Sins of Mine - Mary E. Twomey Page 0,47

didn’t fit into her father’s grand plans for widespread destruction.

I shouldn’t think her name, because the second I do, I picture her confidence shattered. I see my queen screaming in the closet.

That’s when I lose control of my magic.

What’s meant to be a clean cut across the top ends up a shattered mess that splinters all over the grass and the living room of the Valentine family cottage.

Conan shouts his anger and surprise, but it’s too late. His fortress has been breached.

“Get back, Paxton!” Gray shouts. It’s the last warning before Rafe breaks through Gray’s tight hold.

One minute, Gray is standing in front of the house, naked and ready for a fight. The next, a snarling wolf as tall as a horse leaps through the window, scaring a shout from Conan.

Too many gunshots rip through the evening air, startling me as I drop down on my hands and knees.

The sound of Rafe howling in agony is the only thing that thrusts me forward. Before I know it, I’m leaping into the house of ruin, hoping not to find my brother dead on the glass-covered floor.

14

The Valentine Family Cottage

Paxton

I don’t know why I was expecting Conan would be the only monster we’d have to deal with. At most, I assumed there would be one personal bodyguard. But four men are ready to shoot the second I step over the windowpane into the Valentine family cottage.

Rafe is laying on his side, blood seeping from his leg while he whines. “It’s okay, buddy. I’ll get us out of here.” Though, I have no plan for that as of yet.

“Hands up, Son,” Conan bellows, picking himself up from the shards of glass and brushing off the debris from his bulbous belly. “You came a long way for nothing. Arlanna’s not here.”

Well, at least I know what it looks like when Conan Valentine lies through his teeth.

I stand my ground, putting my body between Rafe and the men. “I’m not leaving until I’ve got Arlanna. You can’t keep her here, locked away like you did her whole childhood. She’s a free woman now, despite everything you’ve done to try and keep her hidden away from the world.”

Maybe I’m talking to Conan. Or perhaps that speech is meant for my own father.

I kneel slowly, putting pressure on Rafe’s ribs to staunch the bleeding however I can. The tear along his back left haunch looks like a graze, but the leg is definitely going to be a problem.

Conan’s voice is usually buttery with a hint of grease, but his choppy cadence tells me he’s still recovering from the sight of the largest shifter anyone’s ever encountered. “What do you know about any of it? You’re a child. You’re still a boy. You have no idea what it takes to oil the wheels of society so the rats think they’re civilized.”

I am not a boy who sits and nods when he’s told. Not anymore. I am not an ornament used for pushing the next policy Father can’t get off the ground without my support.

I am not in a cage any longer.

The woman I love is in danger. My brother is wounded. Today is the day they will understand that no one gets through life without being held to account for all they’ve done.

I cannot waste more time going back and forth. Gray needs medical attention, and Arlanna’s suffered long enough.

My eyes fix on the gun of Arlanna’s Uncle Antoni. I remember him being the one who swore like he’d never seen a dictionary in his life, and he doesn’t disappoint when the weapon in his hands heats to the point of discomfort, thanks to my fiery glare.

“Shite!” Antoni drops his weapon and wrings out his hands as he lets out a stream of curses, drawing the attention of the others.

Instead of focusing on the next weapon, I go for skin, lighting a guard’s hands on fire because I’m tired of messing around.

I shouldn’t feel vindicated at inflicting violence. I shouldn’t revel in the energy that surges through me, fueling me with fire that feels too good to keep to myself.

I should be like Gray, who holds himself back from the edge with everything he’s got.

I shouldn’t smile, but that’s exactly what I do as I light the suit jacket of the next man on fire. And the next. As the men shout their confusion and fear, my gaze alights on the carpet, turning fiber to ash quicker than anyone should have a right to.

Conan is the only one