Chapter 34
Aiden
I felt like I’d just been spun around inside a washing machine.
My head was still spinning as I stumbled after Skye. My eyes managed to catch on the canopy curtain above her bed, telling me she’d brought us to her bedroom at the apartment. I could hear feminine laughter coming from up the hall along with Zephyr’s deeper timber.
All sound cut off abruptly as Skye got to the doorframe.
“Skyes?” Zephyr’s voice came from the kitchen.
“Did you fuck my friends just to get at Wyatt?!” Skye snapped.
I staggered into the doorway behind her, feeling like I was walking sideways.
Silence greeted her.
As my vision slowly stopped spinning, I took in the scene. Lana Iykos sat at the small kitchen island, wearing one of Zephyr’s hoodies. Her bangs were perfectly styled on her forehead, and her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.
Zephyr stood near the coffee machine, his expression going from concerned to bewildered when he saw me.
“You okay, dude?” he asked.
“Don’t talk to him,” Skye hissed. “Did you fuck my friends just to get back at Wyatt? Yes or no!”
Zephyr shot an uneasy look at Lana, who appeared like she had absolutely no idea that Zephyr was involved with Willow and Mia.
Holy shit. This was gonna be bad. I wished I hadn’t told Willow and Mia about Lana. I’d thought it would be funny, not…this.
“Skye,” Rafe’s voice came from the hallway.
Lana’s whole body locked up, and she hunched her shoulders, sinking down onto the counter to make herself smaller as Wyatt and Rafe pushed past me to spill into the kitchen.
“What the fuck is going on?” Zephyr snapped. “First Willow screams at me about Lana, now–”
“Why was Willow screaming at you about me?” Lana asked quietly.
“And why won’t you answer my question?” Skye growled.
Rafe turned his back to them, rubbing his eyes and barely hiding his grin.
Of course he was eating this up.
Zephyr chuckled. “Come on, Skye–”
He started to move away, but Skye pushed him hard, and he thunked back against the wall. His demeanor shifted, his expression darkening slightly.
“They like you, Zeph. They really like you!” Skye cried.
Zephyr’s head tilted. “And you don’t believe I really like them?”
Lana took in a sharp breath. Zephyr looked to her pleadingly, but she dropped her gaze to the counter.
Skye widened her eyes at him. “Why would you taunt Wyatt like that? He’s never done that to you!”
“My issues with him are my own,” Zephyr snapped. “I’m allowed to be pissed at a guy for fucking with your heart.”
“I’m not–” Wyatt started, but Rafe batted at his face, shutting him up before he could make things worse.
“He’s one of my Links, Zeph!”
Zephyr threw up his hands. “Yeah? That’s why you’re forgiving him so easily! You don’t have a choice!”
“Hey–”
“Dude.”
“Come on–”
“You asshole!” Skye shouted, ignoring the three of us trying to come to her defense. “You’re my brother! You should want me to fix shit with him! Especially after everything we learned about Mom!”
“Fine,” Zephyr relented. “I’m being a dick about that, but why don’t you just come on out and say the real reason you’re pissed about Willow and Mia?”
Skye’s lips twisted, and her eyes darted toward me for just a second, then she shook her head. “No.”
“No, really,” Zephyr went on, stepping closer to her. “Tell me why you feel that way.”
The air shifted again. Rafe and Wyatt grew quiet behind me, their moods darkening. Lana hopped off the barstool, backing away from all of us toward the living room.
“Should we…” I trailed off when Zephyr shook his head.
“No, Aiden. I think you should all be here for this. You, especially.”
“Me? What do I have to do with this?”
Zephyr stared at Skye, then breathed a laugh. “Skye thinks I’m a whore so she doesn’t believe I could really have a connection with her friends. Which is interesting, considering your background.”
I froze.
Skye’s hair began to float.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Zephyr said, completely unafraid of her. “What’s the difference between me and Aiden?”
“Aiden is my Link,” Skye whispered harshly.
Zephyr shook his head. “So he’s still a fuckboy, right? The only thing holding him back is biology?”
Skye didn’t reply.
“What do you think of that, Aiden?” Zephyr asked, looking at me with his eyebrows raised.
Rafe scoffed in disgust behind me.
“I think you’re wrong for this,” I said, my heart pounding.
Zephyr’s eyebrows went even higher, and Skye bit her lip.
“You’re wrong for pulling me into this. Me and my past have nothing to do with this, and your bringing it up is just shitty.
You did taunt Wyatt about getting with Willow, I was right there.
It’s natural for Skye to be protective of her friends.
She hadn’t been around you in months, how could she have known you changed? ”
Zephyr’s mouth opened and closed, but he said nothing.
“And using my past to get your point across? Shitty. I’m a person, Zeph. I’m not just here to be a gotcha for your sister. I love her. I’d fuck up anyone that hurts her, and right now? It’s you. You’re the one hurting her. You’re my friend, but you need to back the fuck off.”
Zephyr did take two steps back, then shook his head, confused.
“Zephyr can un-heal people,” Rafe blurted, like he was about to explode. “Darling, he told me and Wyatt after Wyatt woke up. He broke Wyatt’s femur on purpose to test his theory about hurting people.”
What the fuck? Oh, God. Were we about to have a group secret-sharing session? Was Skye about to tell the guys about River?
The answer was no. Absolutely not.
Skye’s eyes were so wide, the silver disappeared into the whites of her eyes, and as she slowly turned to face her brother, her hair began to float higher.
“Skye,” Zephyr said. “Don’t.”
Skye shook her head slowly, her expression haunted. I moved in closer to her, but Zephyr held up his hand in warning. Wyatt moved behind me, heading toward Lana, who was inching toward him and Rafe.
“You…you hurt him. On. Purpose?” Skye rasped.
“I also fixed it,” Zephyr pointed out. “Because Dani didn’t. I think she healed him wrong on purpose.”
Skye’s chest heaved and she shook her head, taking a few steps back.
“No.”
Zephyr raised his eyebrows. “No?”
“No,” Skye repeated, then gasped. “No. You don’t get to tell me that now. I don’t…I can’t be around you. I can’t…believe this.”
“Skye,” Zephyr started, but she teleported before he could finish. A couple barstools scraped the tile as they clanged back onto the ground, having floated along with Skye’s hair. Zephyr put his hands on his hips, sighing deeply before turning to look at us. He sneered at Wyatt. “Happy?”
Wyatt shook his head, disgusted. “God. No, Zephyr. Nothing about this makes me fucking happy.”
“Baby? You coming to class?”
No answer.
Skye was laying in the Chain bed facing away from the door. I eyed the tray of food Rafe had left for her this morning, still untouched. That marked four days now that she wasn’t speaking. Wyatt had managed to get her to eat something yesterday.
I strode forward, leaning over her to press a kiss to her cheek.
She didn’t move.
I sighed deeply once I left the room so she didn’t hear me. I made it to the kitchen, sighing again when Rafe and Wyatt glanced at me expectantly.
I shrugged.
Rafe ran a hand down his face. “I have meetings today. I’ve already rescheduled them several times.”
“I’m running low on days off,” Wyatt said.
I needed to go to class, but I was still secretly hoping Rafe would call me out another day.
Coach couldn’t say no to Rafe, but his patience was thin.
We’d only been moping all day every day, Rafe ordering Skye’s favorite foods for each meal trying to entice her into getting up, but nothing had worked.
“Too bad you don’t work for me,” Rafe scoffed. “I’d just give you the extra time off. I’m a great boss. Right, Isaiah?”
We all turned to look at Isaiah, standing rigidly by the wall of windows.
“The best,” he replied robotically.
Rafe snorted, then chuckled. Wyatt also chuckled. I grinned.
“Your Grace,” Isaiah said seriously. “I’m happy to stay and watch over the Royal Key while you all attend to your business. She is comfortable enough with me.”
Wyatt sneered, but Rafe seemed thoughtful. “Would she be upset with us?” He glanced at me. “If she decided to come out and we were all gone?”
“I think she’d be relieved,” I answered honestly. “She likes to be alone when she wallows.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Wyatt groaned.
“Isaiah? Thoughts?” Rafe said.
Isaiah raised his chin. “With only the highest respect, Mr. Craig. I do not think she will want to see you if she were to come out.”
Rafe howled with laughter like I’d never seen. I chuckled too, then laughed along with him, leaning over to grab my stomach.
“You little shit,” Wyatt snapped.
“We’re the same age, sir.” Isaiah replied.
Rafe and I laughed harder.
Eventually, Rafe stood, downing the rest of his coffee like it was a shot of alcohol, then clapped Wyatt on the shoulder before Wyatt could attack the guard.
“Go to your office. Do your work.” He pointed at me.
“Go to class. Don’t let someone try to kill you on the way there. Skye needs some alone time.”
I scoffed, reaching into the fridge for the really pulpy orange juice I liked. Rafe was such a dick sometimes. Why was he acting like it was my fault everyone was always trying to kill me?
I took a huge swig from the jug, then nearly choked when Rafe shriek-gasped behind me.
“Are you…is that…how…how many times have you done that?!”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Uh…a lot. Why?”
Rafe’s brown skin went ashen, and then he shadow-walked away.
Wyatt laughed, sounding a little evil.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked.
Wyatt grinned. “That’s Rafe’s juice.”
“Oh. Oops.”
Even Isaiah smirked.
“Alright, Brandt. Give me answers. Where the hell is my bestie?”
I stared at Willow’s hand, in the shape of a finger-gun pointed right at my nose. I slapped at her fingers, then focused back on the attendance sheet I held. Noah stood pressed against my side. He was being a little clingy today.