Chapter 24
Sitting at an ornate dressing table, Narae was impressed as she eyed Jury’s beautiful room. It was like something she’d only seen in magazines. “And they just let you come and go as you please?”
“Yeah,” Jury responded, pacing away from the window, still wound up. “But who cares! Why did Daemon mark you? What happened exactly?” She turned and pinned Narae with hard eyes. “Did he attack you? Was this against your will?”
Narae’s expression went deadpan. “Have you met me?”
That had Jury pursing her lips, her tense shoulders falling. “Yeah. But I’ve met him too, and from what I hear, he’s…”
Curious, Narae prodded, “He’s what?”
“Scary. He’s got a monster inside him.”
“Demon?”
Jury’s mouth fell open. “You know about Demon?”
Narae shrugged negligently. “We ran together.”
“You and Demon. Your wolf and Daemon’s?”
Narae nodded. “They let me out of the truck as we arrived in Allegiance territory so my wolf could run.”
“Really?” Jury’s tone was filled with delight, “She got to run? Like run, run?”
Narae nodded, concern marring her features. “Have you not been allowed to?”
“I never asked. I just assumed it’d be a no. And I wouldn’t dare venture that far by myself.”
That had Narae’s dark brows spearing down. “Why? Did Koe threaten you?”
“No! I just…” Jury’s gaze slid to the window. “I’m worried about the Biters being out there. I was going to go back for you, but now that you’re here. I don’t ever want to go back there. Not ever.”
“And you won’t,” Narae bit out vehemently. “And if they somehow manage to get their hands on me and drag me back, I want you to promise that you won’t come after me.”
Jury just shot her a look.
“Fucking say it, Jury!” Narae leaned forward in her seat. “Promise me, you won’t go back to Bragga, not ever! Not even for me. Say it!”
Jury sighed, “I can’t do that, and you know it. You’d come for me.”
“I’m your older sister,” Narae argued. “I’m supposed to look after you.”
“No, you’re not,” Jury raged. “I’m not some child who needs watching over. I’m a grown ass woman, Narae.
“You can get as old as you like, but you’ll still always be my little sister, which means I’m always going to look out for you. Mom would want that. I want that too.”
Jury’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you think she knew what she was sending us into when she had us delivered to Bragga?”
“No,” Narae shook her head. “If she knew what he was, it never would have happened. I think she thought that maybe time had improved him, made him wiser…better. She had no way of knowing what he’d become.” Curious, Narae asked, “Do you resent her for it?”
Jury’s response was instant. “No. She did what she thought was best.” Jury went to the bed and plopped down on it. “She did what she could.”
“If I’d have known, we’d have run. I could’ve taken care of us.”
“You were only sixteen, Rae.”
“So, we’d have figured it out.”
Silence descended. Until Jury peeked up with a smile. “So, tell me about Demon.”
That had Narae blushing as she rolled her eyes. “He’s just a wolf.”
Jury’s eyes rounded. “Do you like him? Oh, God, please tell me you don’t have Munchausen Syndrome.”
Narae’s face scrunched up. “What?”
“You know, the thing where the girl falls in love with her captor.”
Narae’s brows winged up. “It’s called Stockholm Syndrome, meathead.”
Jury nodded knowingly. “Yeah,” she jammed a finger toward Narae. “That!”
“No, I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome or Munchausen Syndrome or Down Syndrome, any other type of Syndrome. What I have is just a bunch of questions about this place and about this pack.”
Jury’s attention slowly lowered to the seam on the pillow she held clamped to her chest. “They seem alright,” she announced flippantly.
It had Narae’s eyes narrowing on her.
When Jury glanced up, she rushed out, “I mean, they seem legit.”
“Legit? What is that supposed to mean? Legit.”
Jury shrugged, shoving the long fall of her black hair over her shoulder. “It just means that Koe’s been very protective and patient and…”
Narae shoved up out of her chair and stalked toward the bed. “Has he tried anything with you? Has he touched you?”
“What?” Jury pulled a face. “No. I mean, yeah. I mean, he had to touch me. I was his prisoner, but he didn’t touch me in the way you mean.”
“And how do you know what I mean?” Narae countered, angling her head. She watched as Jury’s face went red.
“Because I just do!”
“Well, Thrall told Daemon that Koe looks at you a certain way.” Narae planted her hands on her hips and stared down at Jury. “Does he have a thing for you?”
“How in the hell would I know?”
But Jury wouldn’t meet Narae’s gaze now, and it was telling. “Do you have a thing for him?”
“Look,” Jury threw her pillow aside and got up from the bed. “Let’s just rest. You’ll sleep here with me. We’ll cuddle and catch up, and in the morning, we’ll figure out where to go next.”
And just that fast, Narae’s gut twisted with something unpleasant. Chest going tight, the air suddenly felt thick, and the room too small. “I…can’t,” she breathed and backed up a step, dropping her eyes.
“What?” Jury followed Narae with her eyes. “What do you mean you can’t? Can’t what?”
Narae kept backing up. “I can’t sleep in here with you.”
A look of utter confusion wrecked Jury’s face. “What do you mean? We’re sisters. Of course you can! We’ve shared a bed a million times.”
“I know.” Narae held up her hands, palm side out.
“I know. But…I can’t.” Lowering her hands, she admitted.
“Watching Bragga kill you did something to me.” Tears flooded her eyes.
“It fucked me up, Jury. It fucked my wolf up. I couldn’t save you.
I just had to watch and wait and pray, and…
” Tears started falling, and when Jury made to go to her, Narae held up a hand. Jury stopped.
“I can’t sleep near anyone. I can’t have anyone touching me when I’m trying to rest.” Her mind instantly flashed to how Daemon had held her in the truck, and how she’d rested comfortably.
It’d been the first time in forever, but it was an anomaly.
“I have this anxiety,” she continued, “This incessant guilt that plagues me and…”
Jury cut her off. “Guilt? Over what? You saved me, Narae. You brought me back.”
Narae was shaking her head. “Please don’t.
Please don’t waste your breath trying to assuage my guilt.
It’s ingrained in every fiber of my being now.
It’ll never leave me. It’s who I am now.
And whether it’s PTSD or just old-fashioned guilt, I don’t know, but my wolf won’t permit me any rest if anyone’s near me or touching me.
I can’t tolerate it. It feels like I can’t breathe.
The women in the pack tried to comfort me at night, and it felt like I was dying.
” She backed toward the door. “And I know this sounds like selfish bullshit because you’re the one who went through the fire, but watching you burn destroyed me.
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish it were me.
I would give anything to have taken your place on that day.
And I’m sorry, Jury. I’m so utterly sorry for what was done to you and my inability to stop it.
I should have done more, I should have gotten you out sooner, I should have done so many things differently.
And it guts me to not be able to give you what you need now, but it’s suffocating me too.
I’m sorry. Please respect what I’m telling you and don’t try to fix it.
It can’t be fixed. I can’t be fixed. You can’t hug it out of me, you can’t love it out of me.
It’s who I am now. I don’t want to talk about it ever again, and I don’t want you guilting me into trying to do something I’m telling you that I physically cannot do.
You’re my sister, and I love you, but it’s torture.
” She heaved a weighty sigh, “Good night, Jury. I love you.”
Turning, she opened the door and slid out into the hallway, closing the door behind her as she tried to block out the look of hurt on Jury’s face.
Shoulders pressing into the door, Narae let a few more tears slide free as she dragged in a deep breath, feeling like she could finally breathe now that Jury wasn’t asking her for physical contact.
Hairs rising on her body, Narae went tense as she slowly lifted her head off the door. On the opposite side of the hall, Daemon sat against the wall, arms resting on his bent knees, expression almost pained. A few feet down, Koe sat in a similar position, head down but expression sad.
Daemon shoved to his feet and drew her attention. “We weren’t eavesdropping. Just waiting to make sure you two are okay.” He took a step toward her. “You okay?”
Embarrassed by the fact that with their shifter hearing, they’d heard every word of her conversation with Jury, Narae simply nodded.
She didn’t have the energy to be mad, and honestly, she was kind of glad they’d heard what she’d said.
It’d keep her from having to explain why she didn’t want anyone touching her or why she needed separate sleeping quarters.
“Follow me,” Daemon spoke softly. “I’ll take you to your own room.”
Narae nodded and glanced at Koe, who finally looked up and shot her an empty grin, it was almost apologetic. Looking at him, she said, “Swear to me that my sister will be safe.”
Koe got to his feet and lifted his chin.
“I vow to you on my position as Alpha, both you and Jury are safe here among my pack. No harm will come to you, not from me,” his gaze slid to Daemon, “not from my Enforcers.” His eyes slid back to her, “And any Biters who come here to retrieve you will regret the poor decision. I swear it.”
Swallowing hard, Narae nodded, praying that Alpha Koe was a shifter of his word.