn’t one of them. People think that about him, but there is always a method to the madness. He is the cleverest man I’ve ever met. Far smarter than your mother. Your brothers are talking about taking your parents down. I don’t think Charlotte understands what she’s unleashed.”
Kane is smart. That I’ve never doubted. And while he may not be rash, he does have a temper — one that he is not always in control of. Elena has tempered him a lot, maybe enough, considering we’re both still breathing.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt for me.”
“This isn’t just about you, Lia. Your family is standing on a precipice. Your brothers will either be victorious, or Charlotte and your father will be. There is no middle ground here. Your brothers will kill your parents, or your parents will kill your brothers.”
I blink frantically at the candidness of his words. I don’t want to lose my brothers. “Then they shouldn’t do it. The risk is too high.”
He pulls me against him, stroking my hair as my arm wraps around his waist. “There is no choice. Your parents are pushing them into a corner, and any animal when backed into a corner will bite. If your brothers don’t challenge your parents, it will be their end. Yours too. Charlotte wants you married, and she will stop at nothing to get her way. How are you supposed to live your life like that? Forever looking over your shoulder, wondering when you’re going to get abducted.”
A shiver racks my body. He’s right, and that’s what is terrifying. There is no line my mother will not cross to ensure I stand in the church in front of Lord Huntsville.
“I’m scared,” I admit. “I don’t like what’s going to come.”
“Me too,” he says. “But I trust your brothers. They have a lot more at stake than your parents. They have family, babies on the way. Everything is on the line here.”
I don’t speak for a moment, just enjoying being in his arms. “Whatever happens, I love you,” I say eventually.
He bends down and kisses my head. “I love you too, but nothing is going to happen. Not to you.”
It’s a promise he can’t keep. My mother has unlimited resources. She has men in her pocket who are influential and powerful within this country. Men like Lord Huntsville. She could employ any tactics to bring me home, and to defeat my brothers.
The feeling that settles in my gut is unpleasant and makes my stomach churn. War is coming, and we are going to be stuck directly in the middle of it.
