Page 27 of King of Inferno

“Brother, what’s going on? We came right away when we were told you were in the infirmary.”

“Ray, are you all right?” Reilly says as we pile into the room.

“I’m fine,” Ray says and sits up.

“What in the gods?” Ardan breathes as Ray’s belly comes into view.

I stumble back slightly as my gaze drops to her swollen belly. Not believing what I’m seeing, I furrow my brows and try to sort out what I’m looking at.

Confused, I look over my shoulder to find Taylor peeking around my body. A gasp leaves her lips and she darts around me. Before I can stop her, she’s across the room with Kendrick’s mate in her arms.

“Ray,” she cries out.

“Taylor?”

“I thought something happened to you. We met at the bar. Billy called when she couldn’t make it, but you never showed,” Taylor says.

I try to push into her thoughts but find the door closed. Feeling like I’m missing something important, I push harder. Like a good girl, she opens the door to allow me in.

I’m stunned as the truth of the matter hits me. This is Taylor’s sister. My brother’s mate is related to mine. I barely hear the rest of Ray and Taylor’s conversation as I watch them sway each other back and forth.

“They are sisters? Ricci has daughters, not sons.” I mind-link to Kendrick.

Before he can answer me, Reilly speaks up. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on here?”

“We believe there is a connection between our mates and Ricci.”

“What do you mean?” Reilly replies.

“Our mates are sisters,” I say aloud.

“Kendrick, do you think my sisters are Venus’s sisters? Is that possible?”

“You are carrying my child from a woman in my past. A woman I shouldn’t have been able to impregnate. At this point, anything is possible.”

Well, fuck me. That explains a lot. I’m able to calm my racing thoughts a bit with this new information. This wasn’t caused by the mate bond. At least, I don’t believe it’s something I might have triggered mating with Taylor.

“So we find Ricci’s daughters and we find our mates?” Ardan asks.

I know my twin too well to think he’s not excited by the prospect of finding his mate, no matter how hard he’s trying to hide it. This is a good thing. Once we are all mated none of us can be enslaved ever again.

We’ve waited for this for so long. Ardan, unlike I, has chosen not to take many bedmates. I understand it. However, he’s been lonely over the centuries.

“It’s not that easy,” Kendrick says, killing some of that hope. “From what Mabruk said, your mates will call you to them at the right time. You will not be able to just track them beforehand.”

“Well, how did you find Taylor?” Ardan turns to ask me expectantly.

“I’ve been drawn to her for months. I didn’t know she was my mate. There were no signs before last night. However, she was attacked, and I was pulled to her.”

“Technically, I wasn’t attacked, really,” Taylor interrupts, rolling her eyes.

I work my jaw. She can think whatever she wants. I know what I saw and felt.

“What do you mean?” Kendrick asks her.

“Ferg asked to buy me dinner. It was supposed to be a date. When he didn’t show and I finished studying, I left.

“He just startled me in the parking lot as I went to get into my car,” she says.

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