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He slowly walks towards me, stopping a few feet away to give me space. He seems a little hesitant, his smile unsure as he looks down at me. “I wasn’t able to be there for you or protect you for the last twenty-one years of your life, so I’m trying to make up for it now.”
The words hit me in the chest, and I imagine what it must have been like for Kano, knowing he had a half-sister somewhere in the world, taken by those considered their enemy. I’ve only known about him for a matter of weeks, and our introduction occurred when he stole me from the werewolf trials. While he’s had years to get used to the idea, the prospect of having living biological relatives is still very new to me. I guess when I saw him hovering over Syn, already knowing his orders, I assumed that he knew and planned for this to happen, causing me to doubt him. I know I can trust him, my mind was just clouded at the time.
Licking my lower lip and knowing that I need to apologise, I clear my throat. “Kano, I’m sorry I accused you of—”
“It’s fine.” He waves me off, not letting me finish. “You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last.” His confident expression is firmly back in place as he tries to hide how much this assumption hurts. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t notice, but I can see through his smile and know he’s not as fine as he pretends.
“Are you ready?” His question startles me out of my thoughts.
This morning, I was told by one of the guards who brought me my dress that an escort would arrive to take me to see my mate, so I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to realise that Kano wasn’t just here for idle chat. Shaking my head and chuckling despairingly at myself, I push my hair back from my face. I walk from the bathroom and step out into the bedroom, only to startle when I realise Atlas and Nicolai are no longer there. With a frown, I walk into the reception room and see that it’s also empty.
I feel Kano’s presence behind me, and I glance up to find him watching me. “Your mates are getting ready and will meet us down by the cells,” he explains.
My throat tightens, missing their presence, but I’m eager to see Syn, so I don’t question why they left without saying anything. Getting myself together, I leave my room and step out into the corridor, relieved to see the guards are no longer positioned there. Kano gestures for me to follow him, walking towards the staircase that leads down to the main level of Haven. We pass several witches on the journey who nod to us in greeting. Some of them frown as we pass, but to my surprise, it’s Kano they look at with narrowed eyes. If my half-brother notices it, then he says nothing.
We’ve been walking for a few minutes when I decide to break the quiet atmosphere that’s settled over us.
“So,” I begin, clearing my throat. “What’s happening between you and Luna?”
His steps falter slightly, but he corrects it, and if I hadn’t been watching him, I wouldn’t have noticed. Narrowing his eyes, he shoots me a suspicious look. “What do you mean?”
“Oh come on.” Looking over at him, I take in his innocent expression and don’t believe it for a moment. “I’m not blind, Kano. It’s clear that you two are crazy about each other.”
His expression shifts then, morphing into quiet contemplation, and I wish I’d never said anything. Everything I seem to say to him today has ended up being the wrong thing. Biting down on my lip, I contemplate if I should apologise for bringing it up when he sighs.
“I’m not in a position where I can see anyone right now. The queen is a jealous woman,” he explains, shaking his head and furrowing his brows. “She’s already got it out for Luna. I won’t put her in danger like that.”
Jealousy can be a dangerous emotion, and in the hands of someone like the queen who has so much power over everyone, it can have deadly consequences. My dislike for the queen and anger at how she treats her closest subjects just continues to grow, and this expedites it. She’s completely controlling his life and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. I suspected that Luna was one of the people he was trying to protect, and this just confirms it. It’s unfair that he’s unable to explore his feelings, especially when they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
“So the two of you are just going to give each other woo-woo eyes when you think no one is watching and not so secret ‘accidental’ hand brushes?” The startled look he gives me makes me bark out a laugh. “Yes, I’ve seen you. You’re not as sneaky as you think you are.”
I see his concern as he realises that others might have seen this too, a frown pulling at his brow. I open my mouth to comfort him, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head. “We’re almost there now, we should stop this conversation.”
Snorting, I shake my head, not believing for one second that’s the reason he wants to stop the conversation. He doesn’t want anyone to overhear, but I’m pretty sure he just doesn’t want to talk about it anymore in case he gives more away. However, I don’t push him, and we fall into thoughtful silence.
The now familiar pull is present in my chest, directing me to my mate, and it’s so much stronger now. In fact, it’s like I’ve stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. The contrast between now and only a few seconds ago is so strong, it makes me think there must be a shield of some sort blocking us. I suppose this makes sense. If you’re locked away, your jailors don’t want others to be able to find you easily.
We pass two guards, both of whom snap to attention as their eyes land on Kano. The bitter scent of fear reaches me as we walk past them and through a metal gated archway. I’m so surprised by their reaction to him that I watch him from the corner of my eye. All traces of warmth are gone, and he looks like the fearsome general that I’ve heard whispered about in the hallways. It seems that witches gossip just as much as werewolves, and most of them seem to have forgotten that I have the supernatural hearing of my wolf. Due to this, I’ve heard many interesting rumours and comments as I’ve walked around Haven. The ones about Kano, interestingly, aren’t about his relationship with the queen, but about how fierce and ruthless he is. I’d written it off as exaggerated gossip, but seeing how the guards just reacted to him, it makes me wonder if there is more truth to it than I first thought.
Sensing my gaze, he glances over and raises a silent brow in question. I’m not sure what he sees in my expression, but before I can say anything, he shakes his head, the warning clear in his eyes. Of course, this only makes me more curious, but I keep my thoughts to myself as we step through another gated archway, although this one isn’t guarded.
Eyes wide, I pause as I look around. The cells that line the room aren’t what I was expecting. Ten arched alcoves have been built into the long, narrow room, but instead of metal gates, they appear to be open. The scent of metallic magic is so strong that I have to breathe through my nose, making me suspect that the cells have a magical shield over them. The rest of the stone room is bare. I expected it to be full of guards but had only come across those two at the entrance. I suppose when you have this much magic surrounding the place, you don’t need to waste your resources on having so many guards.
My bond tugs in my chest, reminding me why I’m here, and I peer into each of the cells. They are all empty save one at the very end, along with a single figure sitting on the ground opposite.
“Syn.” The word is like a whispered prayer on my lips, and with an energy I didn’t know I had, I race down the corridor, speeding towards the alcove. However, as I get closer, I see that the figure leaning against the wall opposite is a very exhausted looking Luna. “Luna! Are you okay?”
Torn between my mate and the closest thing I have to a friend here, I bite my lip as I decide whom to go to first. Star is howling within me, desperate to be released and be with our mate, but I know now is not the right time. Glancing at Syn, I see he’s still asleep, so I make my decision and kneel by Luna’s side, attempting to check her over. She waves me off with a tired smile.
“I’m fine, just nearing the end of my power.”
She makes it sound like this is just something that happens all the time, but my gut is telling me this is more serious than she’s making it out to be. I glance up at Kano, and I know my instincts were right.
“Your mate is a tough one to keep under.”
Her comment pulls my attention back to her, and I find her looking over my shoulder with a wry smile. I want to call her out on her previous comment and delve deeper into that, but as soon as she mentions my mate, it’s like a switch is flipped inside me and I can’t think of anything or anyone else. Following her gaze, I find my mate lying on a long mattress placed on the floor.
He’s sprawled across the padded mattress, his head resting on his arm. You’d be forgiven for thinking he was just resting and not under the grip of magic. It’s the first time I’ve not seen or sensed the darkness around him, the magic obviously suppressing it. He looks so peaceful. I’m surprised to see that he’s still under, and it makes concern twist in my chest.
