Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,58
not?”
“Because it was part of my mission.” He threw his hands up and huffed. “But maybe it doesn’t even matter anymore. Who knows how many secrets I spilled while I was imprisoned in Thax’s castle.”
“What happened while you were down there, Vander?” Talon’s tone simmered a notch as he sat beside his friend. “Please, just tell me.”
I hazarded a peek at the pair as they talked. They were too focused to pay attention to me anyway.
Vander dragged his hands across his face. “I don’t know. They had me on so many damned potions and serums I was out of it most of the time.”
“Delacroix claims Thax knows you’re an SIA agent, and you were feeding him information on Azara.”
“I’m so screwed. Maxim will never let me back in the agency. I messed up big time.”
“What was your assignment anyway?”
Vander ticked his head in my direction, and I dropped my gaze to my lap. “Azara was my assignment.”
“What?” I pushed the cover back and leapt to the edge of the bed. Mistake. A streak of pain raced across my back, phantom wounds reopening. I gritted through the intense sensations and focused on Vander. “What does that mean?”
He loosed an exasperated breath and glanced from Talon to me and back. “A little over two years ago, Maxim called me to his office and asked if I wanted to go undercover. He told me it was an upper level assignment with a high value target. I didn’t get a lot of details, just that there was a girl I had to keep an eye on in the Nether Lands.”
“Me?” I blurted.
He nodded.
“That’s why you were at the Fae club that night?” Talon asked.
“Yup.”
The brothers exchanged a glance, and Talon blanched. His brows slammed together and again I cursed the absence of the blood bond. What had I missed? I pushed the wayward thoughts aside and refocused on an important point in the conversation. “So I didn’t try to suck out your soul?”
“No, you didn’t. I got nabbed by some demon and dragged to the Underworld while the agents called in were trying to apprehend you. It was a total cluster.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. One less person at least. “Wait, Delacroix knew about this—he mentioned you specifically. That’s why Thax had you kidnapped, to get information on me? Why didn’t he just grab me instead?”
“Not sure, but my best guess would be that throwing you in prison would be a much less obvious move. A kidnapping would’ve set off alarm bells he didn’t want rung.”
“He’s right,” said Talon. “That has to be it.”
I glanced up at Vander, studying his light hazel eyes and the set of his jaw. There was something familiar about him. I’d thought so from the moment Talon rescued him. But I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this guy had been skulking in the shadows watching me for two years. Why?
“Did Maxim tell you anything else?” I finally asked when he caught me staring.
“He said you were important and had to be protected.” He shrugged. “That was it.”
My gaze swiveled to Talon whose hands were clenched in his lap. “Maybe you could talk to the director to find out more?”
“Sure.”
I had about a million questions for Vander but from the tense set in both brothers’ shoulders there was more to this story than they were willing to share right now. I’d felt something off even without the blood bond. Then there was the Talon thing—did we even have a thing anymore? We’d all been through hell the past few days and maybe taking a beat would be for the best. I dragged a hand through my disheveled hair; I really needed a shower.
I ticked my head at the bathroom on the opposite end of the room. “I’m going to hop in the shower and let you guys do some catching up.”
They both dipped their heads, Talon offering me a smile and Vander something else. It wasn’t exactly a smile or a frown, more like confusion. I feel you there, buddy. As I staggered toward the shower, I felt the heat of two piercing gazes drilling into the back of my head.
When I reached the bathroom, I couldn’t shut the door fast enough. What the hell had my life turned into? Maybe I should’ve just called my parents when I first got arrested. A swell of homesickness bubbled up inside as I peeled off my clothes and turned the shower faucet. Now that Delacroix confirmed I’d been