19. Zan

"Did you tell her?"

Viggo's voice came from behind me, and I grabbed a blood bag before closing the freezer. I turned to see both of my brothers in the living room, and Viggo fell onto the couch that I'd been sleeping on. My eyes darted down the hall, and I listened for the telltale sounds that Kali was eavesdropping but heard nothing, which meant she was still in my room with the door shut.

"About Pax's crazy idea?" I asked, tearing open the top of the blood bag. "Yes, I told her."

Pax frowned as he leaned against the kitchen island. "Tell me again why you attacked me last night?"

My jaw clenched. "I thought you were hurting her."

"Bullshit," Viggo muttered. "You know Pax wouldn't have hurt her."

"I kept calm when Amaros touched her," I shot back. "If this bond thing was real, I would have lost it that night too. Shadows can't bond."

Pax shook his head. "You stayed calm because it was the best way to keep her alive. You knew that fighting against him would have put her in more danger. You did exactly what you needed to keep her safe."

"Shit." Viggo let out a harsh laugh, his scrutinizing stare fixed on me. "It really doesn't matter if it's true or not—when it comes to her, you are so royally fucked. She's going to get you killed if you keep up like this. Our father likes her, Zan. That's not fucking good."

"I know that," I snapped, my stomach knotting. "We'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Viggo cocked his head. "There are only three ways this can end. Mating with her could kill her if she's not strong enough. Even if she does survive, she'll fucking hate you. Then most likely try to kill you. If she turns, she'll probably try to murder you anyway. Or maybe she's a Shadow…which we all know would be even worse with how they transition. All these scenarios end with her still hating you."

Pax's troubled gaze landed on me. "He's right."

I paced the room as I drank the cold blood, not answering. I knew they were right. I never expected any of this to happen when I kept Kali here. She caught my eye, but I figured it would be a passing thing. Clearly, that wasn't the fucking case.

The click of the door had all of us going quiet. Kali's heartbeat grew louder as she crept down the hall. I turned to see her entering the living room, and I bit the tip of my tongue. She was wearing a pair of shorts that were just peeking out from under the black shirt that was mine. On her feet were just a pair of socks, which meant her stake was still back in my room.

She barely glanced at any of us before rounding the island and grabbing an apple from the bowl. She might still be angry, but she was getting more comfortable here. Viggo sauntered to the island before resting his elbows on it and giving Kali a wide grin. Her hard stare landed on him, suspicion flitting across her face as she took a small bite of the apple.

"What do you think about all this bonding stuff, Kali?" Viggo asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I think even if there's some truth to it, Zan and I have no bond at all," she retorted, her gaze swinging toward me for a split second. "His obsession with me is one-sided."

Annoyance jolted through my veins, but I kept my expression neutral, not letting her words get to me like she clearly wanted. Instead, I strode into the kitchen, watching her eyes widen slightly as I crowded her against the counter. She gripped the apple tightly, lifting her chin to meet my eyes.

"I understand that you're angry," I murmured, grabbing her hips and pulling her against me, a grin pulling up my lips when I heard her heart jump. "But don't lie about your feelings, Kali."

"I'm not," she snapped. She dropped her apple onto the counter to try and push me away. "Back off, Zan."

"Why?" I tossed back, tightening my hold on her waist. "Is it harder to hide your emotions when I'm touching you?"

Her jaw clenched, and she went entirely still when I leaned closer, letting my lips brush her cheek. I didn't miss how her breath hitched, and I pressed her against the counter.

"Try to deny how much I affect you," I whispered in her ear. "I have no issue proving you wrong."

"You have no idea how I feel about you," she hissed, her cheeks flushing slightly. Her eyes darted behind me to the twins. "We're not talking about this right now."

"I have no reason to hide how I feel about you. I don't keep secrets from them."

"Only from me, then," she replied, bitterness in her voice.

I heard footsteps before the door opened. Kali's eyes cut behind me, no doubt watching Pax and Viggo leave. I heard them moving down the stairs, but I didn't bother to look. Reaching up, I caught her chin in my grasp and tilted her face up. My fingers tightened when she tried jerking away, making sure to keep my eyes on hers.

"Show me I have a reason to trust you," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Prove to me that if I tell you everything, then you won't use it to kill me. Or to kill my family."

She pressed her lips together, her glare scathing as she stayed silent.

"I know it's not your choice to stay here." My words had rage sweeping across her face. "I can't change that."

"Can't or won't?" she spat out.

"Both," I answered honestly. She was already so pissed about everything that I wasn't going to tiptoe around her anymore. "You're here to stay. You want to live like this? Wrapped up in bitterness and hating everything? Go ahead. I can't stop you."

"Then let me go so I can go back to the bedroom," she gritted out.

Her relief was short lived when I let go of her jaw. I kept her pinned against the counter, snagging her wrists when she slammed them against my chest to shove me away.

"God, you are so infuriating," she forced out. "You're an?—"

"Asshole," I finished the sentence for her. "I know that. You know that. You've been aware of it since the moment we met. You knew it when you kissed me." She opened her mouth to argue, but I kept speaking. "You still saved my life that night in Impulse when the Clovers were going to kill me. Slept with me. Kept my secret about my black blood. You did all of that while knowing who I am. And what I am."

"Maybe I thought you'd change," she muttered bitterly.

I chuckled, keeping her wrists tight in my hold. "Oh, Kali. The things I've done for you…no one except my brothers has seen the side of me that you have. And if we're being completely honest, you are just as infuriating. You drive me crazy."

"Yet here I am," she stated. "Still alive."

"I never said it was a bad thing, did I?" I arched an eyebrow. "Clearly, I must enjoy you driving me crazy, since I want you here."

"And how can I trust that?" she asked, an edge of desperation in her voice. "After meeting your father?—"

"That wasn't supposed to happen," I cut in sharply. "I never wanted him to see you."

"Well, he did," she mumbled. "Now what?"

"Now I want you to get used to living here. To embrace it," I told her, managing to keep my voice level and refusing to reveal how fucking much I wanted her to do just that. To stop fighting it. "Accept that you're here for good. Enjoy it. I'll give you whatever you want. You want to see the world? I'll take you fucking anywhere. Tell me what you want, Kali."

Shock filled her eyes as we stared at each other in silence. My stomach dipped, knowing there was only one thing she wanted. And I had no damn idea if I'd be able to give it to her.

"Promise me that you won't do what Amaros wants," she whispered hoarsely. "That I will never carry a child. Promise me that, Zan. And I'll try to adjust to living here."

"No more fighting me at every turn?" I questioned, only half believing that she'd be able to do it. "Or ignoring me."

Her eyes grew stormy. "I'm not just going to submit to you."

"That's not what I asked." I finally released her wrists but didn't move away. "I want you to stop acting like you hate me—when we both know that's not true."

"Fine," she gritted out.

"And I'm not sleeping on the couch anymore."

Defiance lit up her face, but she jerked a nod. I stepped away, only for her to grab my arm and tug me back. Surprise hit me until I realized why she'd done it.

"Promise me," she demanded.

"I'll do what I can?—"

She scowled. "Not good enough."

I was suddenly very glad she didn't have vampire hearing. Because my heart was currently thundering in my chest.

"I promise. It won't happen," I said slowly, my voice gruff.

She searched my face, as if trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth. Whatever she saw must have appeased her, because she let me go and ducked away from me.

"I'm going to take a shower," she muttered as she strolled down the hall. "Then I want to go to the beach."

I blew out a laugh, wondering what else she'd ask for now that she wasn't going to ignore me anymore. Once I heard the water turn on, I spun on my heel and crossed the room, heading downstairs to Impulse. The sun hadn't set yet, meaning the place would be empty, with the boards still on the windows. As I climbed down the steps, I could hear Viggo and Pax. I scrubbed a hand down my face, knowing they heard my entire conversation with Kali.

When I entered the club, both of my brothers swiveled on the bar stools to look at me. The cages were empty, meaning all the humans were in the back room. I met Viggo's gaze first, already feeling the disapproval from Pax's stare.

"You shouldn't have promised that," Pax said quietly. "Not when Amaros is involved."

Viggo shrugged. "Did you expect him to do any different? He's whipped when it comes to her."

Rage simmered through me, but before I could respond, I heard footsteps from outside. The twins jumped to their feet, hearing the same thing, both of them tensing. It was close to dusk, but the sun was still up. Which meant whoever was out there wasn't a vampire. There was a light knock on the wood-covered door.

"Excuse me," a shaky voice called out. "I need to talk to Zan. We had an issue at the road."

My suspicion overshadowed any of the anger that Viggo's words caused. We had humans who stood guard at the posts around the city during sunlight hours. If he came here, then there was an immediate problem. Pax strode to the door, carefully opening it to make sure sunlight didn't hit him. Not that he needed to worry, but we had to keep up the fa?ade. No one here except Gia, and now Kali, knew that secret.

One of the human watchers, Jared, was standing there, and when I noticed someone behind him, I narrowed my eyes. It was a woman I'd never seen before, and I moved closer to the door, studying her. The scent of her human blood invaded my nostrils, and I easily recognized the blatant fear etched on her face. Her brown eyes revealed nothing, and she nervously brushed her hair out of her face, staying silent. Her black hair was straight and reached just above her shoulders.

I frowned. "She came to the city? Alone?"

"Yes," Jared answered, swallowing hard. "We would have waited and brought her to Gia after dark like we always do. But…she asked to see your girl. Knew her name and everything."

I straightened up, eyeing the woman again. There was no doubt she was terrified, but she still lifted her chin, not cowering from my stare.

"And who do you know?" I asked, the question directed at her.

"Kali," she answered with no hesitation. "I need to talk to her."

"How the hell did you even find us?" Viggo asked. His features were hard and callous as he studied her. "A Clover?"

"No. I'm from Project Hope. But I'm not saying anything else until I see Kali."

I muttered a curse under my breath, looking at Jared. "Bring her in here and then go back to your post."

Jared grabbed her arm, tugging her into Impulse. Her steps were hesitant, but she slowly sat down on the stool that Pax motioned to. Viggo gave me a look before facing Jared and catching his eye to entrance him. Later tonight, he'd have to go entrance the other watcher too.

We couldn't have humans just walking in here looking for Kali. It made us look weak. And it drew more attention to Kali. We needed to figure out how the hell this woman had found us and how she knew Kali was here. If she wasn't a Clover, then I had no fucking idea how she knew. And if she was, then why would she walk in here alone? A possible trap?

"I'll get Kali," I grumbled, heading back toward the stairs.