Page 28 of Venom Island
“I know,” I murmur. “So what do you say, Caja? Want to keep me company while I fly the plane?”
Her bottom lip disappears between her teeth as she considers me once more. Then, ever so gradually, she nods. “Yes, please.”
I smile and step to the side. “Then come on in and make yourself comfortable.”
Chapter 7
Caja
I listenas Enrique tells me all about his twin brother, Joseph. And his brother’s mate, Savi. Then about her sister, Kari.
About all the things Carlos did to them.
How he tortured Joseph and Savi for mating one another.
How Carlos tormented any Alpha for claiming an Omega.
But he was particularly cruel to Joseph because Savi was Carlos’s daughter.
“He didn’t take kindly to Joseph claiming her,” Enrique says. “But it was irreversible once done. So Kari, Carlos’s other daughter, took the brunt of his anger and frustration.”
Enrique describes what some of that means without going into too much detail. But it’s enough.
The whole situation is complicated and heartbreaking.
He continues by telling me about having to agree to marry a Beta to help firm up an alliance with another sector. “Carlos offered it like it was a gift for being so loyal to him, but I knew better. It was a command,” he says.
But then he explains how the marriage never went through.
She ended up being an Omega who mated another Alpha. “She snuck onto his plane during our betrothal dinner,” Enriquemuses. “That Alpha was Kazek, whom I don’t think you met, but he was part of the raid this week.”
I nod, enthralled by this entire story.
It gets even more interesting as he tells me that Kari was also on that plane because Kazek’s friend kidnapped her from the party. Or rather,savedher.
“I ended up going to Norse Sector to meet with them under the guise of looking for my former betrothed, but really, I just wanted to find Kari.” His lips twist into a smile. “Turns out, she didn’t need rescuing. The Alpha who took her from the party—Sven—did that for me.”
“How?”
“That’s their story to tell, but they’re mated now. And she seems happy.” He clears his throat. “But to help condense a very long tale, Sven wanted to take down Carlos as a way to avenge Kari. I offered to help. We succeeded, and here we are.”
Wow. I’m not only stunned by his story, but also the fact that he just shared all these details with me. “Were you upset about your betrothed mating another Alpha?” I wonder aloud, somewhat caught up on that point of his history.
He was engaged to another woman. AnOmegain disguise.
My wolf growls inside me, clearly agitated by this discovery. Or maybe she can just sense my own discomfort with this knowledge.
“No,” Enrique murmurs. “I was never interested in the marriage. I only went along with it because I suspected Carlos would give me Kari as a wedding gift. I wanted to save her.”
So this is all about Kari, then. “Do you love her?” It’s an intrusive question, yet I… I can’t help but ask it.Is he heartbroken that another Alpha saved her and claimed her?My stomach twists with the notion, my heart skipping a few beats.
“As a sister, yes,” he replies. “I used to visit her in the dungeons. It served two purposes—it convinced Carlos I was themonster he intended for me to be and allowed me to check up on her. He had no idea all I ever did for her was purr.”
My insides churn again at the mention of him purring for another female. AnotherOmega. I want his purr to be for me and only for me. Which isn’t fair. This Alpha isn’t mine, even if he is kind to me.
“You do have a very nice purr,” I tell him, my cheeks warming with the admission.
He smiles. “Yeah?” He brushes his knuckles against my cheek, the action one I’m starting to love more than anything else in this world. “Thank you, pequeño tesoro. I can purr for you whenever you’d like.”
