Chapter 16
Iscream as Aden falls again. Blood streaks down the side of his face where Rob struck him with the gun a second time. He looks disoriented, but not as much as I am to see my father’s former assistant standing above him like an assassin.
I have so many questions, but the fact that he’s even here right now means this entire situation is more messed up than I thought.
“Wait,” Mom says to Rob. “Don’t kill him.”
My relief fades at the cold determination in her eyes.
“Shoot him in the arm.”
“What?! No!” I cry, lunging in front of Aden. “What are you doing?!”
“Freeing us. Now get out of the way.”
“No! I won’t let you hurt him!”
“Gabi, this is bigger than you understand. You need to stay out of this. In fact, go to the back.”
She waves toward the far corner of the room, and I stare at her in disbelief.
“Go, or we tie you up to keep you there.”
I open my mouth to speak, but there are no words. The woman before me is no longer my mother. I don’t recognize this person.
It’s like she’s hearing my thoughts, though, because a sudden flicker of regret cracks her cold fa?ade.
“I told you, sweetheart. I will do whatever I have to.”
Tears burn in my eyes as I shake my head. “Not this. It doesn’t have to be this.”
“It does. I’ll explain once he’s secured. Now, please, do what I said. For your own safety, go and sit or this will get even uglier. I’m not bluffing.”
My gaze sinks to Aden. A trickle of blood is already marring his beautiful face. His glassy eyes are pleading with me to obey, and I want to scream at the absurdity of it all.
They think he’s the monster?
“Go,” he whispers, squeezing my hand in a weak grip. “It’s okay.”
I shake my head, refusing to let go. “They’re going to hurt you.”
“Better than you.”
I swat the tears dripping down my cheeks with my other hand.
“Now, Gabi!” Mom says, gripping my shoulder to move me.
“Go,” Aden rasps with as much force as he can muster. “She didn’t know. Don’t hurt her,” he says to them.
“That will be up to you,” Rob hisses.
Mom levels me with a warning look and motions toward the back of the room again.
It feels wrong to abandon him, but I don’t know what else to do. He pulls his hand away, removing any choice.
I reluctantly back toward the far wall, stopping when Mom focuses back on the confrontation.
Rob stands above Aden, his gun trained on him as Aden looks up with a mixture of fear and defiance.
I search my mother’s expression for any sign of the person who considered this man a lover just days ago, but all I see is calculated appraisal. Aden could be one of the bottles of wine in the neighboring room for the lack of emotion on her face. It sends a chill through me.
“If he’s truly one of them, the wound should heal. Wipe the blood away so we can see it,” she directs at Aden.
He glares up at them, jaw clenched.
“She gave you an order!” Rob growls.
When Aden still doesn’t move, the man grabs him by the hair and jerks his head to the side.
“Stop!” I cry, as Aden gasps in pain.
“Stay out of this!” Mom barks.
Rob maintains a firm grip while Mom inspects the injury.
“Hmm… it’s not working. Why isn’t it healing?” she asks Aden.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Aden says with as much venom as his weak state can manage.
“You know what I’m talking about! You’re going to deny you’re one of those monsters? We just saw you appear out of nowhere with my daughter. Where did you take her? What were you going to do to her? Was this your plan all along?”
He doesn’t respond, then crumbles when Rob delivers another vicious blow.
I’m sobbing uncontrollably now. I don’t know how to stop this or why Aden won’t escape to The Translucence again. I can’t stand the thought that he’s enduring this for me.
After a lengthy standoff, Mom curses in frustration.
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way. Stay with them,” she tells Rob. “Either of them moves, you know what to do.”
Rob lands a cold look on me, and I shiver at the implication.
The mood in the room tenses even more when Mom leaves. I wasn’t a fan of Rob, but I never imagined he’d be capable of violence. Now that he’s crossed that threshold, he seems capable of anything.
“She’s doing all of this for you, you know,” Rob spits at me once we’re alone.
I meet his cold scowl, and fresh fear streaks through me when he tilts the gun in my direction.
“The Shadow wanted you as collateral until they found your traitor of a father, but Celeste wouldn’t allow it. Instead, they’ve been terrorizing your mom and me for months to pay his debts. It’s not personal, Gabriela, but this would have been much easier if we’d given them what they wanted. Your mother refused, and I’d been looking for a way to take matters into my own hands. You gave me the perfect opportunity that night at Sin Gin.I had the plan all laid out until this asshole guarded you like a hawk. By the time he finally left, you were wrapped up with that rockstar. At that point there was no chance of getting you alone. So, thanks for that,” he growls at Aden.
“Rot in hell,” Aden fires back.
“I’ll see you there.” Rob sneers down at him, then drives his foot into Aden’s stomach without warning. Aden doubles over, coughing as he struggles to push himself up again.
“That’s enough!” Mom barks at Rob. “We’re not animals. This is business.”
My relief is short-lived when she holds up a sharp metal object.
“What are you doing? Why do you have a knife?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“It’s a test. Look at me,” she says to Aden.
His pained gaze lifts to her, and I see the fear in his eyes when they land on the object in her hands.
“You know what this is?” Celeste asks in an even tone.
“Iron.” The waver in his voice crushes me.
“You still want to deny you’re one of them?”
She holds the knife out in front of her.
Aden glares up at her, angry tears in his eyes. “I didn’t hurt her. I would never hurt her, and you know it. What do you want from me, Celeste?”
“The truth!”
“No. You want to— Ah!” He recoils when Mom slices the knife across his arm.
I gasp as blood seeps from the fresh wound, but it’s the strange burn mark around it that has my heart beating out of my chest.
“Incredible,” Mom breathes out. “Look at that.”
She crouches down and presses the flat side of the knife just above the cut. Aden winces in pain, and when she removes it, a fresh burn in the shape of the knife blade is seared into his skin.
“It’s true,” Rob says. “He’s definitely one of them.”
They exchange a look before she straightens abruptly. “Good. Yes. This will work. Weaken him enough that he can’t do that disappearing thing while I find a way to restrain him.”
I jump to my feet as Aden shrinks back from Rob.
“What are you doing?” I shout at my mother.
“Making a trade. Your father stole one of these demons from The Shadow, so now we satisfy the debt by giving one back.”
Aden staggers to his feet, his eyes wide with fear. “Celeste, please. Don’t do this. You don’t understand.”
“Shut up. It’s already done.”
Aden steps toward her. “I’m telling you, it’s not?—”
“Get. Back!” Rob growls, waving the gun.
“Who the hell are you to them, anyway?” Aden fires at him. “Why are you even here?”
“I’m about to be your captor.”
“That’s not happening.” Rage burns in Aden’s eyes as he turns to Mom. “I’m not letting you do this, Celeste. There’s no fucking way I’ll?—”
I don’t even get to scream before the shot rings out.
Then another.
Not until Aden’s body collapses to the floor does my voice react in a piercing cry. His wide, kaleidoscope gaze fills with pain and fear when it drifts to me.
The third shot hits the floor when he disappears.