56. Aurora
P ain unlike anything I have ever known is flowing through my body, as I try to force gasping breaths into my lungs.
Everest just left. He left. He didn’t fight back, he didn’t say I love you, he just apologized and left, and I don’t even know if he’s coming back.
I try to follow him, I do, but Archer captures me around the waist, hauling me back against him.
“Let me go,” I scream, fighting against his hold on me, but he doesn't relent, no matter how hard I try.
“You’re not going anywhere, not until you tell us what fucking happened,” he grits, shoving me away from the door.
“Archer, please, stop,” my mom cries, both she and David watching in horror and confusion, as Archer storms into my room, only returning once he has some clothes for me.
He tosses them at my feet. “Get fucking dressed.”
My hands shake as I pull on the joggers he grabbed, ignoring the top he brought me and remaining in Everest’s shirt.
When he turns back around, the disgust is clear as his sneer washes over me.
He grips my arm in a brutal hold, dragging me downstairs and demanding everyone follow, and I’m not surprised in the slightest, when he reaches the kitchen and only releases me to pour himself a whiskey.
He knocks the whole thing back, barely taking a breath, as his focus comes back to me. “We need to call the police,” he demands, sending panic shooting through me, as it mixes with the pain.
“No, you can’t!” I scream, stepping toward him, but David moves in between us, gripping me gently in his arms.
“Everyone just calm down, until we understand what’s going on here.” The tone he speaks with isn’t the one of my stepfather. No, right now he is purely in lawyer mode, and my heart breaks for how he must be feeling at this moment.
“What happened is your fucking son took advantage of her,” Archer snarls, and I flinch at his assessment of my relationship with Ever.
Except it isn’t just that, it’s the way he just referred to Everest, the words he chose to use. Not like his brother, not like his family, but like a stranger he doesn’t fucking love, and that hurts more than any of this.
“Archer.” Daemon says his name in silent warning, and I wish I could go back in time and listen to him, to confess my feelings to Archer so he could understand how wrong he is about all of this.
“Everest has never fucking taken advantage of me. I love him, and we’re in a consensual relationship.
” I ensure my voice is loud and steady, as I address all of them, before moving my focus to David.
“I love your son and he loves me.” Tears track down my cheeks, but I hold his stare, keeping my hands steady, as I reach up and wipe them away.
Not that I care, let him see how big my feelings for Everest are.
I need him to know his son isn’t a fucking predator, and when I turn to my mom I see a sense of understanding in her eyes, one that is mirrored slightly in David’s.
Yet I can still see their confusion, their disappointment, and it’s tearing me up inside.
Didn’t they see it? The love between us, the connection, how did they miss that it was so much more than just being siblings?
“He’s your fucking brother.” Archer spits the words in disgust, in a way that makes it sound like he will never refer to Everest as his brother again.
“Stepbrother,” I correct, the word tasting sour on my tongue, because he’s so much more than that.
“It’s fucking wrong, and you’re not seeing him again.”
At that I laugh. “And who is going to stop me? You? You can’t control me, Archer, you’re not my fucking father.”
“And just wait until dad hears about this, you think I hurt him? Dad will fucking kill him.”
At his threat, my mom steps forward. “Okay, that’s enough,” she commands, her voice shaking slightly, as she tries to make sense of all of this, and I get it. It’s her son, her daughter, her husband, all of it so entwined in fucked up-ness, that I’m sure she hasn’t got a clue what to say.
“Mom, please,” I cry. “I’ve been in love with him for years, and I tried to fight it, we both did, but we can’t help how we feel.
Why do you think he hasn’t been home in a year?
Because he didn’t want this.” I gesture between the wreckage of us all, and Archer scoffs again, but I ignore him.
“I’m the one who went after him when I arrived at FU, I’m the one who pushed this, who pursued this, so please don’t blame him. ”
My mother’s face softens, and the realization of my words, and this whole thing, start taking shape in her mind. “Oh, darling.” She reaches out to cup my face, swiping a tear from my cheek, but Archer moves back toward us.
“Tell me you’re not fucking buying this shit, she’s delusional, they’ve slept in a room next to each other for years, clearly he preyed on her.” Every word out of his mouth is another lash against my already bleeding heart.
I don’t think he realizes the damage his words are causing, and I see Daemon shifting warily behind him, as David and I both flinch.
“I will never fucking forgive you for this,” I seethe. “For taking something beautiful and twisting it into something ugly.”
Archer laughs in disbelief. “Forgive me? I fucking saved you!”
“Saved me? From what, him?” A humorless laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it. “Everest is the best person I have ever fucking known, and it’s a privilege to be loved by him.” I don’t care what Archer thinks, what any of them think, I’ll defend Ever until my last breath.
“He’s your brother,” Archer repeats, and now it’s my turn to scoff.
“No, you’re my brother, or at least you’re supposed to be,” I spit, and he blinks back a little in surprise at my cold tone. “Everest is my everything, he’s looked after me, protected me, loved me, and you hurt him for that.”
Archer is already shaking his head. “You’re young, confused, you will realize how wrong this is when you are older.”
I stare at him in disbelief, both my mother and David lost for words, before I whisper, “Was it wrong when you fell in love with Daemon?”
I know their situation is completely different, not comparable in any way, but I need him to understand the depth of my feelings. That you can’t help who you fall in love with, and yes, Everest might be my stepbrother, but that doesn’t make it wrong, only complicated.
“That’s not the same.” He’s violently shaking his head, completely outraged that I would even compare the two.
“Isn’t it? You found your person, and you didn’t fucking care who or what got in your way, you just chose him and nothing else mattered.” I plead with him to understand me, to see this from my point of view, but his angered stare turns blank.
“What, and you’re choosing Everest over me, over this family?” He asks, gesturing between all of us, and I know there is no getting through to him.
“I’m choosing him over everyone,” I declare, ripping myself from between my mom and David. “And seeing as though you’re already angry, you might as well know that I’m choosing Griffin and Harden too.”
His eyes widen, as he flinches away from me. “You better be fucking kidding,” he warns, his tone now eerily calm, but I shake my head as I square my shoulders.
“I have been in love with them for as long as I can remember, and nobody, least of all you, is going to tell me who I can love and how I am going to live my life, so from now on, stay the fuck away from me.” I don’t let more tears fall until I have stormed from the room, but then they are tracking down my face so violently that I can barely find my way, as I stumble up the stairs.
I can hear their yelling, their disagreements and misunderstandings, but I don’t pause to listen to them.
No. I need to get out of here. I need to find Everest. I fight my way to my room blindly, before dropping to the floor as sobs wrack my chest. It feels like a hole has been ripped through my body, causing irreparable damage, and my hands claw at my chest as I struggle to breathe.
I don’t register the hands around me until I am being picked up and pulled in his lap, as he takes a seat on the end of my bed.
“It’s okay, I’m here, you’re not alone,” Daemon breathes into my hair, rocking me gently, as if I am the most precious and delicate thing in the world.
“I can’t do this without him.” I sob the words into his chest, holding him so tightly in a way that I know must be killing him, but I can’t let go. And I know he understands what I mean, that I’m not just talking about Everest, but Archer too.
He’s my brother, my best friend, I can’t exist in this world without him by my side, but I can’t give up the one I love either.
“I’ll talk to him, I’ll try and make him understand,” he whispers, running a soothing hand up and down my back, and it only makes me cry harder.
“I can’t be here, I need to go and find Everest.” I pull back and push myself out of his lap, standing on shaky legs, my head hurting so bad that I can’t think straight.
Daemon instantly stands, moving until he can find the bag of clothes I brought with me, gathering up my phone and charger, and tossing them inside before heading into the bathroom.
When he returns, he has my toothbrush and wash bag, with all my supplies inside, shoving them into the bag as well before zipping it up.
When he looks back at me, all I can offer him is a weak smile, as he crosses the room back to me and reaches out to wipe away my tears. “Text me if you need anything, okay?”
I nod, throwing my hands around his neck and squeezing him tightly, before pulling back and taking my bag from him.
He follows me down the stairs, the shouting still coming from the kitchen as I sneak past it, and head straight to the front door.
I’m not sure what time it is, probably at least one in the morning, and it’s been a while since Everest left, but still I have to find him.
When I push outside, I dart down the steps, ready to make a run for a taxi, but come to a halt when a familiar figure steps out of a car idling by the curb.
“Harden?” I gasp in question, not really believing what I’m seeing, until he offers me a sad smile, his hands coming up slowly.
Hi, pretty girl. He signs, and I erase the distance between us before he has even finished, throwing myself into his arms with a sob, as he captures me with ease.
“It’s okay, I got you.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into him so completely that I can’t do anything but fall apart, because I know he’s here to keep me together.
“Where is he?” I ask, tears spilling down my cheeks, as I pull back and look to the car, only spying Griffin.
“We’ve got him, he’s okay,” Harden reassures me, taking my bag and guiding me toward the passenger door. “Come on, we’ll take you to him.”
Before I can respond, the front door is ripped open and Archer is there screaming my name. “Aurora, we’re not done,” he yells, storming outside, with Daemon hot on his heels.
“Baby, come on, please don’t do this,” Daemon pleads, but Archer is too angry to even hear him now, hear anyone.
“You’re not fucking going with them,” he starts, and I register the car door opening behind me, but I don’t look away from my brother, as Harden steps between us.
“Don’t fucking come any closer,” Harden warns, startling Archer with his voice, as his head snaps toward him in surprise, it’s why he doesn’t see it coming.
Griffin appears in front of him, smashing his fist into my brother’s face, so hard that it forces him to stumble back. Daemon catches him before he can fall, but Griffin is right there in Archer’s face, without a care in the world.
“Touch him again and we’re gonna have a real fucking problem, Gray,” Griffin spits, anger rolling off him in waves, as he points in Archer’s face.
“You have barely seen either of them in almost two years while you’ve been off playing fucking hockey god, so don’t get involved in shit you don’t fucking understand.
” He doesn’t bother waiting for a response, just turns on his heel and storms back toward Harden and me.
“Come on, let’s go,” he demands, opening the door and shoving me inside.
My eyes lock on Archer’s through the window, his thumb coming up to swipe at his bloody lip, his stare holding mine, as both the guys climb in the car. Then we are driving away without another word.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Griffin asks, barely keeping his eyes on the road, and I nod wordlessly, as Harden reaches from behind me and gently squeezes my shoulder.
“Is he?” I toss back, swallowing thickly, as Griffin sighs.
“He’s pretty beat up, but we cleaned him up as best we could, forced some painkillers down his throat, and then put him to bed. He was asleep when we left to come and get you.”
“How did you know I would be coming to find him?”
At that he grants me one of his wicked smiles. “Come on, RoRo, as if there is anything that could keep you two apart.”
I wish his words brought me comfort, but despite how much I love Everest, I’m not sure if this is a storm we can weather.