Page 52 of Shattered Jewel
Cav advances, and I scurry back.
He continues, undeterred, “You asked us not to lie to you anymore, and I will keep that promise. You also have to understand that we are monsters of a different make. Highly intelligent, with honed bodies and killer instincts. Even when chosen as children by the Sovereigns, we displayed those talents.” He dips his chin until I have no choice but to focus on the preternatural brightness of his eyes. “Do you understand what I’m saying, butterfly?”
I give a small nod, my throat aching with unspent emotion. “Maverick has—had—the same traits.”
“Yes.”
“So … do you kill each other off? Is that what goes on in your underground Hunger Games?”
Kaspian releases an amused chuckle. “No. Though some do die. Others are paid handsomely to keep their lips sealed about our existence, and if they ever loosen their lips, they meet unfortunate, tragic accidents. Some of our first tasks are to do just that and orchestrate untimely?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” I demand hoarsely. I stare at him out of the corner of my eye, the buttery softness of his tone crawling through my ear like a centipede.
“Ah.” Wilder folds his arms across his expansive chest. “She’s getting it, boys. It’s finally sinking in that we actively murder.”
I say through my increasing rapid breaths, my chest rising and falling, “Maverick.”
“He did the same despicable things, beastie,” Kaspian answers, frowning with false concern. “You might as well be pointing that knife at your own family.”
I shake my head. The soles of my feet scrape across the floor as I instinctively retreat.
“Your brother said to only trust him,” Axe says, his face covered in more shadows than light. But his is the only voice I can sense honest concern in. “But he was one of us. So can you really?”
Axe moves in. I whip the blade in his direction, but he continues, heedless. “There is no good side versus bad. There is just us and our need to control our own futures again. Maverick wanted the same. We all have similar goals, and we need to work together to win. I believe Maverick would want that.”
A jaded laugh escapes my lips. “You expect me to?—”
Wilder’s hand darts out, seizing my wrist in an iron grip. He twists, the dagger clattering to the stone floor. “Hate to break it to you, but you’re not up for a solo mission if you can’t keep hold of your only weapon.”
I wrench my arm free, stumbling back, my gaze darting among the four men. They idly watch me, their relaxed stances hiding the bunching of their muscles and their ability to strike.
I know I can’t outrun them, can’t outfight them. My problem is, I don’t know what to do.
The weight of Maverick’s warnings press down on me, suffocating in their urgency. Yet the revelation of his own involvement in the Cimmerian Court’s vile deeds sows doubt in my mind.
Kaspian’s grin is a crown, a regal emblem of his unassailable belief in his own abilities, perched atop the throne of his vindictive confidence.
Wilder’s grip on my wrist lingers, a reminder of his strength and the futility of my resistance. Axe’s calm demeanor belies the tension crackling beneath the surface, and his words, while kind, are a calculated attempt to sway me. Cav’s presence looms, alert and assessing despite the wounds marring his chest.
My throat constricts as I grapple with the impossible choice: To trust in Maverick’s final plea and run, leaving behind the only connection to my brother and the truth he fought to uncover. Or to stay, to navigate the violent terrors of the Court and unravel the secrets they guard so fiercely.
In the end, it’s the legacy of Anderton blood that settles around my bones. I meet the men’s gazes, one by one.
“Maverick may have been one of you, but he was also my brother. Fiercely protective, loyal, and smart. Too smart to have joined your ranks blindly. And I can’t rest until I find out what happened to him and why he left me that message. I’ll keep working with you for now but on my terms. I’m not an initiate for you to order around.”
Kaspian’s lips pull in a humorless smile. “You’ll learn, in this world, there are no rules.”
“Then I’ll make my own.”
I stand there, surrounded by the type of monsters Maverick once called brothers, and I’m fully aware that my path ahead will be full of temptation and deception.
Because as much as I try to fight it, these monsters are my lovers.
Cav reaches out, his fingers ghosting along my jaw. “We’ll see how long that bravado lasts, butterfly. When the darkness comes, we’ll be the ones keeping you safe while you’re hiding under the covers.”
I jerk away from his touch, my skin tingling from the contact. “I don’t need your protection. I need answers.”
Axe clears his throat, drawing our attention. “Then let’s start searching. Maverick was here. Meaning, we must’ve missed something in the Grand Library.”