Chapter 2.15: Love is Complicated, Maybe

Alek didn't look surprised to see her, making the teen realize he knew the whole time she was listening. This revelation had her stomach twisted as she tried to think of something to say. The jade-eyed teenager knew she couldn't come out and scream at the man for what he said. But she couldn't let the low blows he made slide. The silence between the pair was causing her uncertain feelings to grow, and she shook her head in disbelief.

"I think bringing up Aimee…may have been too far." That's all she could think to say at first. They both knew that their deceased sister was a sensitive topic. "You know that Ezekiel did his best to save and protect her."

Having it brought up in the argument was bitter, but Leila knew she would do the same if pushed far enough. They weren't morally correct people. They had their skeletons that sat locked in their closest and sins that begged to be laid bare to the world. This left the heiress unwilling to judge the man harshly for what had been done. Still, Alek's behavior was out of character. He never was the type to berate someone so cruelly. To see his personality do a 180 when he knew she could hear was unwelcome. This left her to wonder if this was a side effect of all the stress he had been under. It was now secret Cale was tormenting the dark-haired man any chance he had. Ezekiel could just be someone he finally let loose on.

"You're right. I did take it too far by bringing her up. But I think he needs to leave you be and if saying that makes him, then so be it." Alek reached down to put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it delicately.

The touch wasn't uncomfortable, but she shied away from it and hugged herself. She couldn't help but start to frown while responding to his admission. "I know you feel a certain way because of the attack. But you can't just take it all out on Ezekiel. He was hurt, too."

"That's part of the job. He's supposed to get hurt and you don't." There was something about his tone that left the long-haired woman feeling unsteady. All of a sudden, her guard shot up, and she was on alert. "That day he failed, and you came back bleeding. Half dead."

"But I survived against all odds. You shouldn't let one incident change your entire opinion of someone." Leila knew her soft spot for the blonde was showing. Usually, she'd bury it, but today she felt awful. All that pent-up guilt was gobbling up all her natural snake behavior.

Alek's eyes darkened as he took in what she said and nodded robotically. "I understand what you're saying. But I can't agree with you on this. You weren't there to see his face and hear what he said that night." Once again, the teenager's confession was biting her in the ass.

Without much thought, Leila snatched his hand and held it to her chest. Almost immediately Alek softened up, blushing from the touch of his beloved little sister. An instant manipulation tactic she had at only her disposal. That she used constantly to turn his opinion the way the heiress wanted it to be. Leila pressed his hand up against her lower breasts as she debated what to do. The heiress desperately wanted to know what the man had muttered that night. She had to figure out how angry the guard had been about her true identity. Even if the answer changed her entire argument, she had to figure it out. Whatever happened that night had changed everything.

"What did Ezekiel say to you that night? Was it something about the battle that angered you?" Her voice became sweet like the cherry jam she had specially made for him the week prior. The heiress also made sure to bat her dark eyes, looking as desperate as she felt.

"He claimed you weren't who you said you were. That you were a liar who had bewitched everyone with magic. Just hearing him try to argue you should have been executed made Father go mad. If he hadn't been so precious to Aimee in her final moments, he'd be dead."

Leila sucked on her bottom lip to keep from gasping. So, she had been correct about Ezekiel hating her guts. While she couldn't blame him, she had admitted to using mind control for months on him. Anyone would be ready to get payback. But she hadn't thought he'd try to expose her to her family. Especially after they had both nearly been killed. She had assumed he'd be smarter than that. Thankfully, his attempted revelation failed due to its sheer absurdity. Telling someone about their abused child was an evil mind magic user was hard to spin. It made the potential target on her back swap over to his. But still, the fact that he tried and kept trying made her feel sick. A wave of discomfort washed over her body, and Leila looked away from Alek briefly. This was a problem.

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The man was more of a threat than the heiress had wanted to admit. Leila would have to speak with him and nip that in the bud quickly. If he tried to tell anyone else and they took the time to believe him, Leila would have to take them both out. Just the thought of Ezekiel's blood being on her hands made her body ache. This was something Cleo would never have approved of. The woman wanted revenge against the people who had dragged her to the executioner. Not a childhood friend scorned by Leila's own mistakes. It wasn't what she was supposed to be doing. But the jade-eyed teenager would have no choice if it came to it. The blonde had to be dealt with. The same went for anyone in her way. She needed to forgo the weakness Ezekiel was creating in her heart and move forward with the plan.

"I never thought he could say something so cruel." The jade-eyed heiress let tears flow down her face as she hiccuped. Immediately Alek moved to wipe them.

She sniffled and gave her brother a look of utter heart attack. "That day on the bridge…he changed suddenly. He was bitter and spiteful when speaking to me after I killed the last assassin. I never knew why."

Alek became gentle with her right away and held her to close his chest. "His reasoning doesn't matter to me. I hope you understand why I've been protecting you from him all these months." His large hand patted her back, the man's tone swinging between caring and enraged.

Like butter, Alek was melting at her display, and she felt satisfied. Those months spent taking care of him and being by his side worked. The man's opinion had gone from over-sour to that of a puppy dog. But the catalyst was now he'd become a bit overprotective. They trained the two of them for over a decade to defend themselves and kill. She could handle the blonde all on her own without his objection. But it was appreciated. It hurt to keep dwelling on the subject, so she decided to turn the conversation another way. The man needed to know that she would be gone soon, and Cale was pissed at her. The bastard might come from around a corner to berate the pair with his smug face, like always.

"I'm thankful for your protection, but brother, you won't be able to protect me forever. I have to leave the estate soon for a private venture. And I was told you couldn't be brought with me." A half-truth, but the same amount of repercussions came from it.

He frowned. "What do you mean? Who are you going to meet that refuses to allow you company? Tell me who, so I can speak to them about their common sense." The protective brother act looked good on him oddly.

Still, Leila needed to be alone with Quincy during this trip. And she doubted her brother would allow that, especially once he knew Liliko'i was also invited. This wouldn't be some fun vacation for noblewomen. But a life or death situation where she'd find out how the other woman intends to help her cause. A dagger could be stabbed in her back or worse, it was a royal trap. One less pawn to worry about was for the better.

"It's a noblewoman I met at Cortina's party. She wants to spend some time together with other ladies privately. I think you'd understand why this trip is man free considering my history." Leila explained rather quickly, giving the older one, the two, an eye roll.

"I can understand that, but why ask you to travel alone after being injured the last time you spoke? You should have someone with you in case you get into trouble." His reasoning was sound. Going alone after such an event would be stupid. Thankfully, she wouldn't be alone.

The company she was bringing wasn't ideal, but what other choice did the heiress have? The brat wanted to meet her sister-in-law. And she'd like the alone time with the blonde to mold her. Liliko'i's mind would change if the assassin treated her better. The blonde would begin to see things how Leila wanted, permanently. Meaning when they came back, Cale would lose his puppet.

"I'm not going alone. The ladies went to get to know Lili, so they asked me to bring her." She held a hand to his face to keep him from protesting. "Before you talk, me and her have come to an understanding. We're going to have tea tomorrow, where I'll invite her."

"An understanding? She's terrified of you." Alek's questioning was welcomed, as she'd do the same. But Leila was working her magic on both of the nobles.

With a wide grin, she nuzzled his arm to the point he blushed bright red and snatched it back. Teasing him was the best form of manipulation. "Not anymore. We spoke one on one and now she's comfortable with me."

Out of the corner of her eye, the heiress saw a maid coming over. This made the girl realize that a significant amount of time had passed. They needed to move on before someone overhead, something they shouldn't. With some quick thinking, she looped her arm around his waist and pulled him close. This made his blush darken as he stared at her in confusion. Her head lay against his shoulder as she sighed. Leila hadn't acted this boldly in a while, but she had no other ideas.

"Let's go talk after some lunch. I'm getting hungry!"