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1073 Words
After I'd heard it the third time, I went back to Kaden and asked if we could possibly swing that. He'd shaken his head, lips pulled down in a frown. “I'm not a fan of staying here either, but the Libra pack seems to think we're safer here, and after some careful consideration, I agree.”
I heard it from Ethan himself later. “The Sun Witches wouldn't dare attack you here. And neither will the other packs.”
It made sense. Too many humans around, and the added safety of the big building, though that didn't stop Kaden from heading out with Larkin to put down some magical wards around the perimeter.
While he was out doing that, I decided to go check on Jordan. I wanted to make sure he was being securely held, or that's what I told myself, anyway. But maybe he'd talk to me if we were alone. We'd gotten to a point in the past where he had seemed to be open with me, when I'd gained his trust and let him ‘court' me. I wasn't sure if he would ever get to that point again, but if I could even get halfway there, I'd take it.
To my surprise, they were keeping Jordan in one of the basement rooms, right in the middle of where the laundry service would be. I stopped outside of the door, and Jordan's guards melted from the shadows. One of them was Jack. He gave me an appraising look, and asked, “Are you sure you want to see him?”
“Yes,” I said, frowning at him.
He hesitated. “And Kaden is alright with this?”
A wave of frustration rose up in me, quick and vicious, and I bared my teeth at Jack. “I'm the alpha female. I don't need his permission.”
“Technically, you aren't mated, so...” Jack said, shifting on his feet as he met my gaze.
A growl resonated through my chest, surprising even me. Jack held his hands up, dipping his head in subordination, and stepped aside.
I opened the door, glaring at Jack the whole time. To my surprise, Jordan was standing, and pacing back and forth like a caged lion. I'd thought that he was completely unbound for a few heartbeats, but as he moved, a chain clinked at his feet. I followed the coil of thick chain to where it was sunk into the floor. Not even someone with shifter strength would be able to get that loose.
His eyes snapped to me immediately, and I was startled by the clarity in his gaze. I'd thought that we'd keep him drugged with Ophiuchus poison as long as we had him, but he seemed lucid.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he snarled at me. He turned around on his heel and paced back again. I watched him pull the chain taut, and then turn around and repeat the motion in the opposite direction. “Are you here to kill me finally, put me out of my misery? I'd take it, rather than being stuck in this shitty basement in Libra pack territory. It reeks of humans.”
“I'm not here to kill you."
Jordan let out a bitter laugh. “What, then you're going to try and remove the mate bond again? Didn't you get your fill of failure the first time around? We both know that it won't work a second time, either. As far as I can tell, you don't have a Sun Witch yet, and you aren't likely to get one. So I'd get used to the mate bond if I were you.”
I knew what he was doing—he wanted me to lash out, to match this violent energy that was pouring off of him. I was tempted to snap back, to let my sharp tongue get the better of me, but I took a deep breath. “Honestly? I don't know why I came. I just…” I paused and shrugged. “I just wanted to talk to you.”
Jordan let out another bitter laugh. “We have nothing to talk about,” he said. “Unless you plan to free me."
"You know I can't do that."
Jordan watched me, eyes still wary. I had to find some way to prove to him that I had no intentions of hurting him, but there wasn't any easy way to do that. He'd never believe me if I said it. I sat down on the floor, just out of reach of the end of his chain. Jordan watched me as if waiting for an adder to strike.
After a moment, when I didn't pull a knife, or make any moves to hurt him, Jordan sat as well, a few feet away from me. I watched him for a few moments longer. “Did you know?” I asked suddenly, the question leaping out from me without my permission. It was too late to take it back, so I plowed on. “That you were my brother all along?”
Jordan recoiled as if I'd struck him, and the disgust on his face couldn't be feigned. “No. I was just as horrified as you were when I learned that. I definitely wouldn't have kissed you or tried to mate with you if I'd known.”
Something that had been squeezed tight for a long time was released in my stomach. “Good,” I said.
"If you had come back with me at the solar eclipse meeting, I would have made them remove the bond," Jordan said. "That's why I tried to grab you. I want it gone as much as you do."
"You really think they would remove it?" I tilted my head, finding it hard to believe. "Or that they didn't know all along that we were siblings?"
"I demanded they remove it, and they said they would. They listen to me."
I shook my head. “How can you be working with the Sun Witches?” I asked. “Especially knowing what they did to us."
Jordan clenched his jaw, muscles working as he watched me, eyes still wary. “You don't understand. The Sun Witches want to unite the packs, just like I do. I don't know why they mated us together, but it must have been an error.”
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