Chapter 111: Chapter 111
Kane POV
“I’m coming with you,” Elara says adamantly, stripping off her sexy outfit and grabbing her jeans.
“No,” I hold her gaze. “Stay with Stella and be safe.”
“Mother will care for Stella,” she insists. “Selena is my sister. Since Dad’s not here, and she’s not listening to Mother, she’s my responsibility.
“Okay,” I agree reluctantly. There simply is not time to argue about it, and Selena might be irresponsible, but I doubt that she is doing something dangerous. I follow Elara, carrying the bassinet as gently as I can to her mother’s room.
“Mama, Selena snuck out,” she whispers. “We’re going to find her.”
“Really?” Julia asks, equally upset and relieved.
“I need you to watch Stella,” Elara says.
“Of course, of course,” she replies. “Go now.”
I push the bassinet inside, and we slip out of the house, not speaking as we strip down and shift, snatching up our clothes in our mouths. Elara paws at the ground where Selena has shifted. I join her as she leans down, flaring her nostrils and taking in as much of the scent as she can.
Elara nods, and then we are off. We run for what seems like forever, weaving through trees until we are following the winding road that leads out of our territory.
What the hell? Was Selena going into the nearest human city? Elara runs beside me, seeming just as confused as I am.
Finally, the trees clear up and the human city lights up just beyond the tree line. We creep along the edge of the forest until we fear we might be seen, and we shift back and throw on our clothes.
“The scent trail keeps going,” I say. “What the hell is Selena doing in human territory?”
“There!” Elara hisses, pointing over my shoulder. “She’s walking into that bar.”
I turn around slowly, and sure enough, Selena slips inside. A sharp bolt of fury shoots through me. She is barely seventeen. Why the hell are they letting her in there?
“We have to see who she’s meeting in there,” Elara grunts desperately, charging out of the trees.
She pursed her lips in a tight line and nodded.
“I’ve got your back, okay?” I say, taking her hand.
Moments later, we step into the bar, careful to stick to the shadowy corner by the door.
“Over here,” I say, waving Elara toward a half wall that separates the main bar from the bathrooms and back storage. We crouch down, peeking over the top, and hoping we do not look too suspicious.
I can just make her out at this distance. A larger man is sitting next to her with his back to us.
“Can you tell who that is with her?” Elara asks.
“No, but he seems familiar,” I grunt through gritted teeth, as a rock form in the pit of my stomach. I have an ominous feeling that I am right, but I silently pray I am wrong.
And then he turns slightly, his profile is visible, and I unmistakably recognise him.
“Orion,” Elara whispers.
Why the fuck was her sister meeting with Father?
Elara POV
Not Orion, anyone but him. I vividly remember the night he pulled me into his quarters and “introduced” himself. Better known as the night he threatened to kill me if I did not leave.
“I know what you are,” he said.
A hybrid. He knows I am a hybrid.
Which means he knows my sister might be one, too. Is that why he wanted to see her? To lure her out and then kill her?
“We’re going to get her out of this,” Kane whispers.
“How?” I croak out. “The last time I saw him, he tried to kill me.”
“He’s in human territory,” Kane reminds me. “He’d be stupid to try anything here.”
“You should know better than anyone that he doesn’t play by the rules,” I shake my head.
I focus on Selena and see her lip trembling, and she looks like she is about to cry. Orion says something to her, her eyes widen, and she shakes her head emphatically.
What the fuck is he saying to her?
And then I see it—the glint of a silver blade beneath the bar.
“That motherfucker,” I grunt, standing up. That is it. I must go to her. No way am I going to stand here while Orion threatens my little sister.
My claws extend, and my canines drop sharply against my tongue. I am just about to dive over the half wall when Kane grabs me around my waist, pulling me against his chest.
“Are you fucking insane?” he whispers. “You’re in human territory, and your fucking claws are out. You’re asking for the Council to lock you up!”
I force myself to relax and retract my claws and fangs. He is right; if I were caught shifting into human territory, I could not protect Selena again because I would be in prison.
Suddenly, Kane drags me against the wall into a shadow-covered corner. Before I can say anything, Selena sprints past us through the door of the bar and out into the night, wiping the tears from her face.
We stand carefully, checking to make sure Orion’s back is still towards us, and then we slip out. By the time we get outside, Selena is already running back into the woods. We trail her all the way home, keeping a safe distance so we do not scare her more.
But the second we get inside, I march straight to her room and throw the door open. Her head whips around to look at me, and up close, her face is even more heartbreaking. It is dirty, tear-streaked, and drained of all colour.
“What the fuck were you doing with him?” I whisper-scream.
“I ... you ... get out.” She glances from me to Kane with a terrified expression.
“We’re not leaving until you tell us why the fuck you were meeting with that scumbag Orion Constantine,” I hiss, walking up to until our faces are only inches apart. “He’s dangerous and bad news.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” she practically squeals. “I’m not fucking stupid!”
“Then why ...”
“He made me, okay?” she shouts, cutting me off. She runs her hands through her fiery hair, grabbing fistfuls as she paces the room.
“What does he want from you?” I ask, my tone of voice calm.
“I can’t tell you,” she sighs, biting her fingernail as she paces some more.
“Why not?” I ask, placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her and making her face me.
“They can get you too easily here,” she mutters, her eyes tearing up.
I frozen. Who are “they”
