Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,111

older,” Kes rasped. “And there are other ways to ensure he can’t father children.”

My head began spinning through thoughts of what was coming. It was like the day our cell phones began pinging the warning that would change everything. I was scared for my family. I was scared for Aries. I was scared of what was coming for me.

I needed to warn Xavier so he could start walking and get as far away from the castle as he could before they came for me and unleashed hell. My chest ached uncomfortably. I knew how Aries felt about Xavier. He wouldn’t want me to warn him at all, but he was the only person from home here, and whatever his alliances were with the humans who wanted their lives back, I owed him a warning. It would only take a second.

So I formulated a plan and put it into motion.

“Kes,” I whispered. “I need to talk to Helena.”

“Now?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Aries’s brows furrowed. “Are you unwell?”

I clutched my stomach. “I’m having girl issues.”

Aries’s eyes narrowed, but Kes let out a groan. “Yeah, I’m not equipped to deal with all that.” He disappeared, reappearing with Helena. “She needs womanly help.”

Helena’s eyes slid down me. Could she tell? Could all of them?

“I’ll bring her back in a few,” she promised, whisking me away in a flash of blinding pain. My shouts echoed through the courtyard.

“I have some things with me, but if you need something specific, I can go shopping.” she offered. “Are you cramping?”

“I need your help,” I panted. “I need you to take me to Xavier.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait. What? Aries would kill me! He hates Xavier.”

“Just for a second, I swear. I just need to tell him one thing and then we can go.” I was a shit liar, but she pursed her lips and nodded. “You are going to literally have one minute. I’m counting it down.”

She clasped my elbow and brought me to Xavier’s house. I ignored the teeth gritting pain and yelled for my friend.

“Xavier!”

Something clattered from inside, then the door cracked open and Xavier stood in the doorway. “Larken?” He looked at Helena, then focused back on me. “What’s going on?”

“Can I talk to you?” I asked, worrying my hands.

He nodded. “Of course.”

He opened the door and welcomed me inside, and then I shut it before Helena could enter. She shouted several expletives and beat on the door while I told Xavier he needed to gather what he could – food, clothes, something to make a shelter, and leave. He needed to leave the area around the castle, and fast.

He shook his head. There was a strange look in his eyes before he pursed his lips and turned away from me. “Gosh, Larken. You’re such a good person. I wish I could say the same right now. I’m really sorry,” he said, hanging his head. Then he raised his face toward me. “But it was my sister or you. And I chose her.”

My brows kissed. “What?” A sinking, terrible feeling filled the pit of my stomach.

“My sister Seneca is a Pisces. She’ll get to live in my territory, as payment for me coming here.”

Now I could hear Kes and Aries outside with Helena now, fighting to get in. I stepped back and pulled on the door handle. There was no lock, but the door wouldn’t open. Something was sealing it shut, and it wasn’t Xavier’s doing.

I needed to keep him talking to buy them time to break in.

I couldn’t believe he would this! I never knew his birthday… Is that why Aries had Guardians watching his every move? He must have known Xavier wasn’t one of his.

Did Aries stage the makeshift prom as some sort of bait for the Zodia who were using Xavier to spy on us?

No wonder Aries hated him.

I swallowed. “Were you spying on us?”

Kes and Aries clawed and tugged at the door with renewed fervor, but something held the door shut. I heard them shouting my name as Helena roared at the closest window.

“I was spying on you.” He lifted his tunic to reveal the mark of Leo tattooed on his skin. “Leo made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. With this, they could track me when I was with you. All I had to do was get close to you, report back any weaknesses in Aries’s defenses – not that you were ever unguarded – and Pisces would release Seneca to me. I am truly sorry.