Page 20 of Kael

I knew what was waiting for me.

Zia had been calling for two days. I'd ignored every call. But this morning, Caine had sent a message:Come to the house. We need to talk about Lena. Now.

I didn't want to go.

But Caine was my cousin. My partner. The only family I had left besides Raziel. And if I was going to keep Bria safe, I needed to keep the people around me from becoming threats—even if they were threatening me.

The gate opened automatically when I pulled up. I drove through, killed the engine, and sat in the driveway for a moment, watching the house.

It was a sprawling estate, bigger than mine. White columns. Wide windows. The kind of house that screamed money and power anddon't fucking touch what's mine.

Caine's house.

I stepped out, slammed the door, and walked up the front steps.

Zia opened the door before I could knock. She was in a silk robe, her hair loose around her shoulders, her face tight with barely contained fury. Behind her, I could see Caine standing in the living room, arms crossed, jaw tight.

"Kael." Zia's voice was ice. "So nice of you to finally show up."

I stepped past her, walking into the house like I owned it. "You said we needed to talk."

"We do." She closed the door, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floor. "About Lena."

I turned to face her. "What about her?"

Zia's eyes narrowed. "What about her? What about the fact that you choked her? Slapped her? Threatened to cut off her face and send it to her mother?"

I didn't flinch. "She put her hands on Bria. She called her names. She made her feel worthless. I dealt with it."

"By torturing her?"

"By warning her." I met Zia's eyes. "Ask her yourself. How do I usually warn anyone? I was magnanimous after what she did."

Caine stepped forward, his voice low. "We asked her. She told us a different story."

I laughed—a cold, humorless sound. "Of course she did. She's a snake. I saw that when you sent her over that first night. She didn't want to help Bria. She wanted to get close to me. She told Bria that herself."

Zia stared at me. "You're lying."

"I don't lie," I said quietly. "I kill. I threaten. I do terrible things. But I don't lie."

Zia's breath caught.

"Zia," Caine's voice held a warning. "Step back."

He could tell I was getting annoyed with her, and I had a quick temper.

She didn't move. "You kill. You threaten. That's why I don't believe Lena is lying. She had bruises on her throat, Kael. I saw them. Your handprints."

I didn't deny it. "Yes. I choked her. She needed to understand that I wasn't playing. She needed to understand that touching Bria meant consequences. I let her go. I slapped her. I told her to leave. I didn't kill her, even though I wanted to."

Zia's face twisted. "You think that makes you the good guy?"

"I think it makes me the guy who protects what's his."

"What's his?" Zia's voice cracked. "She's a person, Kael. A human being. You kidnapped her. You locked her in your house. You have her sleeping in a room with a barred window like she's some kind of—"

"She's dying, Zia." My voice was sharp, cutting. "She was dying on the streets. Overdosing. Selling her body for drugs. Her parents gave up. Her ex is getting out of prison, and he'll use her until she's dead. I'm the only thing standing between her and a grave."