Chapter Five

Husk

I stood in front of the elevator doors, waiting for Fagua to come out. She was too thin. We would break her, even if we claimed her one at a time. Yet, she was the woman from the dream. The one we'd been waiting for, but I knew before we did anything with her, we would have to fatten her up. That could take all of thirty days. Winter said we should tell her she has to stay with us long; otherwise she would leave, and we needed her to surrender to us.

I did something I rarely did. I smiled as the doors opened and I waited for her. Sky was in no state to talk to anyone. His nerves were out of control, and he’d had one too many from the mini bar. I had to drag him up here because he was nearly out of it. With his weight and size, I didn’t think those tiny liquor bottles could get him into such a state so quickly.

As the doors opened and we faced each other, I knew Winter had said something to her. Why do I always have to clean up after my brothers? He’d memorized her, and she could only do and say what he wanted. He’d used his powers on her, and it would make her even more suspicious and hate us more than she already did.

Winter avoided my stare as Fagua stood frozen in the elevator with the doors wide open.

He pointed to me and said, “Don’t.”

Which meant he probably blamed me for having to do things this way.

“Come in. Don’t be shy,” I continued to smile at her, and was when I realized that was probably why she shook like a leaf. We had a client meeting once and everything was going well until I’d smiled at the client’s wife. Winter said, it was because when I smiled, I showed all my teeth and gums, and it wasn’t an attractive sight, which was why I tended to avoid smiling like the plague.

“Drop it, Winter.” I said, going back to my normal expression.

My brother pressed his fingers against her shoulder, and the glaze in her eyes vanished.

Instead of moving into our suite and being in awe like most of the women we’d ever brought up here, she shoved Winter back. He only moved a step away, and she dashed back into the elevator. Her fingers frantically pushed all the elevator buttons when one didn’t work.

Sweat beaded across her brow as the elevator doors stayed open.

“You need a key to make the elevator work,” I said with all the calmness and patience, to reassure her we weren’t going to attack her.

“Okay,” she quivered. She avoided looking at me and her gaze traced across the suite. “And I suppose neither one of you will give me a key?”

Winter and I shook our heads.

She straightened, stepping out of the elevator and into our living quarters.

Our suite was the best in the casino. We’d had it refurbished to meet our every need, which included having our own space. We’d taken over the whole of the top floor, which our financial advisor said wasn’t the best financial decision, but we didn’t give a shit. No one had a top floor apartment apart from us, and we needed soundproof flooring for when Sky broke out and needed to go for a fly. We knew he would turn eventually. It had been just a matter of timing.

She moved hesitantly a little deeper into the open living room. Then faced me. “Where’s Keith? What have you done with my husband?”

I looked past her to Winter who gave me a sour look. She clearly didn’t believe Kevin had run off.

Winter used his powers, and he was probably angry at himself for doing it. Sometimes, it was needed, but whenever he was in human form, he hated it, which didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t use his powers after he shifted. That was our drawback, some wolves could talk when they shifted. Not us. We stayed in our true form whenever we shifted in and out.

“Fagua,” I said as gently as I could and she stiffened. “Your husband lost his bet. Everything.”

“No. That’s not possible.” She shook her head vehemently, her voice cracking. “H-he called me. Told me everything he planned had happened like he wanted.”

I held my hand out to her. “Come.”

Fagua stared at my palm as though it was a viper.

“I won’t bite…unless you ask me to,” I said.

Her blush made her dark eyes appear to glow. Fuck, she was beautiful, and if we got more meat on her skinny ass bones, she’d be mind-blowing gorgeous. No wonder shit-faced weasel had married her. Whatever rock he crawled under, he better stay there or I’d smash in his face.

Winter opened his mouth to speak, and I shot him a don’t you fucking dare glare. He stepped back, giving Fagua space. Smart. Doubtful she wanted anything to do with him after he forced her to come here against her will.

“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not until you take me to my husband.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then fuck you. I’m out of here.” She spun on her heel, then looked at me over her shoulder. “Let me out now, or I won’t stop screaming until either you both let me go or the police come.”

Winter raked a hand through his white hair with his eyebrows raised as though silently asking if I wanted him to do his magic on her again.

“We can’t take you to your husband because we don’t know where he is either.”

Slowly, Fagua turned around, looking from me to Winter and back again. “What do you mean?”

“If you haven’t guessed, we own this hotel and casino.” I shrugged a shoulder. “You are welcome to see for yourself about your husband on the surveillance cameras.”

She placed a hand on her hip. “And how do I know whatever you show me is real, and you didn’t fake it somehow?”

“We’ll let you decide for yourself,” Winter said, coming up on her right.

After a pause, she nodded. “All right. Show me.”