And Then There Were Four

Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Hearts Desire Cassie. Evil. It wasn’t a word I had ever associated with my family because it wasn’t something I had ever seen. Of course, we all had our issues, but my parents were the most caring people I had ever known. They went above and beyond for people all the time and ran our pack fairly. To hear this man, who was caged, proclaim my family was evil was wrong. Don’t you dare speak about my family. You don’t even know them.” Narrowing my gaze, I watched amusement dance on his face. “Oh, but I do. Your father’s were always a pain in the ass growing up. They wanted everything and gave nothing. That is, until your mother came along. She had them all sort of messed up.’ “You’re here and in prison. How could you possibly know my parents or even have met them? They have never been here before.” I was tired of hearing this man spewing nonsense. Pulling upon the chains again, I growled with irritation. “Let me go.” There was no easy way for me to free myself, and with a quick step forward, Inanna raised her hand once more and brought it across my face. This was the second time she had hit me, and if she wasn’t careful, I’ d break every bone in her fucking hand if she touched me again. Ing at me with anger. “If you didn’t notice…” I said before spitting blood at her feet, “he had spoken to me.’ Quickly raising her hand again, I closed my eyes preparing for another hit but found that it didn’t come. Instead, when I opened my eyes I found that from within the shadows, Lucas had appeared and stopped her. She stared at him with wide eyes as if she couldn’t believe he would save me. Lucas’ dark eyes glared at her from beneath narrowed brows and with every moment that passed between them, she slowly nodded, and he release her arm before she lowered it to her side. I had thought she would have taken her wrath out on him for stopping her, but instead, she was okay with it. “Lucas—” my whispered breath caught his attention, and as he stared at me I knew something was different. It was like he was here, but then again, he wasn’t. The voided expression he gave me would

forever haunt my mind, and as his lip curled into a sneer, I knew the man I once laid with was forever gone. “Don’t speak to me, Cassie. You lost that right.” Lips parted and completely speechless, I stared at him in shock. It was clear he wasn’t going to help me, and with the laughter from Inanna and the man behind the bars, I couldn’t help but wonder what my fate was going to be. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

As the light from the torch flickered in the damn air of my prison, my mind tried to reflect on everything I had done in my life and wished I had done differently. There was no way I gpuld give up, but it didn’t stop me from considering my fate. “What is it that you want from me? Are you going to kill The words slipped breathlessly from my lips, and as they did, Inanna gazed at me with more curiosity than I had expected. “As enticing as that thought is, we have bigger plans for you than simply killing you… at least right away.’ All I could do was watch as Inanna moved around the room, my eyes gazing at Lucas, who stood still staring at me completely unmoving. A statue frozen in time, waiting for his next order like a soldier without a mind of his own. “Lucas,” I whispered while Inanna was speaking to the other man, “please… I’m your mate. Let me go.” No matter the pleas I threw at him, he stood as if my words couldn’t break the wall wrapped around his mind, and with a single twist of her body, Inanna turned to gaze between Lucas and me with a smile. “Before we get started, Cassie I want to tell you a story… seeing as you seem to lack a lot of information about who we are and what has happened.” A story… she had to be fucking kidding me. “What part of all this makes you think I want a story, Inanna? You kidnapped me, hit me over the head, and are plotting my demise.’ “l didn’t hit you over the head or kidnap you.” She chuckled, ‘that was all Lucas’ idea.” Inanna glided towards Lucas, letting her perfectly manicured hand lay upon his shoulder with a grin. She was sick and twisted, no doubt, and the more than she continued with what she was doing, I

wanted to rip her fucking head off. “Take your hand off my mate,” I growled at her. “Your mate? You don’t deserve a mate… you don’t deserve anything after what you did to my daughter. The only reason you’re not dead is because of who your grandfather is, and also because I need you,” she replied, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder as if she was fifteen again, and overly confident in her position. “Enough, Inanna. The childish conversation is beneath you.’ Her eyes cast towards the floor as she huffed and nodded her head. Whoever this man was obviously was capable of putting her in her place, and as I looked up to Lucas once more, I found that he wasn’t looking at me but at his father with confliction weighing upon his face. “What are you going to do to her?” Silence filled the room as Inanna looked between Lucas and his father. It was clear Lucas wasn’t in on everything they had planned, and like a puppeteer controlling her puppet, Inanna seemed to understand the silence and quickly addressed Lucas. “Lucas, why don’t you prepare the circle for me—” “No,” he snapped with a narrowed gaze. “l want to know what you have planned. You had me bring her here for you, and you said that you would explain how she would be able to free my father. Now start explaining. The tension in the room between Lucas and the others was a little unsettling. If Lucas thought he was part of whatever Inanna and his father had going on, he was completely wrong. The sinking feeling of doom began to rise in my chest, and with every passing second, I knew I had to escape. For years I had always expected my future would be my own. That I would end up meeting my mate and eventually we would see the world and then grow old together. Never once did I think I’d end up in Asgard, fulfilling some bullshit knowledge quest to better myself. I mean sure, they had spoken about it while I was growing up, and look how everything had turned out. I was captive, my brother probably didn’t know I was gone, and my so-called grandfather was nowhere

to be seen. How the hell could no one in this damn place know I was in trouble? Looking between the three people before me, I tried to understand what it was I had done wrong to deserve this. Melissa dying was an accident, and as much as I wish I could take it back, I couldn’t. All I ever wanted was a normal life, one free from my past and unfortunate future, “Enough,” I breathed out, tired of their bickering. “What do you need of me?” All eyes turned to me, and as a smile crossed Lucas’ father’s face, I knew this was going to be my end. His father planned to kill me and Lucas… he had no fucking idea. “Do you even know who I am, child?” he asked with confusion and amusement. The thought had crossed me a million times on who he could be, and yet I couldn’t figure it out. “No, I don’t and nei ther of you have bothered explaining it to me.” “Did your parents ever tell you of the great war in your world?” His question caught me off guard, and as I started to put pieces together, I realized what he was talking about. “The battle of Loki?” I gasped, my eyes darting to Lucas. “Your father is Loki?” “Is there a problem with that?” he snapped, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was clear he didn’t know the truth of who Loki was, and as Inanna picked up a silver blade with green jade stones in the handle, I realized what they were going to do. “Lucas… Loki isn’t to be trusted,” I stammered as his hands fell to his sides clenching into fists. He was angry, and I didn’t understand why. “They are brainwashing you.” “Oh, so it’s okay to trust you? You’re parents are the one that put him here! He did nothing but try to stop your parents from a power trip they went on after he was gone!” “That’ s not true!” I cried out in response to his anger, “please… you have to wake up from whatever spell she has you under. You can’t let him out… you can’t.” Pulling on my restraints, I tried to understand how my grandfather had allowed this to happen. “He won’t save you… your grandfather, that is. He isn’t in the realm.

“What?” My breath caught in my throat as I looked at her with confusion. I had no idea Odin was out of the realm but the realization he was made it clear there was no hope for me.

I was going to be another statistic but in a world that wasn’t my home.

Stride after stride, she made her way towards me. “Odin and the other gods got called away to a meeting in the Fae realm. It seems your grandfather and the others are trying to set up something special for you, Cassie… too bad you won’t be around to take part. Nor will we be around to answer for what we have done.” Anger and panic boiled through me at her words, and with them, Lucas seemed taken back by the remark. My eyes fell on him seeking some kind of help but I realized wouldn’t find any. At least not with Inanna around. Stepping back, she admired me for a moment, her eyes scanning from head to toe before she snapped her fingers causing Lucas to go blank once more. “What did you do to him?” “Lucas has been asking too many questions,” she laughed softly. “He is needed to complete the ritual to help with freeing his father, and the only way I’ll be able to have that done without issues is for him to be… compliant.” The way she smiled and looked at him when she said complaint only further fueled my rage. “You’re fucking crazy!” “Maybe I am,” she laughed hysterically, “but there is nothing you can do about that.” Walking towards Lucas, she held out her palm with the jade handle dagger to Lucas. My heart raced as I watched him pick it up while I pulled on the silver shackled restraints trying to break free. “Lucas… you have to wake up… please, Lucas.” “Enough toying with the girl, Inanna. It’s her blood that will free me, considering it was her mother’s blood that put here.” “Very well, very well.” She sighed. “l do wish I could have played with her longer. Lucas… take care of your mate for me… and bring me her heart to free your father.”