Bree shook her head and followed Avery numbly out of the common room as the others followed them.
* * *
Bree stared down at the food in front of her. Her throat was a tiny pinhole and despite what Avery had said in the common room, she still felt sick. She wouldn’t be able to eat, no matter what.
Avery sighed and glanced at Tristan. He shrugged and she sat down beside Bree, taking one cold hand in her own.
“My love, what we want to talk to you about is not what happened with Evan. We want you to tell us the truth about where you were going. You need to trust us.”
Bree continued to stare at her plate, and she jumped a little when she felt James’ hand rub her back lightly. “Tell us little one.”
“I was going back to Draken’s pack.”
“What? Why would you do that?” Sophia nearly shouted.
“I – I have a brother. His name is Kaden and he’s still being held prisoner by Draken. I was going to rescue him.”
She looked up at Nicky. “It’s why I wanted you to train me on the sword.”
Tristan sat down beside Avery. “Bree, going back to Draken’s on your own is a very foolish idea.”
“You’ll die if you go back there.” Nicholas said quietly.
“I won’t leave Kaden there!” She gave them both a furious look as Avery squeezed her hand. “He has spent most of his life protecting me, keeping me safe from all sorts of awful things, and I will not leave him to be tortured by Draken and his pack.”
“We’re not saying you should.” Nicky said patiently. “We’re saying that trying to do it alone isn’t going to work.”
Bree shook off Avery’s hand and stood up. She began to pace the large kitchen as the others watched silently. “What would you suggest I do then? My parents are dead and we have no other relatives. It has always been just Kaden and I. If I do not rescue him, who will?”
“Bree – “ James began and she cut him off with a loud snort.
“You would do anything for your family James.” She stared at all of them. “Every one of you would be at Draken’s door in a heartbeat if he had Leta or Evan. Kaden raised me, risked his life to keep me safe, and I have to at least try to save him.”
She rubbed her forehead wearily. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done, and I’m sorry that I’ve brought so much trouble to your family. I know you’re going to ask me to leave, and I understand why. It was wrong of me to try and sneak away and it put Evan in danger. I should have told you the truth and I’m sorry that I didn’t.”
She stopped in front of James and smiled up at him. “You’ve done so much for me already but I need to ask you for one more thing. Will you look after Tia for me? After I save Kaden, I’ll come back for her. I promise.”
He looked at her gravely. “You’ll die trying to save him. You know you will.”
She smiled. “He would do the same for me.”
She wanted to kiss him goodbye but she was acutely aware of the rest of his family staring at them. She settled for taking his hand and squeezing it firmly. “Thank you so much James. I – I’m so glad I met you.”
She turned away before he could reply. She started towards Avery, wanting to hug her goodbye, but James put his hand on her arm and tugged her to a stop.
“You’re not going back to Draken’s.” He said quietly.
Unexpected anger flared inside of her and she shook his hand off. “Do you think you can stop me? Will you keep me a prisoner in your home like Draken did?”
He shook his head. “No. But I’ll go to Draken’s, find your brother, and bring him back to you.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock.
“Well if you’re going to this Draken’s house, then I’m going as well.” Nicholas said cheerfully. “There’s no way I’m letting you have all the fun.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “You call breaking into the house of a mad Lycan, fun Nicky?”
He grinned at her. “You don’t?”
When she didn’t reply he reached out and ruffled her hair. “Aww, is itty-bitty Sophia afraid of the big bad wolf?”
She slapped his hand away. “I kick your ass on a regular basis. I can handle Draken and his wolves.”
“We’ll wait until after the full moon. We might be stronger during the moon cycle but so will Draken and his pack.” James said thoughtfully. “We should come up with a plan to sneak in and take Kaden. We’ll take a few days to study his home and his land. We need to find out if – “
“Boring.” Nicholas interrupted. “I say we knock on the front door and introduce ourselves. Let him know we’ve come for Kaden and demand his release. If he doesn’t want to give him up, we’ll take Kaden by force.”