Page 48 of Destiny Redeemed
Chapter 12
Who could be hammering at this time of the night?The thought barely formed in my mind before a voice shouted from the other side of the door.
“Let me in!” Sebastian.
I groaned internally as the door thundered under what could only be my brother’s fist. Honestly, couldn’t a girl recover from a kidnapping in peace?
“Open this door right now!” Sebastian’s voice boomed. “I don’t care if you’re the bloody crown Prince of Aetheria, I’ll blast your arse if you don’t let me in!”
Anderic sighed, running a hand through his golden curls. “Well, couldn’t keep him out much longer.” He turned to me, his blue eyes apologetic. “I tried to keep your brother from knowing, but he finally found out.”
Of course, he did.
As Anderic sat up to open the door, I braced myself for the whirlwind that was my overprotective brother. The door swung open to reveal Sebastian, his fist raised mid-knock, mouth open in a half-shout. Behind him stood a grim-faced Lennox, who bowed to Anderic.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I couldn’t keep Lord Sebastian out any longer.”
Sebastian didn’t wait for pleasantries. He pushed past Anderic and made a beeline for my bed, his green eyes wide with worry as he scanned me for injuries.
“Lya! Are you alright? What happened? Who hurt you? I’ll kill them, I swear-”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Sebastian,” I cut him off, rolling my eyes. “Stop fussing like a mother hen. I’m fine.”
Anderic leaned against the bedframe, arms crossed as he watched our interaction with an unreadable expression.
I turned to Sebastian, arching an eyebrow. “Didn’t you know about my kidnapping?”
My brother’s face darkened as he glared at Anderic. “I would have ifsomeonehad bothered to tell me.”
Anderic merely shrugged, his golden curls catching the candlelight. “If I had told you, you would have acted exactly like this and jeopardized everything. I couldn’t take that risk.”
“She’s my little sister,” Sebastian snapped back. “I have the right to know. Why do you even care?”
Anderic opened his mouth to respond, then paused. His blue eyes met mine for a moment, and I found myself holding my breath. What was he going to say?
But then he closed his mouth, his expression carefully neutral. “You two should talk,” he said finally, pushing off from the bedframe. “I’ll leave you to it.”
He turned and strode toward the door, his posture uncharacteristically tense.
I should have let him go. Instead, I found myself watching him, frustration curling in my chest. What had he been about to say?
Unfortunately for me, I cared too much about his answer.
I sighed as Sebastian’s worried gaze raked over me once more. His fussing was touching, in a way, but mostly it was just exhausting.
“Lya, are you sure you’re alright? That bruise on your cheek looks nasty.” His hand reached out, hovering near my face.
I batted it away. “For the love of God, Seb, I’m fine. It’s just a bruise. I’ve had worse from falling off my horse.”
He frowned, unconvinced. “And your wrists? They look raw.”
I tugged my sleeves down, covering the rope burns. “Nothing a little salve won’t fix. Now, can we please talk about something else?”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, a familiar determination settling over his features. Oh no. I knew that look.
“Actually, Lya, there is something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”
I groaned internally. Here we go.
