Chapter 6 #2
He ignores my sarcastic jab and continues. “I never took you as the Scandinavian gods type.” He taps on my book. “I’d think your interests ran more along the lines of fairy tales or Greek myths.”
Gripping my book tighter and pushing it back toward me, I raise my brow at this. “Why?” I know I should not engage in these conversations because the last time I gave him any time, he ended up making me feel sorry for it.
I hate when people make assumptions about me since everyone and their mother had assumptions about my condition for years, yet no one guessed shit.
He cocks his head to the side. “Because of your brothers.” I blink at this, my hold on the book loosening as I try to make sense of his words.
“Rafael blackmailed Emmaline into marriage, so she was forced to break off her engagement to Anthony and marry him to save herself and her family. A true Hades, inviting his Persephone into his underworld and keeping her there, no matter how much the King family wanted to save her. Eventually, she fell in love with him. I wonder, though, if maybe she just had no other choice.” He hisses through his teeth, and I still at this, casting my gaze down as a sense of shame fills me.
And while Rafael’s story is way more complicated than that, the fact remains that yes, in a way, he started his marriage because he hated his wife for what she did to him in the past.
“She loves him. I mean, they both love each other, and my brother never forced her into anything.” That was one of the things I got clarification on right away.
I could never live with my brothers if I knew any of them forced themselves on women. They took some of their choices away, yes, but they never laid a finger on them without their consent. They cherished and protected them even when they wanted to hurt them, as contradictory as that sounds.
“That’s human nature. In dire circumstances, we do our best to survive, and sometimes that means convincing ourselves we have feelings for our captor.”
“Rafael wasn’t her captor. They entered a fake marriage. He didn’t kidnap her or lock her up.” The minute the words spill from my lips, I know I’ve made a mistake because the energy around us changes instantly.
It becomes tense and heavy, weighed down by the harshness of his stare as his face darkens, and his eyes become even more vivid when fury glazes over them.
“You’re right. Wyatt’s sister, in that regard, got the better end of the deal.
She married a world-renowned lawyer after all.
She could see her family, and he never restricted her freedom.
My sister wasn’t so lucky.” He leans forward, and I push back a little, taking a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for his verbal blow.
“Rush kidnapped Aileen to your family island to use her as a weapon against our father due to some misguided sense of revenge. He kept her there in a true Beauty and the Beast fashion, recreating the fairy tale down to the smallest details. Locked her up and tried to punish her for someone else’s sins, all the while you were there and did nothing to stop him.
So much for women's solidarity.” He chuckles, the sound so cold it can freeze hell, as he takes out his lighter, twirling it on the table.
“In fact, as far as I remember, you even choked my sister. Apparently, she had bruises after the assault.”
His words hang between us, their weight so strong I feel crushed under them as my breathing speeds up as unwanted memories play in my head over and over again, never letting me rest.
I grip the book harder, desperately trying to hold on to the present and not let the past swallow me up again. “It wasn’t like that.” I manage to whisper even though each word feels like a nail scraping against my throat.
I can’t think about that day. I can’t.
If I do, I’ll become crazy again, and I worked so hard to pretend to be sane to lose everything because of one bump in the road.
Levi’s voice drops a few octaves and sends shivers down my spine.
“Did you or did you not have your hands wrapped around her throat and squeeze it while screaming in her face? Your brother had to use a sedative to pull you away from her. Now, it would have been forgiven if you were really sick, but we both know that wasn’t the case.
” He clicks his tongue. “Which means you were aware of what you were doing.”
My breathing seems especially loud now to my ears, and I swallow once again, almost choking on my saliva from the effort it takes. “It was more complicated than that.”
“My name is Lavender,” I say carefully, measuring every word, studying the gorgeous woman standing in front of me who holds my hand so gently, rubbing her fingers over my bruised knuckles and bitten-off nails.
Her kind blue eyes are such a contrast to the constant cruelty surrounding me. Who is she?
My brothers never bring women to this island, and I remember everyone working for us. That’s how I know their schedule and sneak outside at midnight, like now, to enjoy the ocean air in solitude without everyone looking at me like I’m a walking, ticking time bomb. “Like a flower.”
“Yes. A beautiful flower that symbolizes purity and grace, among other things.” I cast my gaze down, studying my feet, dirt smeared all over them.
I prefer walking barefoot in our garden and taking a shower only when everyone leaves me alone.
The white flannel nightgown that reaches my ankles always scratches my skin, and I despise it with a passion, but at least it hides the shape of my body.
No man would desire me, and that’s the main goal.
“It fits you.”
Her softly spoken words break my heart because she speaks to me like I’m a human…
not a psycho needing to be watched by everyone and shoved medication down my throat every second.
Raising my eyes back to her, I repeat, “My name is Lavender.” I lift my hand and tentatively tap on her collarbone.
“You?” I shake my head at how bad all of it sounds and huff, deciding to try another language to keep my cover intact. “Quel est ton nom?”
“Je m’appelle Aileen.”
Everything inside me goes still at this as fear envelops my body, and, snagging my hand instantly, I step back as panic overtakes me.
Aileen.
The innocent girl who’ll be collateral damage in his plans.
And if she’s here, it means he will come here soon, and the thought awakens such rage within me, my mind becomes blank while only thoughts of my abuser and almost rapist remain.
“Aileen,” I repeat, and she nods. “Aileen Scott.” I whisper her full name while clenching my fists, and before she can react, I wrap my hands around her throat and push her hard against the wall.
The only way I can save her from him is if she stays away from me, because his attention…is a curse that would destroy any woman.
And while my brother might be a monster…he isn’t the kind of monster who would rip apart her soul.
A loud thud echoes through the space, pulling me away from the unwanted thoughts, and that’s when realization hits me.
I dropped my book on the floor, earning myself even more glares from everyone.
“Sorry,” I mouth to them, picking it up and then getting up swiftly.
“Whatever happened in the past is between your sister and me. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with her. Right now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to your insults. ”
Before he can say anything else, I dash toward the darkest part of the library, where most of the lights are out of order, and as a result, it’s the students’ favorite place to make out.
They prefer to engage in such things after eight, though, so it will provide the perfect spot to calm down enough to control my stabbing tendencies, which want to pierce Levi with something sharp to remove the smug look from his handsome face.
And the fact that I still find him handsome is, in itself, a disturbing fact. Maybe my body has been deprived of basic human needs for so long that any proximity awakens unknown desires.
Placing my hand on my rapidly beating heart, I rub the spot back and forth as I reach the—ironically—fairy-tale section, and sliding my fingers over the thick books, I sigh in resignation.
None of them piques my interest because all fairy tales preach one thing only.
The greater good would conquer the evil villain, while true love prevails, ending in a happily ever after, with the brave prince or knight saving the princess.
Lies, all lies.
In reality, no one would come to save you, and if they do…they’ll ask for compensation, and sometimes the price might be too high to pay.
Ancient Greek myths and Norse mythology are different. There’s no greater good there. In fact, sometimes the myths are downright unfair, but they also contain a lot of wisdom.
Humans are cunning creatures who will betray you when you least expect it if it fits their interests. And gods know how to exploit their greed in their favor, using us all as pawns in their chess games against each other as they fight for dominance.
I blink when I notice a book with modern psychoanalysts’ takes on fairy tales and snag it. I might as well read something while hiding out in here, then I turn around only to gasp at seeing Levi standing in front of me. “What are you doing here?”
I step back, hitting the bookshelf and rattling it a little as his muscular chest blocks me from getting away from him when he steps forward, his eyes flashing with an odd yet mesmerizing heat.
Thrilling sensations travel all over me, flushing my cheeks, and I bite my lip. I muster up all the calmness when I say, “Step away.” I put the book between us, pushing against his chest, which ripples under my touch. I quickly pull it back, and my palm burns at the contact. “Levi.”