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Casimir tugged on my arm, catching my attention when I didn’t respond to his cousin’s calling of my name.
“I’m sorry.”
Draven ignored my apology. “Is it likely for Kol to take matters into his own hands?”
“All the time,” Nik spoke up.
I nodded in agreement. “True, but he’s never run off. And he knows better than to return to Ansley Keep to take on–” I stopped myself, glancing at the shifter.
Nik lowered his elbows to his knees, giving me his full focus. “Does this have something to do with Brokk’s half-sister?”
A pump of adrenaline restarted my heart.
“I already know about your family tree, Raven.”
“How?”
“It’s my job to know these things, the threats to Terek and those under Brokk’s protection. I’m a shifter who seeks intel and who hears more than he wants at times. You know I can scent familial relations through blood. I scented Sersha once on a mission near the keep. She’d pricked her hand on something in the market. It wasn’t a lot of blood, but it was enough. Brokk wasn’t surprised when I returned home and asked.”
Why was my mouth so dry? “Did he confirm it?” I managed.
“He assured me he’d kill me if I ever used it against his family. I told him I would count on it, should I ever betray any of you. I’d promised to keep quiet because it wasn’t my secret to share, not because he was threatening me. But primarily I did it because–”
“Stop,” I cut him off.
Nik leaned back in the chair, rings of dark harvest gold and flaxen yellow overtook his irises. “Lipáme,” he apologized gutterally in his native tongue.
Before my mate could ask what were surely burning questions, or tear into Nik’s chest cavity to remove his organs, I turned to the Shadow Lord.
“To answer your question, Lord Draven, it’s possible Kol decided to do something, especially considering how easy it was for him to use his magic to carry a wall of water 200 yards in length all the way from the river to the keep. He usually accepts his family’s council, but he is of an age where males believe themselves invincible.”
Lyric cursed under her breath.
“I don’t know what else he did, but it was enough for Father to get me free. Kol is quite aware of his abilities. He wouldn’t have made a rash decision to run off. It would have been planned. He’s not reckless.”
“I’m surprised Circe didn’t try to harness his magic, too,” Lyric shook her head.
“Circe spent too much time focusing on me so she missed the seeds of power sprouting within her son. Many in Terek think of me as powerful, but I’m not.”
“Uh, you totallyare,” Lyric argued emphatically.
“I simply learned to use both sides of my magic together. It gives me an advantage in some areas. But I would argue that, on power level alone, I’m on par with my parents. Kol is the one with truly immense power. Few notice because of his age. I’ve rarely felt anyone scan him. Of course, he lets off energy constantly to keep his power levels down.”
I turned my sharp stare to Nik. “Sersha doesn’t know who I am. She and her consort took an interest in me and locked me up when I wouldn’t comply with their requests. When Father hadn’t heard from me, he and Kol came and got me out of there. They brought me here for safekeeping.”
I scarcely registered Nik’s reaction. My thoughts were ramping up, quickly approaching a million miles a minute. What was Kol thinking?
My brother was smart. He was also far too powerful for his age. He would understand the steps that would need to be taken to keep our family safe and likely believe he was strong enough to take them.
Now that I was really thinking, cataloging our exchanges before his departure, I realized he’d purposefully gotten me to agree to listen to Casimir, knowing my mate would never want me anywhere Sersha.
The little brat was trying to ensure I wouldn’t get in the way. I’d be impressed if I weren’t so pissed at him.
Kol left here with a plan to fix this mess for me. I’d bet money on it. Though he was a force to be reckoned with, he was an army of one on his own. I needed to find him before he got himself killed.
I stood without answering. “I need a minute.”
Draven nodded in understanding. “Take your time.”
