Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale

19

“He sold me.”

Those words echoed around and around in my head. Each one hit with a painful blow against my skull. “Sold you?”

My voice was unrecognizable, even to my own ears. It sounded far away, hollow.

Ronan kept his gaze fixed on the water. “Twins are a complicated thing in our world.”

My brow furrowed, not understanding what his being a twin had to do with his father selling him. “What do you mean?”

“You know that we’re all destined to lead our clans?”

I nodded, but then realized he couldn’t see me. “Yes.” I didn’t know what all that actually entailed, though.

“For demons and casters, leaders are chosen by a test of powers in each generation. For shifters and vamps, it follows a line of succession.”

“So, your father is the current dragon ruler?”

A muscle ticked along Ronan’s jaw. “The dragon king. And when he had twins, things got a little challenging for him.”

“How so?”

“I was born first. By five minutes,” Ronan said.

“So, you should be the ruler?”

Ronan’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Yes. But my dad wasn’t happy about that.”

“Why?” I asked the question I needed to but was terrified of the answer.

He shrugged. “My old man is a narcissist. Declan reminds him of himself. An ice dragon. I remind him of our mother. All fire.”

Little cracks lit up along my heart. “Didn’t he love your mom?”

“Their mating was an arranged one. He wanted strong sons. Her father wanted a strong alliance. And female dragons are incredibly rare.”

A lead weight settled in my stomach. I couldn’t imagine being forced to marry for strategy.

Ronan’s jaw worked back and forth. “He was hard on me and Dec. But we always stuck together, watched each other’s back.”

A ringing started in my ears. “Hard on you how?”

Ronan sighed. “Shit you don’t want in your head.”

“Tell me.”

He glanced in my direction. “Let’s just say you aren’t the only one with scars.”

Rage burst to life in my chest as my gaze zeroed in on that slice through his brow.

“I knew he wanted Dec to lead. I wouldn’t have even cared if he named Dec as heir, but that wasn’t enough. My existence in our horde would’ve called that line of succession into question.”

That pit in my stomach was back. “What did he do?”

“When I was ten years old, his guards grabbed me from my bed in the middle of the night. They brought me before my father. He accused me of plotting against him, against Dec. He said I was guilty of treason.”

“You were ten!”

Ronan lifted a shoulder, and then it fell. “It didn’t matter to him. He said he was showing me mercy and selling me to the fighting pits instead of beheading me.”

All the blood drained from my head. “The what?” I whispered.

“Our world has a dark side. It always has. There are underground fighting rings where supernaturals fight to the death.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Ronan’s gaze met mine. “I’ve killed more people than I can count.” That gaze shifted to his hands. “I never should’ve touched you. Tainted you.”

I took his hands, weaving my fingers through his. “You did what you had to do to stay alive.”

His head lifted, eyes blazing that liquid gold. “I’m not a good person.”

“You are,” I argued. “I’ve seen it too many times to count.”

Ronan swallowed hard. “Colt’s dad saved me.”

I stilled. “How long were you there?”

“Three years. But Andrew broke me out, got the bosses of the underground to leave me be. Still not sure how he managed that. Then he gave me a home.”

I’d be forever grateful to Colt’s father for that, but my mind was stuck on the first thing Ronan had said. Three years. That would feel like a lifetime to a little boy. How much torture had he endured?

My fingers tightened around his. “I’m so glad you got out.”

“Me, too. Not sure Dec is, though.”

I stiffened.

“He never looked for me. He was just relieved to have the power he wanted all along.”

That didn’t sound like the Declan I knew. “How do you know?”

Ronan’s jaw hardened. “I went to find him after I got free. He was happy as a clam in his new role with the horde. He told me he didn’t want a damned thing to do with me, that our father had told him what I’d done.”

“Your dad lied to him,” I argued.

“I know,” Ronan growled. “But Declan believed him. Sided with him in casting me out. He didn’t give one single fuck that I’d been existing in a living nightmare for three years. Thought I deserved it.”

“Ronan…”

“No,” he clipped. “Dec might be in this bond, but I’ll never trust him. I’ll work with him, but that’s it.”

A vicious ache took root in my chest. There had to be an explanation, a way to heal them both.

“Don’t, Firecracker. This is one place you can’t meddle.” Ronan pinned me with a stare to punctuate his point. “You can’t force him on me.”

My breath left my lungs in a whoosh of disappointment. “Okay.”

Ronan jerked his head in a nod.

“Are those fights still happening?” I asked softly. I couldn’t bear the thought of other children, innocents, being left to the same fate.

Something flashed in Ronan’s eyes.

“What?” I pressed.

“When we turned sixteen, Colt, Trace, Dash, and I hunted every single soul that had a role in them. We killed each and every one without mercy.”

I met those golden-amber eyes and didn’t look away. “Good.”

Ronan’s eyes flared in surprise.

“You expect me to be angry that you ended the lives of people so vile they’ll be burning for all eternity?” I asked.

Ronan was silent.

“I’m not. I’m glad you stopped them from hurting others—”

“I didn’t just stop them, Leighton. I tortured them. Their ends weren’t easy ones.”

“Then maybe they felt a millimeter of the pain they inflicted on the world. Maybe you gave them just the barest hint of justice.”

I wouldn’t allow Ronan to beat himself up for this. Not when he was making this world a safer place. Not when his childhood was stolen from him.

“Firecracker,” he breathed.

I moved then, climbing into his lap. Ronan’s arms came around me, holding me tight. I nuzzled his neck and burrowed deeper into his hold.

Ronan breathed deeply. “How can you stand to have me touch you?”

“These are the hands that made countless people safe. The hands that made me feel cherished. The hands that heal.”

A shudder racked through Ronan, and he lifted a hand to my face.

I tipped my head back so I could see those beautiful eyes.

“Leighton.” His voice broke on my name.

“I see you. And there’s nothing but good.”

Ronan’s head dipped, his lips a breath away from mine.

“Ronan!” Dash’s voice cut through the crashing waves. “You need to move. We found something.”