SUN
I head back to my room, completely wrecked, as if my body’s been crushed between two grinding stones.
Everything that’s happened today… I need time to think. I need to put things in order. So I curl up on my bed, reaching for my new vape.
One thing’s clear: I’ve just lost the last bit of comfort I had. Ragnar. I can’t go back to that little gazebo again.
Not now. Not ever. He’s not mine. He came here for Summer. That’s his priority. He doesn’t trust me, I’m a liability, so I won’t throw myself at him. I’ve got some dignity left.
But thinking about it still hurts. I take a drag from my vape, but it barely helps, and another tear slips from my eye.
That fragile something that had started to grow between us… it’s gone.
Pain. Loneliness. Disappointment. That’s all that’s left of me.
Before, I lived for those brief moments I could see Ragnar. They were like coming up for air when you’ve been drowning.
Now I don’t even have that.
I press my face harder into the pillow. I want to cry, but the tears won’t come. I can’t even force them out to get some release, let the adrenaline escape. It just stays inside, burning me up.
I close my eyes and go to sleep, hoping to sleep it away.
***
The next day, during breakfast, I catch Summer looking at me. I can tell he wants to talk. But I can’t. I won’t. I don’t want to. No more conversations. No more false hope.
When I step out into the hallway, Summer catches up and grabs my hand.
"Wait, Sun—"
I yank my hand away.
"Leave me alone! Both of you, just fucking leave me alone. I don’t want anything from you. I don’t need anything from you!" I almost growl, even though Summer has only been kind to me, but it’s just the hurt speaking.
"Please. Just come to my room for a minute. Let’s talk."
"I don’t want to talk, Summer," I grit out, stepping back.
"Please," he whispers.
I clench my jaw, turn, and walk away, leaving him standing there in the hallway.
As I near my room, I see one of the older servants walking by with a tray of empty champagne flutes. That gives me an idea. If the vape isn’t strong enough, maybe this will help.
I stop him and ask, "Can you bring two bottles of champagne to my room?"
He raises an eyebrow but nods. No one asks for ID in a fucking mafia fortress.
A few minutes later, the bottles show up. I don’t usually drink. But tonight, I want to. I don’t bother with a glass. I drink straight from the bottle. It’s sweet and bubbly, not disgusting like whiskey or vodka. It’s something I can actually enjoy.
I sip on it for a good half hour, and slowly, I start to feel it. Everything gets a little fuzzier, a little funnier. I guess that’s just how alcohol hits me.
Then there’s a soft knock at the door.
"Who is it?" I bark.
"It’s me, Summer."
"Go away!"
"Sun, please…"
But before I can say anything, another voice cuts in.
"Well, well… who wandered off all alone?"
I freeze. I know that voice.
Fuck, not him! The fucking bastard, Rocco.
My head is still spinning like crazy, but I force myself to stand.
Out in the hallway, I hear him saying,
"Look at you, finally crawled out of your little hole. Not scared to visit these halls, doll? You heard what happened to Sun before, right? Someone tried to make him suck a dick. Nasty, huh?"
The thought occurs to me. Is Rocco drunk too? The servant just passed by with a tray of empty glasses.
Maybe there’s a little party going on somewhere in the house while Anzo’s away?
I have to step in.
Whenever I have doubt about what I should do, whether to intervene, I ask myself: what would my dad do? He’s like my moral compass, my heart and conscience, living inside me, at least from the moment I decided to… let his voice come through. It’s only just begun here, in The Sun.
And it’s loud now.
I know this situation could turn dangerous fast.
I open the door with a slam and step into the hallway, just in time to see Summer pressed against the wall, hunched over, while Rocco looms above him, eyes bloodshot. Yeah, he’s definitely drunk, and pretty heavily.
He sneers when he sees me.
"Don’t stick your nose in other people’s business, blondie. Unless you’re looking for a repeat performance in the cage?"
"Summer, go back to your room," I say, my voice commanding.
But Rocco slams his hand against the wall, blocking Summer’s path.
"And why the hell should he leave? Sweet little flower… Gonna have his tight virgin ass. ’Cause Anzo’s dildos don’t count, right? So go away, I’m about to claim what’s mine anyway…" he slurs, then grabs a fistful of Summer’s hair and tries to shove him down onto the floor.
That’s when I shove Rocco. Hard.
He curses and swings at me, but he’s too drunk to land the hit. I grab him by the back of the neck and yank him toward me. His body twists, and Summer slips free.
"Run, Summer! Lock yourself in your room!" I shout, remembering his door has a security code.
Rocco snarls and swings again, this time trying to hit me with the back of his fist. But the moment his hand almost reaches me, his body suddenly collapses. Just crumples like a puppet with its strings cut!
Summer stays frozen, still leaning against the wall, staring at him.
"What just happened?" I choke out. That scuffle wasn’t nearly enough to knock him out, even drunk. I didn’t hit him, I just yanked him hard.
"I cut off the blood flow to his brain for a few seconds," Summer says quietly.
"Oh, right. Forgot you could probably take on an entire army if you wanted to," I mutter sarcastically, wincing.
I turn to head back to my room, but Summer grabs my hand again.
"Thank you… for trying to protect me," he says. His mismatched eyes bore straight into my face. "It means a lot. Especially since I know what it may cost you to step in. But, Sun… can we talk?"
I press my lips together. I don’t want to talk to him, he pisses me off. It’s like watching a god in chains. Summer could get out of here any time. He could smash those doors, those walls, and walk right out.
But I’m too drunk to argue. So I give a small nod. Fine, I can spare him a few minutes.
He takes my hand, which feels weird, and leads me down the hall.
It’s my first time in his room, it’s twice the size of mine, walls painted light pink, with an elegant bed—definitely a marital-style, though I doubt it’s ever been used that way. The curtains in the windows are light blue. Everything is so pastel here.
For a second, I wonder if this room used to belong to Moon. But then something else catches my eye.
A massive aquarium, sitting on top of a cabinet against the far wall.
Huh. That’s unexpected. Anzo got him this?
I walk over slowly, eyes fixed on the greenish glass surface. Inside, fish drift majestically through the water. Only one species: goldfish, but the fancy kind, with long, flowing tails and fins that look like sheer veil-like fabric trailing behind them.
They’re really stunning, so I stare for a while, admiring.
"Holy shit, so awesome. I’ve never seen tails like that. Looks like they’re swimming around in colorful wedding veils," I murmur, genuinely impressed.
Summer steps beside me, smiling faintly.
"That particular breed has especially long tails."
"You into fishkeeping?"
He nods. "I am. Very calming."
"Anzo let you have these?"
"Yeah."
A minute of silence, as I stare. He’s right, observing slowly flowing fish is calming, and kinda hypnotizing.
"So, that’s why I never see you in the garden. Staring at fish all day?"
"I just prefer the roof."
"The roof? What for? Stargazing? You a secret astronomer too?" I scoff.
"Among other things. I like it up there because I can be alone. There are too many people in the garden."
Yeah, like me, and his brother. Fucking. Before. No longer the case.
But I’m sick of this small talk. I turn toward him, eyeing him intensely.
"What did you want to talk about, Summer?"
He sits on the bed and pats the cover next to him. I watch him for a beat.
"You didn’t bring me here to make out, did you? ‘Cause I’m not into omegas. You’re beautiful, sure. But not my type."
Something shifts on his face, a rare expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. A gentle smile.
"Don’t worry. That’s not what this is about. Besides, if I’m reading things right… you seemed a lot more interested in my brother than in me." He raises an eyebrow quizzically.
I whirl around and walk to the window. It overlooks the outer side, right above the main gate. It’s actually a pretty decent vantage point. He can see all the people coming in and going out.
"That’s in the past," I say through clenched teeth.
Summer doesn’t comment. Instead, he says something unexpected.
"I want you to escape with us."
I let out a flat, bitter laugh.
"You’ve gotta be kidding."
"No."
"I’m not gonna be the reason my entire family gets slaughtered!" I snort, abruptly turning and approaching the aquarium again. The fish seem to observe me too, though they’re surely not impressed by my sour face.
"I might be able to protect them. At least your parents. If I lived in your house, no one would be able to touch them."
Not even turning toward him, I keep chortling. It’s a little unhinged and definitely booze-soaked. My blood’s still fizzing with champagne.
"Riiiiiight! You are funny, Summer." I touch the glass surface, skimming my fingers over it.
"You must think about me the same way your brother does, like I’m some traitorous piece of shit who’d sacrifice my own brothers just to save my ass."
Yeah, I’m being mean to him, but I don’t give a fuck. My time’s up anyway. I’ve got maybe two weeks left, max.
"Yeah, real funny," I repeat, sighing. "I know I look like a cheap whore, a selfish piece of shit, with no morals, focused only on myself, someone who can’t sacrifice anything for anyone. But no matter how hard you guys try to stick the self-centered son of a bitch label on me, I’m not letting it stay. Fuck you all! I’m dying here, period. "
I spin around and glare at him, fury pulsing through me.