I held my breath, praying they wouldn’t ask for more details.
“It’s always complicated with you, isn’t it?” She hissed, glaring at him.
“Look, we can talk about this later. I promise.” Heath’s voice was low, pleading.
Helene looked like she wanted to argue but seemed to reconsider. “Fine,” she huffed, shaking her head. “But I’m keeping an eye on you. And so is your father.”
The sound of the slamming door reverberated through the room when she left.
As soon as we heard her footsteps disappear, Heath slumped to the floor, his shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. I rushed over to him, trying not to make any noise as I knelt beside him. He pulled me into a tight hug. Tor and Enzo came down with us, adding to the group embrace.
We stayed that way for several minutes, the bonds between us holding us close, united in fear and grief. Even Tor and Enzo seemed to have come to a temporary truce and equally shared in the comfort we all needed. Comfort none of us had had since Sierra disappeared.
My mind drifted back to the last time we were all together with her and noted the striking difference between then and now. Then, it was all raw emotion and heat. Now, the emotion was still raw, but the heat was gone. The usual desire and arousal I experience in Heath’s and Torin’s arms was replaced by a desire to cuddle, not fuck. It was a testament to how fucked up we all were at the moment that we could just hold each other like that.
Our moment was short-lived though, when we heard Helene screaming. Wands drawn, we hurried out after Heath, down the stairs, following the sound, and came to a standstill when we found the door to the dungeons open.
“Fuck.”
CHAPTER 9
HEATH
WARNER ESTATE
We stood tightly together in the dungeon, as my parents stared us down, their eyes filled with fury. “You knew they were alive?” Helene’s nostrils flared as she accused us, her manicured nails digging into her palms.
By “they” I figured Harold must have already spilled that he didn’t come back by himself, and I grabbed Tor’s hand, feeling his fear through our bond.
Fury pulsated from my father’s face. “Did you honestly believe we wouldn’t find out?” he snarled, his gaze flitting between me, Torin, and Riley.
“Enough!” Harris’s voice echoed through the dungeon, his laughter mocking us all. I glanced at the cell where my once dead uncle was now very much alive, a wicked grin plastered across his face. A shiver ran down my spine. It was unnerving about seeing him again. Before anyone could respond, dad flicked his wrist, sending a bolt of magic that silenced Harris’s taunts.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” he declared, his voice low and menacing. “None of us will breathe a word about Harris or Gerald to Cordelia.” He turned a threatening glare on Enzo. “Or anyone else, for that matter.”
He glared back but nodded sharply.
My parent’s hard eyes tracked him carefully then flicked to each other. Helene’s lips tightened when her husband turned back to Enzo and commanded, “You leave.”
I started to protest but Enz shook his head in warning and left.
Riley stepped forward, meeting my father’s icy stare. “In exchange for our silence, you keep my parents out of the loop about the Dark Ones,” he demanded. “And my mother becomes temporary head of the school. I get to go home.”
Everyone’s gazes were on Riley, but he didn’t waver. After a tense moment, my parents nodded in agreement, sealing the deal.
“Fine,” Helene agreed through gritted teeth. “But we expect your absolute loyalty moving forward.”
Riley touched Tor and me as he left, his eyes sending us love and encouragement.
As if on cue, my parents’ attention shifted towards Torin, their disappointment palpable.
“What does Victoria know?” Helene asked, her sharp and unforgiving tone a stark contrast to how she usually favored him.
I could sense the fear boiling inside Tor, and I couldn’t let him face this alone. “Gerald only recently gained enough strength to leave the cell,” I interjected, trying to deflect some of their anger. “I asked the Murphy family to stay hidden until you two returned.”
Tor nodded in agreement, his gratitude seeping through my skin where his hand still clenched mine. “My parents will meet up with you soon,” he promised.
“See that they do,” Helene warned, her hard gaze pinned on Torin’s face. She jerked her head in dismissal, and he gave me a look of regret as he left me alone with my family.
Harold turned his attention back to his brother, who was still trapped in the dungeon. With an irritated flick of his wrist, he removed the silencing spell that he had cast on him earlier.
“Ah, finally,” Uncle Harris smirked. “Now, where were we?”
“Save your breath,” Harold warned, his voice cold and menacing. “You’ll need it for when you rot in that cage for the rest of your miserable life.”
“Is that so?” Harris challenged, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Because I plan on taking back everything that’s been stolen from me. Including Heath and Sierra, since I am Sierra’s father and Heath is one of her mates.”
Helene laughed, a chilling sound that echoed throughout the room. “Nice try, but you will never leave that cell. Furthermore, DNA testing has proven that Harold is Sierra’s natural father.”
My father’s face paled a moment before he let out a triumphant laugh, while my shock quickly turned to horror. Bile rose in my throat, and I struggled to maintain my composure.
“Impossible,” Harris spat.
Helene smirked. “So sorry, dear, but your all your evil plans have failed again.”
“Enough of this,” her husband—my father, and possibly Sierra’s too—said, while my stomach continued to churn. “We’re wasting time.”
He turned sharply on his heel and jerked his head for us to follow him up the stairs. I cast one last glance at Harris, who sneered at me with unconcealed hatred, before I left the dungeon.
