Born Mine
Chapter 95

Brandon was silent on the other end for a second then I heard his lock. He pulled the door open for only a fraction and I made a point to look around like I was frightened.

"Please, Darius can't know I'm here," I whispered. "He has so many people around town. Let me in."

He debated it for a second before pulling the door open and I rushed in as quickly as I could. He ushered me into the living room and I made a show of lowering myself into the chair. I could see Brandon watching my every move and I could see the curiosity on his face as he tried to deduce why I was in his house.

"Did Darius really kill my parents?" I decided not to waste any time and go straight into it.

"I thought you were so confident that he didn't yesterday What has changed in less than twelve hours or did he send you here?"

"He doesn't know I'm here," I dropped my voice to a whisper. "I didn't know where else to go but you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone what I am about to tell you. It has to be a secret between us. Darius has eyes and ears everywhere and if he thinks that I told anyone, my life could be in danger."

Brandon had a terrible poker face. If we were playing, I would have won all his money. He tried to look uninterested but it was etched in every pore of his skin that he wanted to know what I was talking about. It was obvious in the way he leaned forward on his elbows and the way his brows rose. It was there in the hitch of his breath and the way his eyes widened like he had just hit the jackpot.

"You have my word," he said, the eagerness putrid on his breath.

I looked around as if to be careful and lifted the hem of my shirt so he could see the bruises. His eyes widened to the point of saucers and just as expected, he made his way over to me and ran his finger over it to be sure it was real. I winced when his thumb pad pressed down on the sore area and Brandon snatched his hand back as if burned.

He looked at my face and then back at the bruise as if he couldn't believe it. I could see a war playing out in his eyes. On one hand, I was sure he was confused and shocked because I had never given any signs that I was being abused and on the other was his urge to play the hero. I could tell that part won over when he pulled on the most sympathetic face he could offer. It was so fake that I almost rolled my eyes.

"When did this start?" he asked and I shrugged.

"As long as I can remember," I lied. "He had always been verbal but he got physical a while back when a rogue Liam came into town and displayed some interest in me. It didn't matter what I did, he assumed I was cheating and he would-"

I allowed my voice to break on the end and Brandon cursed as he pulled me into his arms. His pity was so fake that it smelled. I resisted the urge to push him away and instead basked in his presence. I allowed a few stray tears to leak from the corner of my eyes and I made a mental note to consider a future in acting because if I didn't know any better then I would have believed myself.

"is that why you took his side yesterday?" Brandon asked and I nodded.

"I was hoping you would get the hint and let things drop but you didn't. He got so upset yesterday because he thought you knew something. He wanted to kill me but he didn't because he wanted to hold up appearances. That's why he doesn't hit my face but yesterday, he grabbed a knife and I thought he was going to kill me."

I grabbed Brandon's sleeve. "I need your help. Tell me how I can help so we can get rid of Darius once and for all. I was barely able to get out of the house today. He was so furious about the hunter's invitation. He blamed me for it."

Brandon at least had the decency to look guilty. "If I had known it would cause problems for you then I would have never asked them to send it. I will tell them to rescind it immediately. If we are going after Darius then it needs to be more subtle. What do you have in mind?'

I blanked out for a second because I didn't expect him to ask me for any help. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't going to betray Darius to Brandon. The last thing we needed was for Brandon to have any more ammunition against Darius. Until I found out what evidence they had, I couldn't risk speaking and helping them build their case.

"He doesn't tell me anything," was what I ended up saying. "If he has any weaknesses then I don't know about them."

"We thought you were his weakness," Brandon laughed humorlessly. "When we sent Liam, he kept saying that Darius loved you. I was worried that you had been brainwashed. When we didn't hear back from Liam after a month, I decided to check in by myself. It feels good to know that you aren't under his control."

Brandon laughed as if he had just told a funny joke but his words could not leave my ears. It was like a steady repetition over and over again. All this while, we thought that Faye sent Liam. We thought he was working for her but if Brandon was telling the truth then we were all wrong.

"You sent Liam?" I asked and he nodded.

"Did you think a rogue just stumbled across here on his own? This town is in the

middle of nowhere. I had to promise him a lot of money in exchange for him agreeing

to come. He gave us weekly reports that helped us build a case against Darius."

"I didn't know that."

"Liam was good at what he did. Do you know what happened to him?"

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! This time, I didn't lie, I nodded, "He's dead. He died in Darius' dungeons because he was killing girls, at least, that's what I was told."

"Yeah, we heard about that. We hoped it would spur Darius into action and make him walk into our trap but it didn't."

At that moment, I realized just how evil Brandon truly was. He had supported the murder of innocent girls because he hoped it would help him get Darius and he was smiling about it. I glanced at the clock and cleared my throat.

"I should leave before anyone knows I'm missing. Darius' sister is home and if she realizes, she will tell him," Brandon seemed to buy my lie because he helped me to my feet. "Thank you for helping me. I don't know where I would have gone if you sent me away."

Brandon smiled and he did something I didn't expect him to- he kissed me. I was so shocked for a second that I froze then I abruptly pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," he mumbled and I offered him a small smile.

"It's fine, Darius is a wolf remember, he will smell you on me."

Brandon smiled widely. "I hide my scent with a potion. He won't know you were here."

I nodded and practically rushed out of the house. I didn't want to spend a second longer than necessary. Brandon watched from his doorstep as I got into the car and drove off. I didn't stop until I got to the house. When I got there, Jared was at the door and he took one look at me and knew that something was wrong because he didn't ask any questions.

"Where is he?" I asked and he pointed me in the direction of the living room.

He had barely gestured before I was rushing in that direction. I felt dirty and I needed to get all trace of Brandon off me. The weight of everything I had heard was falling on me rapidly and I needed the warmth of Darius' presence before it crashed. I was so focused on replaceing him that I didn't realize I brushed past Ian until he grabbed my

arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked but I couldn't form the words. "Did something happen to you?"

"I need Darius."

He understood instantly and led me by hand toward Darius' office. If I had followed Jared's words, I wouldn't have found him. Ian didn't even knock on the door as he pulled it open and all but pushed me inside. Darius was by his desk with his head buried into some papers but he looked up when he heard the door. As soon as he saw me, he stood to his feet and was by my side in an instant.

One thing I loved about my relationship with Darius was that I never needed to talk much when I was around him. I didn't need words to tell him how I felt. He took one look at me and instantly knew something was wrong. I vaguely heard the door close as Ian left the room but my focus was not on that. Darius reached for me and lifted me into his arms. I wasted no time in wrapping my legs around his waist as he walked us over to the sofa in his office.

He sat down on it and stroked my hair affectionately as he waited for me to gather enough courage to speak. He didn't pressure me or ask what happened, he just offered his presence and comfort and for me that was everything. Once I was calm, I spoke. My voice sounded so soft and broken and I hated it.

"He kissed me," was the first thing I could say and Darius stiffened. "He thought I was weak and vulnerable and his first instinct was to kiss me. Who does that? What if I was weak and vulnerable?"

"You aren't," Darius reminded me. "You will never be that again. I am right here."

He placed a soft kiss on my temple and I allowed those words to consume me.

"You don't have to do this again. If it is too much then we can call it off now."

"No," I said quickly and Darius turned to me. "I found out something. Faye didn't send Liam- Brandon did. Liam was part of the hunters and he sent them weekly correspondence of what he found. That is part of what they used to build the case against you. Also, the meeting with the hunters has been called off."

"Are you sure about Liam?" he asked and I nodded. "This changes everything. We need to replace Liam's things and see what he told them. You did good, Leindra."

"Thank you."

That praise from him made everything worth it. Darius made to rise but I stopped him.

"Can we stay like this for a while longer?" I asked softly. "I just want him off me and you- you help."

Something broke in Darius' eyes as he nodded. "We can stay for as long as you want."