“You’re making a joke?” I stare at him.

“Don’t you think it’s a little funny?” He smiles at me and I don’t answer

Cooper’s eyes flicker between me, Dane and Ryken. “Where is my sister?”

“What have you done to him?” Dane demands, gesturing to Klaus

“Nothing much. He will be right as rain in a few days. And none the wiser that we were ever here.”

“You hurt him?” I ask. He claimed to be Klaus’s mate and yet he hurt him. Some men were just assholes.

“I couldn’t have him passing secret messages to you, could I?” Cooper beams at us. “Now where is my sister?”

“She is being held in the dungeon.” Dane replies

‘This is a trap!’ Nyx splutters.

“Well chop chop, go and get her.” Cooper demands

I step forward to the gate. My hands coil around the bars. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know us. We don’t know you.”

“You are right. We don’t know each other.” Cooper mutters

“Why Maddie?”

“Right time, right place.” He smiles back at me. “Come on, are you trying to tell me you have never taken advantage of a situation? Because I wouldn’t believe that. I have heard a lot about you, Neah. I know how you like to rip out people’s hearts.”

“Klaus told you that?”

“No.”

Jenison told Blair. Blair probably told him. Dane links me.

Cooper shakes his head at me. “In fact Klaus didn’t give me much information no matter how I persisted. It’s really quite annoying that he would treat me this way. I am his mate.”

I snort. He was nuts.

“You think that’s funny?” He frowns at me

“I think you have a fucked up idea of what it is to be mates.” I glance at Klaus who has his head tilted down and is swaying on the spot. He was present and not present at the same time.

“None of this makes sense.” I mutter to Dane.

“None of it has to make sense.” Cooper smiles, “Now is someone going to bring me my sister or do I have to kill you all.”

“Your sister for Klaus. “Dane spits.

“Uh, No.”

“It’s a trade.” Dane frowns.

“I want both. I want my sister and I want my mate. It’s cruel of you to make me decide. I would never expect you to decide between Neah and Jenson or maybe Neah and Raven.”

“That’s not how this works.” Dane is growing angry. I could understand why. This guy had been in our pack, learning everything he could about us.

“Incorrect, this is how it doesn’t work for you. I leave with my sister and my mate.”

“He isn’t your mate!”

Cooper points his finger at Dane. “Now that is not the first time I have heard that. Klaus keeps denying it too, yet I can smell him and oh, it’s the best smell ever. So someone is lying and I don’t like lies.”

“Says you who constantly lies.” I mutter

“You are wrong, and I will let that slide this time.” Cooper tells me. “I skirt the truth, but I don’t lie. I share what I want to share.”

“You make your prisoners think that they are mated to you. What’s that if it isn’t a lie?”

He frowns at me.

‘Did he honestly not think that was a lie? Nyx muses

I glance at Klaus who had his eyes tilted up towards me, the grey was fading and slowly being replaced with his usual deep green colour. Whatever Cooper had given to him, it wasn’t as strong as he hoped or planned.

Klaus’s swaying slows and I watch him blink a few more times as Cooper demands for Dane to get Samara.

“I will get her as long as you agree to hand over Klaus.” Dane tells him. “It’s as simple as that.”

“You don’t get it do you, Dane. This decision isn’t yours. It’s mine and only mine and I will be leaving here with both.”

Hook to Dane. ‘We can’t let him walk away with both of them.”

“I can keep him safe.” Cooper continues. “He can have the best life with me. I can provide him everything he needs. Trust me, he will be safer with me.”

“You call that safe? He is bound and drugged. You are beyond delusional. I am your Alpha.”I glare at him. “You may not feel it right now, but trust me, I will find a way to make you feel it and I will find a way to make you suffer.”

He laughs at me. “Go and get my sister, princess.”

“Don’t” Klaus yells, “She’s behind all of this!”