Page 10 of Forsaken By Fate

He ponders the idea, but I catch the look Zane gives him, and I realize that Victor is siding with him on this, too. Fury sparks through me. I don’t like this, being ganged up on by both my brothers. Everything is on the fritz, indeed. This woman shouldn’t be here at all, her entire existence messing up our balance. I want to reiterate what I’ve said from the start. She doesn’t belong here.

“I’m going to hold off on that for now, see if she won’t tell us something first,” Victor drawls slowly.

Scoffing, I pivot and storm away, shaking my head.

“Fenris!” Victor calls after me. I don’t slow down, my hand sliding over the banister as I rush down the stairs, half-shifting as I move. “You have to lay off her!”

I don’t respond, fur flying in my wake as I leave my clothes on the marble steps of the staircase.

I need to put some space between myself and that temptress who’s already under my skin and in the walls of this estate somehow.

Chapter 4

Zane

Ican’t blame Fenris for being skeptical of the newcomer, or Victor for being his overbearing self. It’s just who they are. But I’m drawn to her inexplicably, and I can’t help but lurk near the door of the guest suite, taking in the succulent scent of her pheromones, co-mingled with hints of lavender and honey.

Where Fenris sees danger, I read nothing but fear and trauma in her mossy, hypnotic stare. The imbalance of energy only confirms what I sense, and I’m determined to set things right, even if Fenris and Victor are too guarded to do it. I sneak a look at my older brother, wondering if he can read my innermost thoughts about the unwelcome newcomer, but Victor is distracted by Fenris’s foul mood.

Victor stares after our youngest sibling’s swishing sooty tail, and smoke exhaling from his nostrils as if he’s about to morph and take off after him. I half wish he would, but he contains himself, ever-controlled Victor, and his sense of righteousness.

“Do you ever wonder how Mother put up with all three fathers?” I muse absently.

“I’m sure she fantasized about killing at least one of them daily, if it wouldn’t mean her own death, too,” Victor replies lightly, and I snort.

“The mate conundrum. One life for all.”

Victor looks at me sharply.

“I don’t have to worry about you, do I?” he growls, spinning to march down the stairs, presumably after Fenris. “You’ll behave?”

“Don’t I always?” I chirp good-naturedly, watching as he disappears out of view.

Exhaling, I wait a moment before turning toward the bedroom suite and rap on one of the double doors gently.

“Yes?” Aurora calls out softly.

Turning the handles, I peek inside, noting how she stands in the center of the sitting room, her hands folded in front of her nightgown. Every curve of her slight form is visible through the flimsy material, and I hasten my eyes away, taking in her pretty face instead. There’s more than enough to look at without making her feel more violated. That’s not what I’m here for, luscious as she is. That kind of thing is easy to come by in Oak Hollow—hell, anywhere, really. I don’t need to take it unwillingly.

Stepping fully into the room, she tenses, and the walls vibrate, a low buzzing echoing through the chamber.

Victor is right. She’s in full control of the magic, whether she realizes it or not. How interesting.

“Hi,” I offer, flashing her a smile. “How are you settling in?”

Her eyes narrow at my tone, head cocking suspiciously. I take a mental picture of her in that moment for my mind’s eye, capturing her beauty for posterity.

“Fine…” she drawls. “For a prisoner.”

I ignore the jibe. “You must be hungry,” I say, ambling closer to her, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of her face. She flinches at my touch, but I’m gentle, tucking the tress behind her ear and giving her space again, showing her my hands. “Can I have the chef make you something? What do you like to eat?”

Her mouth parts, but she doesn’t seem to know what to say. She merely stares at me for a few seconds. A half-smile quirks at the corners of my lips. “Do you have any dietary restrictions?” I prompt. “You’re a prey shifter. Do you eat any meat?”

“No,” she confesses haltingly. Her eyes dart over my shoulder. “Where are your brothers?”

My grin widens, and I flop onto the bed, sprawling casually over the duvet. “They’re around.”

“I’m not hungry.”

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