Unchained Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 5)

For reasons unbeknownst to me, my heart actually hurts for him. It’s as though his pain is rolling off him so heavily, that I can feel it myself.

He clears his throat again before meeting my eyes once more. “They wanted my brother’s bond destroyed as well, so they could kill one of us and see what happened to the other. They simply studied us at that time—before the new leader took over and saw use in us for a ‘greater’ purpose.”

“Hannah,” I whisper quietly.

He nods.

“Before Hannah, they wanted to know how to break us—in case another set of Gemini Twins came along. It was all a game of power and knowledge. Hannah, however, was in it with a collection of others, most of which were involved with the release of purgatory. Purgatory was needed to free the portal realms once again, giving them the magic to open them. Along with the blood of the firsts. They also needed a creature so strong that it could withstand the draining effect the portals place on the anchor, so they took over the immortal prison rings. And of course, that also gave them soldiers—male and female immortals who were so broken they’d take any semblance of freedom, so long as they got out of their cages. They also gained all the studious knowledge collected over those many centuries. They even cultivated their own experiments to learn weaknesses—preparation for this war.”

Shakily, I exhale, and he continues on, still sounding like nothing more than a shell of a man; the complete opposite of the fierce, angry, and brazen approach I’ve become accustomed to from his twin.

“They found us during the management change,” he says with a shrug. “One twin so powerful he could easily have blown it all to hell had he not been chained down with some of the strongest crests magic has ever seen. And one twin so broken, that his magic could be stolen and used to open the portals—in the event they couldn’t imprison their goal immortal.”

He gives me a pointed look. Swallowing thickly, I whisper, “Me.”

“Exactly,” he says, smiling softly. Then adds, “The visionary—the only non-prisoner being kept when the prisons were overthrown and taken over—saw you. He saw your power easily matching our combined power. But not until after you revealed yourself that night you helped free us.”

“Why not?” I ask automatically.

He looks away. “That’s a little far off topic,” he tells me so quietly I barely hear the words.

“Clearly we’re as powerful as you, so it’s not really a concern at this point. I’m sure Hannah has finally come to the same conclusion, since she already tried using me. Doesn’t really matter who is stronger. Hannah will certainly kill both of us if my brother doesn’t stop fighting his mate. He needs to sever the final bond.”

Why does my mouth sour at the thought of Slade taking a damn mate? Why do my eyes feel like they’re turning silver on their own? Why is Alton smirking at me right now?

“Didn’t realize he had a mate,” I say tightly.

“Obviously. You truly thought he’d kill you for helping me—genuinely still believe as much about him, even though he’s never once harmed a hair on your head.”

Snorting derisively, I roll my eyes. “He’s tried killing more than one of us in my family, and I’ve lost count of the threats he’s made. What does that have to do with his mate?”

He leans back, still smirking. “Something special about creatures like you and I was the fact that even before purgatory was unleashed, we could mate and have children with any immortal. The visionary saw my mate, but could never once spot Slade’s. My mate was just a simple witch—her magic nor bloodlines were very powerful.”

This guy can never just give a direct answer. I feel like I’m following him in a circle every time he speaks.

It’s dizzying.

“Hannah learned of your visionless visionary—knew how to prevent her from seeing the future. And she served a purpose to open purgatory, which drained her at such a young age. The demon’s own visionary saw so much. But never once—not even when Hannah took him from his former employers and gave him a power boost—could the visionary see Slade’s mate,” he goes on.

Frowning, I lean back, confused.

“Why? If he could see your mate, then why couldn’t he see Slade’s?”

A ghost of a secretive smile toys with the edges of his lips. “Because my brother would go and somehow become fated to the most powerful woman we’ve ever heard of, and he wanted that kept a secret.”

It takes me a second, but when I realize why he’s looking at me like he’s amused, I dart to my feet, unease uncurling in me. I can’t say that it wouldn’t explain a hell of a lot, but…fuck that. Hell no.

That asshole?

I’ll die a damn spinster. I’ll even adopt a small kitten army as proof of my commitment to staying single for always.

“You have to be kidding me,” I blurt out.

He freaking grins.

“You can’t honestly say you haven’t already questioned the possibility a time or two on your own. Possibly far more times than that. When your instincts are the fiercest, you feel it. Know it. He’s seen you for centuries. And the night you and your family freed us? I felt it through the bond, as though it really wasn’t gone. I felt his heart pumping erratically, as if it was my own, because he saw you.”

“Saw me?” I ask, confused.