Chapter 28
After Cressida left, Jaxon asked me what we were doing but I couldn’t bring myself to give him an answer so we just went back to bed. I didn’t fall asleep for at least another half an hour because I couldn’t help but wonder what she would have told me if Jaxon hadn’t interrupted.
By the next morning, I had decided that I was going to find out what she wanted at all costs. The first thing I did when I woke up was check on Kiara. She was still sound asleep and I made sure she was breathing before I left the room to look for Cressida. One of the guards directed me to the guest room that she had been staying in and to my shock, she wasn’t there.
Her clothes and things were still in the room so I knew she hadn’t left but I couldn’t see her anywhere. I asked some of the guards and they told me that they saw her leaving the castle. I was annoyed and slightly frustrated because i knew she was playing a mind game and wanted to psych me out but I was determined to hold on till the very end.
I went back to the room to freshen up and by the time I was done, Kiara was awake. I got her ready for the day and we went to the dining room where Jaxon was seated next to Aiden. They were deep in conversation and as we got closer, I could hear him talking about the bookshelf.
“I need you to find out who had access to Kiara’s room,” Jaxon said. “I want to know who was responsible for almost hurting my daughter.”
“I will do everything I can,” Aiden assured him.
Once they saw us, they fell silent and Jaxon immediately plastered on the smile that he reserved specially for Kiara. She rushed into his arms and he held her tightly like he hadn’t seen her in months. He looked at her like she was his entire world and it had me smiling widely. I didn’t even notice when Aiden rose and left the table until he was at my side.
never
“I have known Jaxon since I was a child,” he began slowly and I almost jumped from his proximity. “I have seen him like this with anyone before. The last time I saw him this way was when his mother was pregnant.”
I turned to him in shock, not knowing how to process what I had heard. I never knew he had another sibling. I briefly wondered where they were or who that person was but Aiden’s face betrayed nothing. Suddenly, I saw a crack in the mask and there was a glimpse of sadness peeking through.
It was then I understood what he was conveying. “How did the baby die?”
“There was an attack and his mother was killed. It was shortly after his curse and it threw his father over the..
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“How old was Jaxon?”
of his cruelty.
“He was twenty one,” my eyes widened almost comically and he laughed. “It isn’t unusual for lycan siblings to have massive age gaps. Lycans live for centuries. I once came across a lycan family where the oldest had a hundred years on the youngest.”
My eyes widened and I glanced at Kiara and Jaxon. Was there a possibility that Jaxon would mate with someone after I died and she would have another child for him? I could only hope that whoever she was, she was kind to Kiara. I would never want her to suffer the same way I did with Cressida.
“I should go,” Aiden said and I realized that somehow, he had walked past me and was almost at the door.
I was marveled by how he managed to move so silently. Before I could respond to him, he had walked out, leaving me alone. I stared at the spot he had disappeared through for a while and made my way over to my family. Jaxon looked up at me and he offered me a small smile.
We ate together in silence but it wasn’t uncomfortable. There was something warming and just relaxing about being able to sit together without feeling the need to say anything to anyone.
By the time we were done, Jaxon was wiping down Kiara’s m*uth. I was getting up from the table when I heard. him speak.
“Aiden told you about my mother, didn’t he?” he asked and I hesitate before nodding slowly. “Lycans have good hearing, I could hear the conversation.”
“I’m sorry that she died,” I said softly. “I know how it feels and I can tell you that it sucks like hell. I might not know exactly because my mum wasn’t- it doesn’t matter, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s okay,” he shrugged. “She died quickly and that’s all that mattered to me then.” He finished with Kiara and smiled down at her. “Why don’t you go to mummy’s room and wait for Nadia?”
She nodded eagerly and leaped off the chair before disappearing through the halls with the guards trailing after her. Jaxon started to clear up the plates but I knew he was only doing that to avoid the conversation.
“Did you
you find out who killed her?” I asked and he gave me a smile that could only be described as cruel.
He put the plates down and when he turned to me, there was intense anger and hatred behind his eyes. I almost stumbled back from the intensity because I had never seen anything like that before.
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Chapter 28
“I made sure they suffered very slowly before I killed them,” he chuckled dryly as if he remembered something amusing. “It took me over six months to torture and kill them. Six months for how far along my mother was when they killed her.”
I should have been scared by the case at which he spoke of killing and torturing someone. It should have worried me but for some reason, it only made me more attracted to him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would do the same if someone tried to hurt Kiara or me. I hoped that he would.
“I would,” he said and I turned to him quizzically. “Your wall is down and I want you to know that I would. I would obliterate anyone in my path who tried to hurt the both of you.”
There was something erotic about his words and I felt wetness seep down my thighs. I knew he could smell it because he took a step towards me. His hands ran down my body slowly and just as he was about to lean his head down to kiss me, I heard footsteps.
We pulled back almost immediately and I turned to see Cressida walking in. She looked shock to see us and she was about to turn around to leave when Jaxon stopped her. I was shocked that he even spoke to her and so was she because her eyes were wide. She knew she couldn’t ignore him so she made her way over to us.
“You’ve been here for a few days,” he began slowly. “I think it is about time that we were aware of your reasons: for coming here.”
She glanced over at me as if worried that I had told him about last night but didn’t say a word. Even I was shocked that he had called her out like that. Maybe he had heard our conversation last night but was too tired to join it so he left it until this morning.
Cressida opened her m*uth to say something but thought better of it and went silent. She sighed and made her
way
ay over to the opposite end of the table and sat down. I was confused as to why she was acting so weird but I took my seat and so did Jaxon.
“While I was clearing out my husband’s things, I found the agreement he made with you for Freya,” she began slowly. “The agreement was that he would give you one of our children in exchange for the money owed. I knew about it when he made it and I convinced him to give Freya instead of one of my daughters.
I should have felt hurt or disappointment but I felt nothing. It was something that I would have expected from her but I was shocked that my father was willing to give me away without much of a thought.
“What does that matter now?” Jaxon asked. “The deal has been made and the money has been paid. Why are
you here?”
“The deal was for one of our daughter, Violet or Dana. I now realize that duping you was wrong and that is why I
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have come here with a copy of the deal and I am willing to make it right.”
I understood what she was implying and I immediately stood to my feet. “You are a vile and cruel woman. You waited all these years to see if I was happy first.”
Cressida ignored me and turned to Jaxon. “I am here to formally offer you my daughter Dana as it should have been.”
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