Chapter 97

Sasha
She angrily entered the living room where she could smell her brother, Lily and another young female. Lukas sat in a chair, watching them play Clue at the coffee table. The girl.. Why did she look familiar? Kalani’s link opened and she let her merge.
‘Who’s this girl?,’ she asked her.
Kalani growled in her head. ‘That’s Slonsky’s daughter.’
Sasha glared at the girl, but relaxed her face when Lily looked up at her.
“Aja, you’re back. Casey, this is Aja. She is really nice.”
Casey nervously eyed Sasha and came over to kneel at her feet as Lukas moved to stand behind Lily. He put his arm on her shoulders and gently guided her out of the way so that Sasha could talk with the other girl.
“Lukas, I don’t want to leave Casey. She seems like she’s scared.”
“Lily, I know you don’t understand why you have to go with me, but-”
Lily stopped moving and Lukas turned around to stare at Sasha. She rolled her eyes.
“Lily, I promise-”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Then tell me. I’m not leaving her here.”
Lukas groaned and turned her around to face him. “Lily, Sasha has to be sure that Casey is not going to hurt you. You are human and that means that we have to be more careful about what we do to protect you.”
“I don’t think she wants to hurt me.” Her hands went to rub at her arms. “I know when people want to hurt me and I don’t think she does.”
“Lily?” He waited for her to look at him. “Who hurts you?”
She looked away. “Everyone.”
He pulled her in for a hug and Sasha groaned when their link opened.
‘Do I have to make her leave? She cares about this girl.’
Sasha rolled her shoulders back, but shook her head. She pointed to a couch.
“Sit and don’t move or I will make Lukas carry you out of here. Am I understood?”
She nodded eagerly and ran to jump onto the couch. Sasha stood in front of the trembling girl and let her aura flare out.
“What was your plan for coming here?,” she asked.
“I was to make friends with her and use that to get close to the king so my father could have the chance to speak to him.”
Sasha pushed her aura out harder. “And then what?”
Sweat beaded on her face and her knees wobbled. “He was going to trade his life for mine.”
“Why?”
The girl tried to not answer even when she sank to the ground and shook with the effort to fight Sasha’s aura. Sasha took a step towards her pushing it out even more. The girl screamed out and Sasha saw her brother put a restraining hand on Lily’s shoulder.
“Because he said he had lived wrong and I deserved a chance to live. He knew that if I stayed with him and we were caught, I would be killed, too.”
“And why should we let you live?”
The girl’s shoulders slumped. “Daddy told me what he had done to your parents. You didn’t deserve it. None of you guys deserved it. What he did was really bad.”
Sasha bore down on her again and she screamed out again, before her body dropped all the way to the ground unconscious. Lily cried out and Lukas picked her up to keep her from leaping across the room to her new friend’s aid. Sasha looked at her.
“Lily, I will let her live, but you are not to see her again,” she told the struggling girl.
Lily stopped fighting and jerked away from Lukas. She stared at Sasha before turning towards Lukas.
“This isn’t fair,” she yelled, before running slowly out of the room.
Lukas sighed. “Did you really have to do that?”
Sasha tugged the sleeping girl onto the couch. “It’s for the best, Luka. We don’t know if she was spelled to be able to resist. Her father was a strong witch. Who knows what connections she has.”
“I will find her a home in Dragão. She will be safe while we determine if she is safe to be around Lily. Now, you should go find her and make sure she is okay. Sasha and I will go down to the dungeons. I know she wants to speak to the asshole.”
He sighed, but hurried out of the room to find Lily. Aiden took Sasha in his arms.
“Baby, are you going to be able to handle this?”
She leaned against his chest, sighing. “Not at all. He destroyed my family… but he has a little girl.” She pulled away to stand over the girl in question. She smoothed her hair back. “Is there a good way to handle this? Is there a right or wrong way? If I let him live, am I turning my back on my family?” She sighed and looked up at Aiden. “If I kill him, am I turning my back on the one person who needs him to survive?”
Aiden took her back in his arms, holding her close. “Baby, I can’t tell you what to do. I don’t know the story like you do.”
“So, what do I do?”
He kissed her softly. “Let’s go talk to him and see what happens.”
She nuzzled into his chest. “I guess this is why you're king. You’re so wise.”
He chuckled. “Show me your appreciation later.”
She rolled her eyes as she pulled away. “I retract my statement.” He laughed again. “Dammit. How are we going to make sure she doesn’t leave while we are talking to him?”
“I do believe that is where I can assist,” Javier said walking in.
Sasha eyed him. “How can you help?”
“I can spell the room so she is trapped.”
“Alright do it.”
He gestured to the doorway. “After you or you will be trapped.”
Aiden and Sasha walked out and he quickly cast the spell, before smiling at them.
“King Lukas asked me to come sit in on the interrogation.”
Aiden nodded. Javier led them down to the dungeons, where she stayed in the shadows to watch Slonsky pacing in his small cell. He was muttering to himself and she strained to hear him. Suddenly, he stopped and turned towards them. His eyes slowly scanned the area.
“I know you’re here, even though I can’t see you.”
Sasha stepped into the light with Aiden standing menacingly behind her.
“Councilman Slonsky,” she said coldly. “We’ve been looking for you.”
He nodded. “I know. I am here now.”
Sasha didn’t move. “And why is that?”
“Because I want my daughter to live even if I have to die.” He paused to think for a second. “I was always good to you and your sister, Sasha. When your mother told me you had found your mate, I was happy for you.”
She took a step towards him. “And why is that?”
He sighed. “Because I lost my mate and everything I did after that was to relieve the pain I felt seeing her with another.”
“Who’s your mate?”
He gave a bark of laughter that was devoid of any humor. “Do you mean who was my mate?”
“Yes. Who was your mate? And while you’re at it, tell me why you chose to destroy my family?”
He met her eyes. “I didn’t mean to destroy your family.”
“Who was your mate?,” Sasha growled, getting angrier at his lack of answer.
He sighed and looked past her with more than a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Odanya was my mate and I loved her very much.”