Elena’s POV

Nikolai did not flinch. He met my brother’s anger without raising his own voice. “I should have protected her better. That is on me.”

“You’re damn right it is.” Lucas stepped closer. “She gets drugged. Kidnapped. Tied to a chair. Nearly killed. And you show up with blood on your shirt like that makes it better?”

Samantha tried. “Lucas, he got her out. He…”

“I don’t care.” Lucas’s voice rose. “His secrets. His rivalry with that bastard Damien. Whatever game the two of them have been playing for years,Elena is the one who keeps ending up bleeding because of it.”

Richard’s voice cut through, quieter than Lucas’s but...