not.
“Ty, gather the others. We need to decide what to do with the female.” Markus had his suspicions about her and her loyalty to her mother.
Chapter Ten
Markus sat at the corner bar in the great room and downed a shot of bourbon. “My first thought was she works with Garrick and was sent here to spy on us.”
N ext to him Drake sat with a beer in his hand. “I agree. Why else would she have come into her powers? Only the gods themselves can unlock a descendant’s powers.”
Across the room, Seth spoke from the oversized armchair. “Whoever stabbed her also beat her. Maybe she escaped.”
Ty shook his head. “I don’t like her here. She needs to leave.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Markus blew out a breath and wished he’d told Zavier to sit in on this meeting instead of babysitting Ashlynn. “I hear each of you and understand. But we can’t just let her leave. She could very well run straight to Garrick and expose Gwen and Elle.”
Drake set his beer down on the bar top hard enough the sound echoed through the downstairs of the estate. “As much as I don’t like it, I have to agree. Therefore, she stays. We’ll have to make her talk and keep an eye on her.”
“We can’t watch her 24/7.” Ty snorted.
Markus met his brother’s gaze and felt his lips lift on one side. “No, but she will not leave the house. You will be in charge of that.”
Ty opened his mouth, then closed it before he turned and stormed out the room.
Setting his drink glass down, Markus stood. “I’ll see if Gwen can help get the female to talk.”
It was Drake who asked, “What makes you so sure she’d talk to Gwen?”
Without turning around, he replied, “Because she’s a female and I am confident that Gwen could get Ashlynn to talk.” Markus exited the living room before his brothers could ask any more questions. His main focus turned to Gwen, who was in a room with a female he didn’t know or trust and with Zavier. Although out of all Markus’s brothers, Z was the one he confided in the most.
There were boundaries that they’d never cross with each other. Gwen was one of those boundaries.
He opened the bedroom door and surveyed the room. Ashlynn slept peacefully in the bed. In the far corner of the room, Zavier and Gwen huddled over a laptop, their chairs so close together that the arms touched.
A growl escaped Markus, drawing both their heads up. Zavier shifted the laptop so it sat in front of him and slid his chair away from Gwen.
Gwen, however, just glared at him for a moment, then pointed at the computer and said, “Zavier broke my father’s code.”
Markus stared at her, not believing how unaffected by his aggression she’d become in such a short time.
Zavier stood, closed the laptop and turned to Gwen. “I’ll load the files to a spare tablet so you can read them.”
“Thank you.” She offered him a warm smile.
Z nodded once, then left the room.
Gwen stood and started toward the door. Markus grabbed her arm, stopping her and making her meet his gaze. A hint of fear passed over her expression, but it was gone almost as fast as it appeared. A sense of joy fluttered in his chest and he smiled. Could she be trying to trust him?
“Go change into more comfortable clothes and meet me in the basement.”
She pulled out of his grasp and took a step back. “Why?”
“Because you are about to have your first lesson in self-defense.”
“I took self-defense classes. I need to know how to fight a dragon.”
Leaning in, he growled, “Basement. Ten minutes.”
Before he did something stupid, like haul her to his bedroom and pleasure her until she screamed his name, he left the room, annoyance running heavy in his veins.
That female was going to kill him before the week was up.
****
Gwen stormed into the giant gym in the basement, and let the door slam shut behind her. The gym took up a little more than half of the length of the mansion. Markus had
“Ty, gather the others. We need to decide what to do with the female.” Markus had his suspicions about her and her loyalty to her mother.
Chapter Ten
Markus sat at the corner bar in the great room and downed a shot of bourbon. “My first thought was she works with Garrick and was sent here to spy on us.”
N ext to him Drake sat with a beer in his hand. “I agree. Why else would she have come into her powers? Only the gods themselves can unlock a descendant’s powers.”
Across the room, Seth spoke from the oversized armchair. “Whoever stabbed her also beat her. Maybe she escaped.”
Ty shook his head. “I don’t like her here. She needs to leave.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Markus blew out a breath and wished he’d told Zavier to sit in on this meeting instead of babysitting Ashlynn. “I hear each of you and understand. But we can’t just let her leave. She could very well run straight to Garrick and expose Gwen and Elle.”
Drake set his beer down on the bar top hard enough the sound echoed through the downstairs of the estate. “As much as I don’t like it, I have to agree. Therefore, she stays. We’ll have to make her talk and keep an eye on her.”
“We can’t watch her 24/7.” Ty snorted.
Markus met his brother’s gaze and felt his lips lift on one side. “No, but she will not leave the house. You will be in charge of that.”
Ty opened his mouth, then closed it before he turned and stormed out the room.
Setting his drink glass down, Markus stood. “I’ll see if Gwen can help get the female to talk.”
It was Drake who asked, “What makes you so sure she’d talk to Gwen?”
Without turning around, he replied, “Because she’s a female and I am confident that Gwen could get Ashlynn to talk.” Markus exited the living room before his brothers could ask any more questions. His main focus turned to Gwen, who was in a room with a female he didn’t know or trust and with Zavier. Although out of all Markus’s brothers, Z was the one he confided in the most.
There were boundaries that they’d never cross with each other. Gwen was one of those boundaries.
He opened the bedroom door and surveyed the room. Ashlynn slept peacefully in the bed. In the far corner of the room, Zavier and Gwen huddled over a laptop, their chairs so close together that the arms touched.
A growl escaped Markus, drawing both their heads up. Zavier shifted the laptop so it sat in front of him and slid his chair away from Gwen.
Gwen, however, just glared at him for a moment, then pointed at the computer and said, “Zavier broke my father’s code.”
Markus stared at her, not believing how unaffected by his aggression she’d become in such a short time.
Zavier stood, closed the laptop and turned to Gwen. “I’ll load the files to a spare tablet so you can read them.”
“Thank you.” She offered him a warm smile.
Z nodded once, then left the room.
Gwen stood and started toward the door. Markus grabbed her arm, stopping her and making her meet his gaze. A hint of fear passed over her expression, but it was gone almost as fast as it appeared. A sense of joy fluttered in his chest and he smiled. Could she be trying to trust him?
“Go change into more comfortable clothes and meet me in the basement.”
She pulled out of his grasp and took a step back. “Why?”
“Because you are about to have your first lesson in self-defense.”
“I took self-defense classes. I need to know how to fight a dragon.”
Leaning in, he growled, “Basement. Ten minutes.”
Before he did something stupid, like haul her to his bedroom and pleasure her until she screamed his name, he left the room, annoyance running heavy in his veins.
That female was going to kill him before the week was up.
****
Gwen stormed into the giant gym in the basement, and let the door slam shut behind her. The gym took up a little more than half of the length of the mansion. Markus had
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