Page 82 of King

The world felt like it was tilting, like reality had cracked wide open, but King was her anchor.

“It’s okay,” he said, his golden eyes searching hers with an intensity that made her pulse stutter. “Lana and Caroline… theyspeak to the dead. Sometimes they take over their bodies. I should have warned you, but I?—”

“You didn’t think,” Caroline cut in, sounding irritated. “Neither did I, apparently.”

Amara barely heard her. Her attention was locked on Lana. Because Lana was still smirking, but it wasn’t Lana’s smirk. It was his, her brother’s.

“It’s me, Amara.” The voice didn’t belong to the woman in front of her, but the way Lana’s lips moved, the way she rolled her eyes in that annoyingly familiar way…Amara’s breath caught. “I taught you to be tougher than this. Get off the floor and talk to me so I can let this poor woman go.”

Her chest clenched so hard it hurt. It was Lee.

“Holy shit.” Amara ripped herself away from King’s grasp, pushing to her feet. Her legs were still trembling, her mind struggling to catch up. This wasn’t possible. But it was. Lana—Lee—grinned at her. And damn it, it was his grin. Her stomach twisted, her head swimming with too many emotions to name. She took a step forward.

“Boo.” Lana jerked toward her and then laughed loudly.

Amara jumped back, her heart slamming against her ribs.

Lana sighed, shaking her head. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“You’re an asshole,” Amara shot back automatically, but a small, shaky smile pulled at her lips. Because that laugh, his laugh had that deep, familiar laugh she thought she’d never hear again.

Sid stepped up beside her, his presence like a protective shadow. “You hurt my mate, and I’ll?—”

“You’ll what, Warrior?” Lee snorted, shaking Lana’s head as if Sid was being ridiculous. “I’m not going to hurt her. You Warriors have some serious trust issues.”

Growls rumbled through the room. Amara barely noticed. Her focus stayed locked on Lee’s presence inside Lana.

“Listen, I don’t have much time here.” He frowned, looking around. “Where’s Joey?”

“I’ll go get him,” Jared walked out of the room.

“Did John Griffin kill you?” King’s voice was measured, careful.

Lana’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Yes, that son of a bitch.” He then looked at Amara. “I swear I wasn’t doing anything shady. I was trying to keep you safe. I don’t have time to tell you everything, but please know I did everything to keep you and Joey safe.”

“Who hurt Joey?” Amara frowned, wanting to know that more than anything because whoever it was needed to pay for what they did.

Lana’s expression shifted instantly. “What?” The panic in Lee’s voice sent a chill down her spine. It was real. “What happened to Joey? Where is he?”

“He’s fine,” Amara said, though her voice still shook. “Now.”

Lana slammed a hand down on the table hard, startling her. “I want to see my son!”

Lana winced as if the slam on the table hurt her. “Lee do not hurt Lana,” Amara warned feeling Sid’s rage beside her.

“Sorry,” Lana wiped a hand down her face, something her brother always did. “They were blackmailing me by using Joey.”

“Why in the hell didn’t you come to us with this?” King growled, and Amara could feel his frustration as if it was her own.

Lana looked away from them, her eyes falling to the ground. “I thought I could handle the situation, but I got in too deep.” Finally, Lana lifted her eyes to look directly at King. “I overheard some things that I shouldn’t have overheard. There is someone named Locke who is paying big money for anyone who can bring him a person with RH Null blood. I guess they got spooked by what I overheard.”

“How did you get hooked up with these people?” Sloan asked with a frown. “I’m sure they aren’t openly advertising what they are doing.”

Lana’s gaze left Sloan’s to land on Amara before shifting away. “When you hang out in bars, certain ways to make a few bucks present themselves.” Lana gave her an apologetic, sad smile. “I really was trying to protect you, Amara.”

“Dad?” Joey stopped short, his crutches making him slower, but his body went rigid.

A tear slipped down Lana’s cheek. “Yeah, son.” His voice cracked, thick with emotion. “It’s me. Don’t be afraid. Please—don’t be afraid.”

---