Page 125 of My Pleasure

Meryn laughed. “How could you not see them?”

“Fair point.” She ruffled Meryn’s hair, then went out the front door.

Spending time with Keran and Nicol in Johann’s garden sounded perfect to her right now.

Chapter Fifteen

“Ma, I’m home!” she called out, heading toward the kitchen. “You won’t believe the afternoon I’ve had,” she said. When she stepped into the cottage’s kitchen she froze.

Keran and Nicol lay on the ground by the table, and Hunter’s Ma and Dad were on the ground between where the kids lay and her uncle stood. All four of them were unconscious. Everything in her screamed to run to the kids, but the way her uncle just stood there, kept her feet from moving. “What have you done?”

He smiled, as if her entire family wasn’t on the ground. “What you forced me to do.” He looked down at the children. “It’s just a bit of knock out gas. Completely untraceable. You’re here just in time to see them go.” He set a cell phone down on the counter.

“Why? The accounts have been changed! If you kill them, you won’t get a thing.”

“You are correct. If I kill them, I won’t get anything. However, if I kill them, the money goes to you. If I kill you, everything comes to me. I’m still listed as your Guardian and Beneficiary,” he explained calmly, as if discussing the weather. “You were so worried about them, you forgot to update your own account.”

She took a step forward, towards the kids. “You don’t think five murders would be suspicious?”

Her uncle heaved a great sigh. “An unfortunate feral attack. So tragic, especially given how close we are to the warrior estate.”

“What are you going to do bite us to death?” she asked.

“No, but he will.” Her uncle looked toward the family room.

His assistant Bryson stepped forward, a grey wolf at his side.

Her uncle continued. “The way their canines rend and tear, very similar to a feral attack.” His eyes began to take on a fanatical look. “If you agree to marry me and transfer the money, I’ll spare you. We can be happy together.”

Kiera felt her stomach roll. In that instant, she knew he was insane. In what world would she let him kill her siblings and her mate’s parents, then marry him? “We’re related! And I have a mate.”

“He is an animal! He doesn’t deserve you!” her uncle screamed.

She had to keep him talking.

“I thought you said it would be a waste for me to mate a witch,” she said, softly. Trying to appear non-threatening.

“It would be a waste for you to mate anyone but me.”

She looked at him and knew beyond a shadow of doubt he had killed her parents.

“Why did you kill them?” she asked, not even waiting for his confirmation.

He smiled. “So smart. You do take after me in that way.”

She felt bile rising. He was so proud to say she took after him, but looked at her as if he wanted to devour her.

“Your mother told me no, too,” he said, looking lost. “They mated and I was going to kill your father, but then they had you, and you looked just like her. I knew you were meant to be mine.”

“So you killed them?”

“Of course. I had you and no longer needed your mother, she was tainted by your father.” His face twisted in scorn. “Your father had his suspicions. He thought I wouldn’t find out that he was planning on moving you all to Lycaonia. If I hadn’t acted when I did, I would have never seen you again.”

“How?” she choked out the word.

“Money. Bryson searched the human system and found a habitual drunk driver. He had stage four stomach cancer. His treatments ate through his family’s savings, and they would be left with nothing after he was gone. I offered him a deal, crash into your parents and I would pay his widow.”

“It’s why the toxicology report came back clean.”