“Where are we? Why am I here?” she asked softly.
The bed dipped as Luca sat next to her. “Shhh, you’re safe now, Alexandria. It wasn’t hard to figure out those Coteri bastards took you after seeing the destruction of your house.”
Alex watched in silence as Luca’s face tightened into hard lines of fury. “I just had to bide my time and lay my trap until they came to me. Once they did, it was easy to follow them back and locate where they were holding you.”
Alex shook her head against the pillow, fear coursing through her veins at the thought of what Luca might have done to Nic, Thea and Sean after he’d taken her last night. Surely he wouldn’t have come for her alone. Had his warriors entered the Royal house after Luca had left with her? Were her friends safe? She wanted to ask but knew she couldn’t.
Luca took her hand between his and squeezed, obviously mistaking her distress. “Don’t worry, sweeting, I’m not angry with you for breaking down and telling them of my levee location. In fact I was hoping you would so I could find you sooner. I just hope you didn’t suffer too much before you finally gave in and told them the information.” He stroked her hand. “But don’t worry, sister, I plan on extracting my revenge in a very lethal manner. They’ll never think to take from me again. Of that you can be certain.”
Her head was spinning. Luca actually believed the Coteri tortured the information from her. He honestly thought he had saved her last night. She was going to be sick. The thought of what Luca might do to her friends, to the warriors, to Tre. She had to warn them somehow. Think, Alex, think! She had to let Luca continue to believe she hadn’t betrayed him or changed allegiances if she was to have any hope of getting away from him and warning Tre.
A door across the room opened with enough force to slam it against the wall on its hinges. Luca stood and took a step away from the bed, finally allowing Alex to see who had entered. It had been over a year since Alex had seen her but she was as stunningly beautiful as ever. The sleeveless emerald-green dress she wore appeared custom-made and fit her elegant figure like a glove. Her hair was long and flowing and her four-inch Manolo Blahnik pumps didn’t make a sound as she glided gracefully across the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
Alex met her gaze. “Mother.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As the early morning light streaked through the windows, Tre forced himself to get up and get moving. He hadn’t slept at all but his body wasn’t tired. He was running on pure adrenaline with his need to find Alex. He’d looked everywhere for her the night before. He’d gone back to the levee location as well as the facility on Big Mar Lake, both of which had been completely empty. He’d gone back to her house and even tracked through the swamps of the first location they had destroyed after they’d rescued Nic. In a last-ditch effort, he’d even gone to his abandoned plantation, thinking that if she’d somehow escaped she might have gone there. Nothing.
After returning to Royal, it had taken him most of the night to calm his animal side enough even to think clearly. His mate had been taken from him, possibly hurt. His beast wanted blood, and so did Tre. The thought of Alex in the hands of that sadistic fuck Luca, brother or not… He couldn’t even finish the thought. Tre showered quickly and dressed in clean jeans and a T-shirt. He knew he needed to meet with Dev and the team so they could formulate a plan to find her and bring her back. He also knew he needed to keep his beast under control and tamp down the raging fury burning through his system if he was going to be of any help to Alex.
“I’ll find you, baby, and I’ll bring you home. I swear it,” Tre pledged as he left his room in search of his team.
Tre climbed the stairs to the third floor, heading for Dev’s office. As he reached the top he spotted Sean in the atrium, the man’s tortured expression clearly visible from across the room. He walked forward and Sean met him halfway.
“I don’t even know what to say, Tre. I’m so damn sorry, man.”
Tre tensed. In his present state of mind it was hard not to want to tear into the other man, blame him for allowing Alex to be taken. But Tre knew where the real blame lay. He took several deep breaths before he spoke. “We’ll get her back, Sean. And any blame lies with me. She’s my mate and it’s my responsibility to protect her, not yours.”
“But if I had just been able to fucking shift—” Sean started to argue, but Tre stopped him by laying a heavy hand on his shoulder. They were the same height and Tre stared intently into Sean’s light-blue eyes, needing him to drop it before Tre lost his control.
“Enough.” He squeezed. “This gets us nowhere and I need you and the rest of the team focused on helping me get Alex back. I’m hanging on by a thread right now and the only thing keeping me from going completely feral is making sure my entire focus is on finding my mate. I can’t allow anything else to infringe on that one driving need—not even your misplaced guilt.”
Tre dropped his hand and gave a quick shove to the back of Sean’s shoulder, forcing him to move toward Dev’s office. They matched strides but Tre stopped him before they entered. “But believe me, Doc, when this is over you and I will definitely be spending some intense one-on-one training time together. Because even if I have to pound your ass into the ground until it finally sinks in, you will learn to shift. Got me?”
Tre moved ahead and entered the office. “Fuckin’ A,” Sean swore under his breath.
* * * * *
“Alexandria, dear. It’s so good to see you. I came as soon as Luca informed me of your abduction.” She brushed Alex’s hair away from her face. “Do you see now why I took such care in hiding your existence over the years? Why I tried to keep you as far away from those vicious Coteri as possible? They’re nothing but animals.”
The force it took for Alex to keep her mouth shut and not tell her mother to cut the shit was almost too much. She had to bite the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood to ensure she didn’t betray herself. She’d never been close to her mother and was, in fact, a little frightened of her, based on some of the things Luca had told her through the years. But as with her brother, there was a part of Alex that had hoped her mother hadn’t been part of this madness. Yet as she looked into the cool green eyes of the woman who’d borne her, Alex knew that everything she had learned about this woman was true.
Alex licked her lips before she spoke. “Yes, Mother. Now I understand.”
Valencia smiled but Alex noted that it didn’t reach her eyes. Her mother grasped her hands and pulled her without preamble into a sitting position, making Alex wince in pain from the wounds on her shoulders.
“Ah, yes. Luca told me you were somewhat disoriented when he rescued you last night. Said he had to grip you quite forcefully to keep from dropping you.”
Valencia stood and Alex swung her legs over the side of the bed but didn’t rise. “Let’s have a look at your wounds, then we’ll get you cleaned up and into some fresh clothes. I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to your work.”
Valencia reached out and before Alex could react, her mother pulled the neck of her thin sweater over her right shoulder and froze. Time seemed to stand still as Alex watched her mother’s gaze darken with fury.
“Fuck me,” Luca whispered as he stepped closer.
Without warning, Valencia backhanded Alex across the face, the strike hard enough to send her reeling back on the bed. Alex placed her fingers on her cheek and they came away bloody. She could feel the wound already starting to swell.
“That ring of hers is a bitch, isn’t it, sis? Welcome to the club,” Luca mocked, then he chuckled.
Alex forced herself back into a sitting position and watched as her mother paced the room. Valencia stopped right in front of her. “You stupid little whore,” she shouted. “How many of them did you spread your legs for before you found one willing to mark you? Just how much did you betray us, Alexandria?”
Alex jumped to her feet, the pain in her shoulders and cheek forgotten. “Betray you? Are you kidding me? You lied to me my
entire fucking life!” She swept her hand toward Luca. “Both of you did. You made me believe my research was to save our people. You lied about all the evil things the Coteri do both to our people and to humans, when in actuality it’s you and our people who are the monsters.” Alex was shaking with fury. “And now that I know the truth, I can hardly stomach being in the same room as you.”
Valencia’s expression softened, belying the vehemence in her eyes, as she took steady strides toward Alex. Her mother’s hand clamped down on the back of her left shoulder, her sharp nails digging into the wound as she squeezed. Alex felt the wetness slide down her back and knew she was bleeding again, but she refused to put a voice to her pain.
Alex looked into her mother’s eyes but found nothing but coldness, even as the woman continued to smile. “Oh, sweetness. I think Mother can arrange to help you with that.”
Valencia turned Alex around quickly and shoved her with enough force that she fell into Luca. His hands immediately gripped her upper arms and he roughly turned her back to face their mother. “Luca, darling, let’s make sure Alexandria doesn’t have to suffer a moment more by being in our presence. See to it she’s set up in quarters more suitable to ensure her successful re-acclimation to her Valta heritage.”
Valencia stepped forward and traced the sharp point of her red-tipped fingernail down Alex’s injured cheek. Alex tried to flinch away from the touch but Luca held her steady. “You have shamed me beyond reason, daughter. But given time I’m sure you’ll see the light and come back to where you belong.” She flicked the tip of Alex’s nose and smiled. “You always were such a bright girl.”
She turned and walked toward the door just as gracefully as she’d arrived, before looking back. Her eyes were cold and flat as she looked between her two children. “You two have been such a disappointment.”
“What the fuck did I do now?” Luca interrupted, sounding like a petulant child.
Valencia continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I blame your fathers, of course, although I had higher hopes with your father, Alex.” She sighed. “Ah well, lesson learned. Luca, see to this and don’t disappoint me further.”
“Bitch,” Luca mumbled after Valencia had left the room. And on that, Alex agreed wholeheartedly with her brother.
* * * * *
Tre stuttered to a stop just after entering Dev’s office, unable to believe the sight before him. Sprawled in a relaxed pose on the oversized chair across the room with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles sat the one person he needed to see.
“Hey, Betty. What the fuck is up with you? You don’t call, you don’t write and I have to find out from Cajun-man here that you’re now mated?” Talon uncoiled his six-foot-four-inch frame out of the chair and walked across the room to Tre. “Gotta tell ya, man, I’m feeling pretty fucking unappreciated. Figured I’d come down here and kick your sorry ass. That is, after we find your female and take down some Valta.”
Talon grinned and held up his hand. Tre clasped it tightly before he pulled his friend into a side man-hug. He knew Talon was flipping him shit to try to lighten his mood but Tre’s sole focus was on finding Alex and even his friend’s goading couldn’t deter him from that single goal. Tre released him and stepped back. “It’s good to see you, man, and we definitely have a lot to talk about. But right now, all I care about is getting Alex back safe and unharmed. Nothing else matters beyond that.”
Talon blew out a long breath and shook his head before he locked his gaze with Tre’s. “And this female of yours is really Valencia’s daughter, Luca’s sister and was raised Valta? And what happened to your ‘not just no but hell no’ philosophy about taking a mate?”
At Tre’s low growl, Talon put his hands up. “Stand down, buddy. Dev already filled me in but shit, you definitely win the prize for the most complicated choice for a mate. I’d say you wiped Mathias’s ass with your selection. After all, he just went after the king’s daughter. That’s fucking child’s play compared to what you’ve been up to.”
Talon smiled and Tre couldn’t help but return it. He was damn glad to have him there. “Fuck you, T,” Tre said, and shoved Talon’s shoulder as he moved past him.
Sean stepped forward and clasped his brother’s hand in a firm grip. It had become their “thing”, each trying to out-do the other with a vise-like hold. It had started as a sort of pissing match when they met in Washington, before they’d known they were brothers and before Sean had known of his Coteri heritage. Sean had been interested in Talon’s mate, Chloe, who hadn’t been his mate at the time. Needless to say, Talon hadn’t reacted well to Sean’s encroachment on his territory where Chloe was concerned. Tre had found the whole thing hilarious and frequently flipped both men shit about it.
“Hey, little brother,” Talon greeted Sean, the veins in his arm pulsing from the firm hold he had on his hand.
“Hey, old man. Did you bring Chloe with you?” Sean bantered back, knowing the mention of his brother’s mate would tweak Talon’s anger, and hey, wasn’t that what little brothers were supposed to do?
Talon’s grip tightened in response and he smiled slowly, flashing his canines, until Sean finally relented and released his hold. Talon slung a heavy arm around the back of Sean’s neck and walked more fully into the room. “Smartass,” Talon chided before he released his brother and grabbed a seat on the sofa beside Tre.
Tre watched as Talon’s features turned hard and serious. Then his friend spoke. “Let’s do this, General. What have we got?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So, who’s the lucky bastard I get to kill for putting his hands on my sister?” Luca smirked at her from across the room.
Following their mother’s orders, he’d taken Alex to a different room, which was located on the upper level of the house. This room was definitely a step down from the one she had been in. The wooden floors were rough and a few of the slats were missing. There was a worn cot with only a threadbare sheet for her to sit on and a single light bulb hung from the ceiling. There were no window coverings and the hot afternoon sun streaming in made the small room feel like a furnace. The iron manacles he’d locked onto her wrists were heavy and uncomfortable and, more importantly, blocked her ability to shift. She was completely helpless.
“Where are we, exactly?” Alex asked, refusing to answer her brother’s earlier question.
Luca pushed himself away from the wall and stepped forward. “This is one location I never shared with you, sweet sister. And now I’m very glad for that fact. This place is my own private retreat. We’re in the middle of the Atchafalaya River Basin. The house was built on stilts that go directly into the water. If you look out the window you’ll see the structure is surrounded by the marsh and only accessible by boat.” He turned and walked to the large window before looking back over his shoulder. “I assure you, Alexandria, we are quite safe here and none of your new ‘friends’ will be able to find you.”
Luca grabbed a single wooden chair and turned it around to straddle so he was facing her. “Now I’ll ask again. Whose mark do you carry?”
“Why do you even care, Luca? It’s not as if I actually mean anything to you, so what does it matter?”
Alex watched as her brother’s nostrils flared and his jaw tightened as if he was grinding his back molars. And then the truth suddenly hit her. “This has nothing to do with me, does it? Your ego’s chapped that somebody took what you thought was yours. God, Luca. Was it all just a lie? Did you ever care about me at all?”
Alex regretted the question immediately when she saw her brother shrug and saw the truth in his eyes. “You’re my sister—at least you’re my half-sister, since we share the same bitch of a mother. And when you were younger I tried to protect you from her. I took the brunt of a lot of her wrath so you wouldn’t have to. So yeah, I cared, Alexandria. I still care. Now tell me, sister. Who is your mate?”
A small part of her desperately wanted to believe him but she wouldn’t allow herself to be that naïve again.
She knew the truth and couldn’t stomach the reality of the things he and her mother had done. No, her place was with Tre now, with the Coteri. And she was proud of her choice on both fronts.
Alex straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “We weren’t able to complete the formal mating but the mark I carry was made by a warrior named Tremayne. I love him and he loves me. His mark proves that and I am proud to wear it.”
After a heartbeat of silence, Luca threw his head back and howled with laughter, even slapped the back of the chair in his exuberance. His gaze was spirited when he finally calmed enough to speak. “Alexandria, dearest, tell me you’re not serious. Tre is the one who marked you?”
Alex stiffened at his response, and although shackled and being held prisoner by her own family, she tried to exude poise and confidence. “Yes, this is Tre’s mark and as I said, I’m proud to wear it.”
Luca’s expression softened somewhat as he shook his head. “And you say you didn’t fully complete the mating? I’m assuming that means you didn’t mark him?”
Alex simply nodded.
Luca stood and moved to sit beside her on the tiny cot. He took her hands in his before he continued. “I’ve known Tre for quite some time, Alexandria, and I know first- hand of his reputation, particularly with females.” He sighed, then met her gaze directly. “There’s a very good reason Tre didn’t allow you to mark him, sister. Because he didn’t want you to. He’d never allow a female to mark him.”
Alex jerked her hands from his and moved to put some distance between them. “He marked me, Luca. Tre loves me. We were interrupted before we could finish. That’s all.”
Luca shook his head slowly and it pissed Alex off. “So naïve. Don’t you see, Alexandria? He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t really want you for a mate. If what you say is true, nothing in this world would have stopped him from finishing the bond.” He moved closer to her again. “Next to Talon, Tre is one of my most hated enemies and that hatred goes both ways. He would stop at nothing to get to me, to bring me down. And now he’s found a way…through you. He gained your trust, used you and told you lies so you would tell him how to find me. I was his ultimate goal, not you.”
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