The door opened smoothly, and no one seemed to notice their entrance—except for one man. A red-haired man with an intense gray stare. Sasha smiled at him. Isaak aknowledged her, but said nothing, but his eyes locked onto the chain between her and Elias. He didn’t rise from his chair but extended a hand to Elias, pulling him close and whispering something in his ear.

  “Sasha, kitten, you beat me to it,” Isaak said, pulling her down onto his lap. He maneuvered her carefully, avoiding any tug on the chain.

  “So it’s true.”

  They both spoke at the same time, and Sasha laughed. She knew him, and Isaak knew her. They had always been like this since they were teenagers.

  “My most sincere—”

  Sasha stopped him with a brief kiss on the cheek. She wouldn’t admit her mother was still alive, but she wouldn’t accept his condolences, either. She loved them both and would protect them at any cost. And at this moment, protecting her brother by heart meant lying to him. Isaak, Ivy, and Ella were her family. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

  “I miss Ivy,” she said, hiding her face in his soft sweater.

  “I know.” Isaak patted her hair, his fingers running through the silky black strands. “I do too.”

  “I’ll go for her.”

  “You’ll do no good in the state you’re in now,” Isaak said, holding the chain between his fingers and glancing from Elias to Sasha. “Care to enlighten me?”

  “She’s taken something that belongs to me, and I want it back. I believe it’s in your possession.” Elias pulled a golden necklace from his pocket and sat on the wooden bench beside them. Sasha smoothly moved from Isaak’s knee to sit beside Elias, dreading the forthcoming "enlightenment."

  “That necklace belongs to Sasha,” Isaak said. He leaned forward, trying to snatch it from Elias’s fingers, but Elias was quicker.

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  “Your signature jewelry—golden chain with the white eagle. I imagine you got a good price for it,” Elias said, his gaze shifting to Sasha.

  Sasha bit her lower lip. She didn’t want anyone overhearing that she’d taken an orb from Elias. Taking an orb by force was strictly forbidden—and something not many could do. But her blood burned in her veins, the curse stronger than it had been in centuries. She smiled at Isaak, silently pleading with him to play along.

  “I told you. It’s already been traded; the buyer signed and everything…”

  Isaak sighed and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry, Elias. I didn’t know you were involved.”

  Sasha exhaled in relief. Isaak always had her back.

  “I could tear her apart, piece by piece, until you get it back,” Elias hissed, his voice cold as ice. His fingers played with each link of the chain one by one. “I know you can get it.”

  The soup arrived just then, the interruption doing nothing to lighten the tension. Sasha was livid.

  “I could kill you right now, but it’d be messy cutting you loose from this damn chain,” she said, turning to Isaak. “Do you have a saw?”

  Isaak studied them both, his brow furrowing. His eyes lingered on the patch on her throat. Before either of them could react, he drove his fork through Elias’s hand, sinking it deep into the flesh.

  “You maniac! That fucking hurt!”

  Isaak twisted the fork slightly, eliciting a pained growl from Elias. His yellow eyes flared, now almost pure emerald green, and tears of pain formed in them. Elias’s other hand rested on the hilt of his sword, poised to return the favor.

  “Why have you kept him alive, kitten?” Isaak asked, his tone icy. “Are you going soft?”

  “You do your business, and I do mine,” Sasha replied, meeting Isaak’s glare with her own. They had an understanding, and he wouldn’t jeopardize that.

  Isaak pulled the fork from Elias’s hand and plunged it into the pea soup, spearing a piece of bacon and chewing on it.

  “The soup’s getting cold,” Sasha said, ignoring the blood dripping from Elias’s hand. “I prefer my meals hot.”

  “You’ll fix this,” Elias said, staring at his wounded hand. “Or I’ll return the favor, witch.”

  Sasha threw a napkin at him.

  “I’m not the healer type. You’re on your own.”

  “Limb by limb, sweetheart,” Elias growled, glaring at Isaak. “How much of her would I have to take before you hand over what’s mine?”

  “She’s a grown woman, Elias. You heard her,” Isaak said with a shrug.

  “The queen has a new favorite puppy,” Elias sneered, his twisted smile darting between Isaak and Sasha. “I bet her limbs are much softer.”

  Both Isaak and Sasha froze. He had opened Pandora’s box, and Sasha wished he hadn’t.

  Isaak smiled coldly and placed the fork mere inches from Elias’s other hand.