Pretty in the Dark (Dark and Wild #2)

Chapter 15

15

JUNIPER

H e was lying. He had to be. My mother died from an illness. She'd been bedridden and sick.

Memories of the cold way Edmund had treated her as she became increasingly more ill flooded back. I’d mistaken his distance for grief. But was it something else?

The base of my skull began to tighten, the first twinges of a headache. I ignored it and focused on the man in front of me. "My mother was sick. How could Edmund have killed her?"

"What if I told you that the money your father had was never his?" Those inky-black eyes stared into mine and I examined his face, searching for myself in his features. His dark brows arched in perfect points over his eyes. His nose was strong, slightly hooked, as if he'd taken a blow to it and never quite got it set right. Or it had just been set too late. His cheekbones were sharp and high, the kind of cheekbones that I knew girls would scream over. My brother was handsome in the way a prowling black panther was dangerous. Beautiful to look at, lethal to get close to. Could I trust him, though?

"You’re saying he was broke?" Kage's nod of confirmation made me shift uncomfortably.

"What was your father's occupation?" His lips curved in a practiced, polite smile, but behind it I knew he was all sharp teeth and viciousness.

"He was a lawyer and a businessman, but you knew that. Quit fucking patronizing me Kage. Are you saying Edmund purposely made my mother sick to kill her and take the money? But how? He had money of his own." Disgust churned in my belly. My temples throbbed.

"Did he? Just because he said he was a businessman doesn’t mean he was a good one.” His head tilted, and he studied me. “People make enemies, Juniper. The man who raised you made a lot of enemies.”

“As for how he murdered your mother, without exhuming the body and running tests, we can only guess." He shrugged and dismissed my tone as if it was irrelevant.,"But it wasn't just money that Edmund was after. There was something far more precious and valuable that he wanted control over."

I frowned, trying to think of what Edmund might want that he didn't already have. Even the idea of him killing my mom for money seemed far-fetched. But then I remembered the rotting stairs and the empty bank accounts, and suddenly the idea didn't seem so far out of left field after all.

When I didn’t answer, Kage spoke up again. "You, Juniper. He wanted control of you ." My heart sped up. The looks, the tasks, the long lectures about my role in the family. My place as a Wild.

"Why me, though?"

"For the same reason the invitation was sent to you. What do you know about the Wild family history?"

I shrugged. "Well... Jesup Wild was supposed to have been an outlaw, and there are rumors that he buried a treasure somewhere in the mountains.” I tipped my chin in the general direction of the mountain ranges. "But no one has ever found anything. At least, not by my family." I licked my lips, suddenly unsure about the stories that were told to me as a child. Surely someone would have found something by now if it was true, right? Or at least debunked the myth. “And Edmund was always going on and on about the Wild legacy and how I had to uphold my duty to it."

Kage picked up on my hesitation. "But you don't believe that, do you?" He leaned forward, his tattooed hands with their macabre skulls grinning at me, resting on his knees. "What if I told you the legacy that Edmund led you to believe was part of your inheritance, was actually something else? Something far older, far more notorious and dangerous than anyone would ever believe?"

"I’d say you were full of shit.”

He barked a laugh, leaning forward, and there was nothing in his gaze or features that said he found any of this amusing. “Juniper, we don't know each other that well, but let me tell you something right now, little sister, I am not a liar.”

"You can believe him, Juniper.” Cade spoke now, his rough voice vibrating through me and I realized he'd tensed up like a coiled spring, carefully containing his emotions and thoughts. “He’s many things, but never a liar. If Kage says that Edmund was broke and that there’s something else at work here, you can trust what he says.” His hazel eyes narrowed, and his jaw flexed as he worked through some inner thoughts. “How did you find this out?” He asked Kage.

Kage's dark eyes flicked towards Cade, and his lips curled into a wolfish smile. "Because I do my research, Cade. You should know this. This information wasn't easy to come by. It's why it took me longer than expected to get back here." There was something about the way he looked at Cade and the tone of his voice, that gave me the impression that his type of research didn't involve hitting the library or internet searches. I had a feeling it involved more blood and broken bones than asking simple questions.

My stomach roiled with anxiety. "Are you saying that Edmund made up the legacy part? But why?”

He smiled, white teeth flashing, and it wasn't pleasant. Kage Diovolo wasn't a man used to repeating himself. Well, he could just get over it. He'd clearly never had a sibling either.

“He didn’t make it up, but he wasn’t completely honest about it either. What’s easier to make believable? An outright lie? Or a lie woven with just a hint of truth and enough guilt to make everyone involved go along with it?” Kage’s black eyes pierced through me, and I tucked that bit of information away.

“And what about Cade’s dad?” A black brow arched in surprise.

“David? What about him?”

“Well there was a photo and, well, here…” I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the photos, handing them to Kage who took them from me almost reverently, his eyes darkening when he saw the image of his father.

“Edmund hated David Black. My whole life I was told Cade was my enemy.” My eyes glanced at Cade but he didn’t look at me. “And Edmund killed our father, but here they all are together, looking like they were having the time of their lives. Do you know what happened?”

A flash of something that might have been pain flitted across Kage’s features, before he handed the photo’s back to me. “No, not entirely. But seeing these confirms what I’m about to tell you next.

Kage leaned forward. “Like most tall tales, there’s some truth to the story. The treasure that Jesup Wild hid in the mountains wasn't gold and diamonds." My temples throbbed with the pounding of my heart.

"The treasure was, and has always been the blood that flows through your veins."

"The Wild Legacy." The words felt like they were stuck on my tongue, my voice barely above a whisper, but Kage heard it and nodded.

"Yes, the Wild Legacy. Only it wasn't the “Wild" legacy. Like I said, that was something Edmund twisted to his benefit. It was your legacy and your mother's legacy, and your mother's mother before her. And that's why Edmund Wild wants control of you so badly, because without you, he gets none of it."

"And the people that sent me the invitation? Who are they? What do they want with me?" I thought back to all the times Edmund had lectured me about my role in the family, my purpose, and the legacy I needed to live up to. I thought about the manipulation. Oh god. My mother. He'd murdered my mother to have control of me. Nausea rolled through me.

"They are a secret organization known as the Infernals. It's a closed-door group that some say goes back to the times of the Templars, but no one knows anything concrete about them. Or if they do, they refuse to share." He scowled at that, as if he wasn't happy with the fact that he hadn't been able to threaten or beat the information out of anyone. "As for what they want? The same thing that Edmund wants, but for different reasons." Kage sighed and shook his head, a frown creasing between his brows. "Juniper, this is going to sound crazy." His eyes flashed with intensity as he leaned forward, my reflection dancing in their black depths. "But you have to believe me. I've been looking into these people for a long, long time. I can tell you one thing for certain. The only thing they value above their secrecy is the blood that keeps their organization going. Blood and money. And your blood is more important to them than any other. They will stop at nothing to get you back into their fold."

"My blood? What could they possibly want with my blood?" My brain was racing with images of some secret, dark society hunting me through the rocky mountains to drain my blood for some ritualistic sacrifice.

"Because your blood, my beautiful sister, is royal. Your bloodline can be traced back to ancient kings and queens. In fact, all the members of the Infernals can be connected in some way to a royal or noble line. It's one of the most important requirements for joining them. These are powerful, dangerous families. They make the Rothschilds and Vanderbilts look like child’s play, Juniper. The only thing they care about is money, power, and ensuring it stays within their approved bloodlines." He sat back. "You are quite literally, to them, the equivalent of a long, lost princess. A princess they would very much like to get back and marry off to one of their approved matches, thus continuing the cycle and their reign of purity." His lips curled into a thinly veiled snarl of disgust and hatred.

We stared at each other from across the short distance between us for what felt like an eternity, before I tipped my head back and laughed. The laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of me and continued as I stood up and made my way to the door.

Cade and Kage leapt to their feet.

"Pretty girl..."

"Juniper, where are you going?"

I opened the door, still laughing, feeling like my world was a comedy and I was the main punchline.

"My long-lost brother just told me." I held my fingers up as I ticked off the list. "My mother was murdered, my father was murdered, both by the man who I thought was my father, and I'm some long-lost princess wanted by sickos to be their baby-making machine. Where do you think I'm going? To the bar to get a drink."

Cade caught up to me and grabbed my arm, stopping. "Juniper, I know it seems crazy, believe me, I'm having a hard time understanding what the fuck is going on. But I know Kage. He wouldn't make this up. You need to listen to him."

Kage moved towards us. "It's ok, Cade. She has no reason to trust me. But maybe a drink isn't a bad idea. You're going to need it when I tell you the rest of the story." He glanced down at a black Hermes watch that looked like it was worth more than she made in an entire year. "But believe me when I say this, Juniper, you need to be careful. These people won't wait forever for an answer. And it's only a matter of time before Edmund makes his move. You need to be protected. No more going anywhere on your own."

I glanced between the two men and snorted. "Listen, I don't know what kind of neanderthal Knights of Camelot fantasy you two are living out right now, but I am more than capable of handling myself. Now, who's taking me to the bar? Or do I have to call a ride?"

Both men gave each other a look that I couldn't interpret, but I imagined that they were carrying on some silent conversation. Finally, Cade looked at me and sighed. "Come on, pretty girl, what kind of drink are you in the mood for?"

I turned on my heel. "The kind that says your life is a fucking mess ." I jutted my chin toward my brother with a pointed glance at his watch. "Oh, and he's paying. Let's go."