Emerald’s attention dipped to his stomach. It was a tattoo of a tiger and a snake fighting. “Is that why you got that one?”
The corner of Ronin’s mouth curved up into a wicked grin. “I would never get a lion.”
She couldn’t blame him.
“I’m glad…” She chickened out and cleared her throat. Just say it. “I’m glad you had heroes.”
He canted his head and studied her, a slight frown lowering his blond eyebrows. “What are you doing with Old Tarian?”
All of her heartbreak flooded her in an instant.
“I have to go back. I know where I am. I’ve seen this room before.”
“It’s my room.”
She swallowed hard. “It’s the Alpha’s room in the big house. I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
“Where are you supposed to be?”
“I signed a contract—”
“Where, Emerald?” he gritted out.
“At the right hand of Cassius.”
“Ffffuck!” he yelled, turning away from her. “Who hit you?” he asked suddenly, fury turning his eyes that striking gold-green color.
She shook her head, trying not to think about yesterday.
“Who?” he asked louder.
She lifted her chin and forced herself to look him in the eyes. “Cassius has my father.”
“What?” he asked, moving for her. He sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you mean?”
“I’m contracted to be Cassius’s mate so he’ll release my father.”
Ronin’s face twisted into something animal before he ripped his gaze away from her and gave her his back. There was a knock on the door. “Yes?” Ronin asked in a low, steady voice.
“Meeting, Alpha.”
Ronin sighed. “Bring me Rose.”
“Yes, Alpha.” The echoing sound of footsteps followed his retreat.
Ronin shook his head, his shoulders tense.
“You’re alive and you’re Alpha of the Tarian Pride now. I never saw that coming.”
“Not the Tarian Pride.” He looked to the side, giving her his profile. “The New Tarian Pride.”
He was so handsome in the early morning light that filtered through the window. There was a big sunray hitting him, dust motes swirling in the air in front of his face, his crystal blue eyes emotionless, his jaw set grimly. He’d grown into a man. A powerful, terrifying man, but…
“Why did you bring me here?”
Ronin stood suddenly. “Pass.”
“Pass?”
“On your questions.” Changing the subject, he asked, “Your father is there? I remember him. Talon Lawson. Cassius is holding him?”
“Yes. I was headed to try and see him last night when I saw you…fighting…”
“That shifter is dead. I killed him.” He arched his eyebrows. “You should know what I’ll do for my people. Ask me if I lost any sleep over his death.”
She didn’t have to. The dead expression in his eyes told her enough. He walked to the door and then, hand on the knob, he said, “Your father.”
Softly and sadly, she explained, “They took him a week ago. Cassius wants my genetics. My ancestor was one of the founders of the Tarian Pride. They’re trying to bring back the founders’ bloodlines. I was picked up yesterday. The contract is signed, and I have to go. Today is my pairing day. If I don’t show up, they’ll kill him. But if I play by their rules, they’ll let him go.”
Ronin slid her a narrow-eyed glance, his lip snarled up. “Fuck their rules.”
And then he walked out the door and let it click closed behind him.
The small noise seemed to echo on and on.
She felt like she was in a dream. Slowly, she stood and padded barefoot to a small sink with a mirror over it. It was one of those old-fashioned white porcelain bowls set on a rustic wooden chest. There was a rusted water spout that she had to pump water from, and the mirror was the same she remembered from all those years ago. In fact, nothing in this room had been changed except the bedding, which was a dark brown now instead of navy blue. The sheets had smelled like Ronin, minus all the blood. What had happened to his shoulder? Had he been stabbed? Shot? That wouldn’t surprise her. Tarians wouldn’t have any problem using weapons. No honor.
She stared at a reflection she didn’t recognize. It was shocking. Not just the bruising and the swelling, the cut lip or the pale skin… She was stunned by how hollow and sad her eyes looked. Gritting her teeth against another wave of grief, she pumped the water handle a few times until the bowl was half full, and then she washed her face. She didn’t have her suitcase, so no make-up, but whatever. She didn’t have to impress anyone. She wouldn’t be here long.
Ronin looked really good. There was something about him that drew her and made her feel safe when she had no right at all to feel that way. Her life had been uprooted, she’d been hurt, and her future was bleak. But for the few minutes when she was talking to him, she’d felt like everything was okay. Or maybe he’d just been a beautiful distraction.
She needed to call Cassius before he did something bad to her father. Her cell phone was probably lying in the woods where Ronin had kidnapped her. Kidnapped her? Had she been kidnapped? Well…that was about right.
A soft knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” Emerald said, reaching for a forest green washrag on a small stack of them beside the sink. She gently patted her face dry, careful of the bruised side, and turned to find a silver-haired, familiar-looking woman in the doorway. “Rose?” she asked, the woman’s name coasting through her mind and landing on her tongue.
The woman’s gray eyebrows arched delicately. “That’s right. And you’re Emerald. I would know those eyes anywhere, but you’ve changed, child. Well, I suppose I can’t call you ‘child’ anymore.” She smiled kindly, but winced. Slowly, she tucked her hair behind her ear and exposed bruises on her cheek and down her neck that disappeared into her shirt.
“Oh, my gosh,” Emerald murmured. “What happened?”
“The Old Tarian Pride took me from my home two nights ago.” She studied Emerald’s face. “I have a feeling I don’t have to tell you what happened to me. You probably understand better than anyone. Ronin came for me. We found you in the woods when we were escaping. Do you remember?”
“I remember a little. I remember being scared. Ronin killed a man.”
Rose brushed her fingertips on her injured cheek. “He killed the man who did this to me.”
Well, that made a big difference. Ronin wasn’t just some murderer at random, going after any Old Tarian lion. He’d avenged Rose and the damage done to her.
“Was my dad in the cabin with you? Talon Lawson?”
Rose frowned and sat on the edge of the mattress. “I didn’t see any other prisoners. There was only me in the cabin.”
Emerald sighed. That worried her. If they treated their prisoners like they had Rose, how was her father faring now? “Do you have a phone I can borrow?”
“To call Cassius?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I need to go back.”
“He knows where you are. He sent a messenger this morning with a letter.”
“What did the letter say?”
“Give me back what’s mine by two pm, or we kill every last one of you by nightfall.”
“Geez, that’s horrible,” Emerald said, taking a seat next to the woman. “I didn’t ever want to be a part of any war. I just wanted to live free with my dad. Rogue. That was our choice, and Cassius took that away from us. I had a pet goldfish named Chester,” she said, drawing her knees to her chest, “a favorite Chinese food delivery service, a crappy job but it was steady income, Sunday dinners with dad, and we were figuring out how to live without my mom. I was finally settling into a life I was happy with again.”
“You might not see it now, but everything happens for a reason,” Rose murmured.
“Yeah,” Emerald agreed, not even trying to hide the lie in her voice. There was no point in dwelling. There was work to be done.
“Ronin is in a meeting with the Pride. You can call Cassius when he makes a decision.”
“What kind of decision?” Emerald asked.
Rose only gave her a smirk and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m not in the meeting. My choice. I didn’t want to be around a bunch of squabbling males right now. Here,” she said, handing over a neatly folded pile of clothes.
Frowning, Emerald unfolded them and held them up. It was a plain black fitted T-shirt and a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans with holes expertly ripped into the knees and thighs. The size looked about right. “Were you expecting me?” Emerald joked.
“You? Never. I thought you and your family were free and clear of this place. But now I have an excuse to use my too-young wardrobe. At least that’s what Grim teases me about.”
Emerald studied Rose’s clothes. She was wearing a black tank top under a long-sleeved red flannel button up, and leggings tucked into calf-height leather biker boots. Where her sleeves were rolled up, Rose had a tattoo of the Grim Reaper with a lion’s face under the Reaper’s hood. A tribute to her grandson, the Grim Reaper? Okay, Rose was a badass. She was like the Tarian Pride lionesses Emerald remembered. Once upon a time, they had been mostly dominant, mouthy, ruthless lionesses, instead of the submissive, broken women she’d met yesterday. Things sure were different here now.
“I’ll give you some space to get dressed,” Rose murmured as she headed to the door. “Emerald?” she asked suddenly.
“Yes?”
Rose gestured to her face. “None of that is your fault. If you go back, they’ll try to get in your head that you deserve to be treated like that. Like you earned those marks. They’ll manipulate you because that’s the only move weak men have. Don’t listen. You’re better than what happened to you.” Rose lifted her chin. “You’re royalty, and they’re the nothings. Not the other way around.”