get away, Rogan, please understand.”
“I do,” I replied. “I do.”
“You could stay. Here. With me.”
Shocked, I could only stare at him.
His lips quirked up at the corner. “It’s not such a strange request. We were close once. We loved one another as children.”
Tears stung my eyes because what he said was true. We had clung to one another with a fierceness born of our grief, and we’d tried to protect each other. “I can’t stay, Kir. Haydyn needs my help. I can’t stay.”
“She is ill, then?”
Biting my lip, I gripped his hand tighter, pleading with my eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
His eyes widened and he cupped my cheek. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I believed him.
But …
“What about Wolfe?”
Kir frowned. “What about Wolfe?”
“You seem surprisingly friendly with him considering you had to live with his family for a year.”
As I studied him, his eyes narrowed. “I have no problem with Wolfe. He was a good lad when we were young. As much a victim as any of us.”
I struggled to breathe evenly. My heart thudded hard. How could Kir … what did Kir know that I didn’t? How could Kir forgive when I couldn’t? “What do you mean?” I was desperate to know. I needed to know.
He leaned in close, his expression quizzical. “Why do you care?”
“I—” I had no answer for him. And even if I did, I would have been distracted by the heat that sparked to life in his eyes just as his mouth descended toward mine. Kir was going to kiss me!
Was I going to let him?
“Boss.”
Kir pulled back, muttering curses under his breath. He whipped around.
Jesper stood in the doorway, grinning at us. “The Hawks want to talk to you, Boss.”
“The Hawks?” I queried, confusion wrinkling my brow.
Kir smiled and pulled me to my feet. “My gang are called the Hawks.”
I threw him a sardonic look. “Why? Because you always catch your prey?”
He grinned wickedly. “Always, beautiful Rogan. Always.”
I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed, and by the way Jesper’s mouth fell open in surprise, I was guessing it wasn’t something Kir did often.
“I’m sure Wolfe will be finished with the tub. Why don’t you go along and check and I’ll be back soon with some food?”
We strolled down the hall together, and when he and Jesper disappeared around a corner, I was so in a stew about what had almost happened between us, I forgot to knock.
“Oh,” I gasped as Wolfe stood before me shirtless, droplets of bath water falling from the strands of hair at the nape of his neck to his shoulders, running in tantalizing rivulets across his muscled abdomen.
He was beautiful.
My gaze followed the trickle like a magpie following a diamond … and then I gasped again at the raised scar on his lower stomach. “What …” I trailed off as Wolfe wrenched a shirt over his head, covering what I had just seen.
Wolfe had been branded.
A dark horseshoe burn scar branded his lower stomach.
Who would do such a thing?
“Wolfe—”
The door burst open, slamming into my back. I stumbled forward.
“Oh, Rogan, I’m sorry.” Kir righted me as he came in, patting my shoulder in apology. “It’s just—we have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Wolfe refused to look at me.
“I’m about to have a bloody mutiny on my hands if I don’t hand you over to Solom.”
I paled, instinctively wanting to edge closer to Wolfe. Reminding myself I was an independent woman, I stiffened my spine in resolve. “So what do we do?”
Kir’s stare pinned Wolfe to the wall. “I’m sorry, Brother, but I had to.”
Panic made my heart race. “Had to what? What’s going on?”
“Does she know? About your …?”
Wolfe nodded stiffly.
Kir relaxed. “I know you tried to keep it hidden, but it was the only thing I could barter with.”
“I understand.”
My head swiveled between them. “Understand what?” I snapped in burning frustration.
Finally, Kir turned to me. “I told them about Wolfe being a mage.”
I gasped. “You knew?” Suddenly, I felt hopelessly betrayed. What was it that these two men shared? Why was Kir so amiable to Wolfe? Why couldn’t he have told me he and Wolfe were friendly? Why was I the only one who didn’t really know Wolfe?
And why on earth did it bother me so much?
Kir nodded. “Yes, I know. I managed to convince the Hawks that we could sell Wolfe to Solom.”
“No!” I yelled, outraged at the idea. “Over my dead body! No!”
The two of them raised their eyebrows at me and grinned.
What