Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SIMON
After Oren climbed into the van, both of us were on edge as we waited for Thorne. Matt and Lev had departed with Liam to receive medical attention, and while I wanted to go with them, Thorne needed me. Without manning the comms, he would truly be dark.
My best friend was a bundle of nerves, leg bouncing as he bit his fingernails. I knew the dude loved Thorne, but this… this almost seemed extra. It started the moment Stefan’s name was mentioned, and while the man was a ruthless cunt, he knew better than to disregard Thorne’s capabilities.
Swiveling in the chair, I turned to him. “Hey, Thorne’s going to be okay. I know… know he’s injured, but he’s strong.”
Oren simply nodded, fidgeting with his shirt as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. I thought the poor bastard was about to have an aneurysm, but the back doors to the van slammed open before I could express my concern.
Thorne’s skin was pale, his caramel eyes standing out far more than usual. But it wasn’t their hue that had me immediately questioning what was going on; it was the pure wrath billowing from him as he turned his attention to Oren.
“W-What happened?” Oren’s eyes darted lower, widening as they met the blood seeping from his stomach. “You’re hurt—”
“What happened?” Thorne seethed, striations dancing along his jaw. “You fucking lied.”
“Woah, Thorne. You need to sit down,” I said, moving to bring a chair over to him, but he simply held up his hand.
“Do not tell me what I need to fucking do, O’Neill.” The intensity of his timbre threw me off. I’d never heard Thorne Graves speak like this, not even during our time in the ranks.
“Lied?” Oren whispered, meeting his stare. “Stefan… Did—”
“You fucking KNEW!” Thorne screamed, his voice breaking. “You knew this entire fucking time, and you didn’t tell me! You didn’t tell any of us!”
My gaze snapped to Oren. “What?”
His throat bobbed, eyes glossing over, and I thought Thorne was manic until Oren dipped his chin in a nod. “I-I did.”
He fucking knew?
This… This whole time, he knew about Stefan, this place?
Faster than Thorne could stop me, I shoved him against the door, fingers curling around his throat. “Explain.”
His feet scraped against the flooring, but he didn’t try to remove my hand. “I-It’s a long story…”
“Then fucking talk!” I shouted, shoulders heaving with each breath.
This… This was my best friend, and he knew… he fucking knew?
A pinched wail came from him as tears fell down his cheeks. “Stefan threatened me! H-He… He was close to my dad, and… and I tried to get away. I did, but… but he has her!”
Thorne pushed himself into the van, sinking into one of the seats as he urged the driver to head out, not offering a single word more.
“Her who?”
“My sister! He has my sister,” Oren cried.
My hold slackened, and he crumbled to the floor, knees cracking against the surface as he tucked his arms around his waist.
“My fault. This… This is entirely my fault, and… and my apology… isn’t good.”
Sister.
He had a fucking sister.
“Liam got taken! Thorne almost died! Lev was fucking shot! And you want to sit here and bitch? To cry because you think you’ll get sympathy?” I spat, stepping away to run my fingers through my hair. The car jolted, but I steadied myself as I tried to control the emotions boiling within.
“Yes… I-I know. I take accountability for… for it all. I hurt you the most.” Curled in on himself, I thought he’d hide, cower, but his gaze fixated on Thorne. “I know… know I can’t fix what I did. I lied… lied to you, and you—”
Thorne trailed his tongue over his teeth, removing his hand from his stomach to do one thing that even had my skin blanching; he peeled the ring from his finger and held it out to Oren.
“So much for trusting me, right? So much for vowing to never hide anything from each other again, right? So much for vowing honesty and truth, right?”
Tears clung to Oren’s face, and he instinctively ran his thumb over his ring. “You’re r-right. I hid this from you, from everyone, and I made the vow. I broke it. I-I broke our vow.”
“Then take the fucking ring back,” Thorne demanded, his facial expression cold, detached.
“I c-can’t. I love you. I know I hurt you deeply.”
Blinking once, Thorne held Oren’s stare as he dropped the ring, its metallic clatter rolling through the back of the van. Without offering the man who held his heart another word, he turned away before returning his palm to his stomach to staunch the blood flow once more.
“Oren… I—”
But he was focused on the place the ring had dropped, unmoving, as if frozen in time. He didn’t cry, didn’t scream, didn’t do anything for minutes until his whispered timbre cut through the van.
“I-I’ll fix this. My fault… I’ll fix it.”
Placing a hand on Oren’s shoulder, I squeezed once. “We’ll talk with everyone later. They deserve the full truth, but it doesn’t diminish what you fucking did, Oren.”
He simply nodded, eyes still on the fallen ring. The rest of the ride was quiet, neither party speaking a word, and for the first time, I wasn’t sure the couple I so admired would make it through this battle.
Brushing my thumb over his knuckles, I stared at Liam as he slept peacefully. Tears blurred my vision. He didn’t look like himself. He looked like a ghost, pale… like the light was sucked out of him.
Matt had sat me down, telling me in as few details as possible what he’d endured. I made it through three of his descriptions before faltering, my wails covering the rest of his words.
My… My sunshine had been collared, forced to participate in acts I knew would haunt him for the rest of his life, and endured physical torment I wasn’t sure I could handle.
He was so strong, but I knew he couldn’t be anymore.
That man… That monster had sucked it from him like a leech, ridding him of any happiness I’d instilled within him.
Stefan stole his soul, his heart, his… his very essence, and the man sitting here was a shell of the person I loved. It would take more than time to heal him, but he was worth it. Always fucking worth it because he was my sunshine, my breath, my reason for continuing.
And I would be that for him now—the strongest pillar, the goofiest boyfriend, and his safe space. We were tied together for life, and I would never abandon him. Not now, not fucking ever.
Bringing his hand to my lips, I kissed it softly, brushing over it with the dedication and care I would always impart on him. I wasn’t sure how he would respond when he woke up, but all I knew was that I would go at the pace he needed.
Slow.
Just like we’d done before—together.
With my touch, he groaned softly. Lids fluttering, he turned his head to face me, a haze-filled exhaustion coating his dark browns. “Simon…?”
Instantly, my fingers laced with his, the sound of his voice spurring my emotions as a broken sob tumbled from me. “Yeah, I’m right here. I’m fucking right here.”
“Sai…” His bottom lip trembled, a shattered cry escaping him. “I-I… I tried… I-I tried to be… to be strong… and I… and he…”
Standing up from the chair, my arms wrapped around him, pulling him into my chest. “You were. You were stronger than anyone else. It’s okay to not be anymore. You’re safe… God, you’re safe.”
“I’m so… I’m so sorry…”
“Shh, I’m sorry for not finding you faster.” Biting my lip, I rubbed coaxing circles into his back. “You’re not okay, and that’s alright. I’ve got you now—”
“I… I kissed him… I was… I-I was unfaithful to you… and I… I—”
Stopping, I pulled away slightly to look at those beautiful coffee-brown irises. “Listen to me. Whatever you did, you did it to survive. You were not unfaithful to me, and I will gut him for what he did to you.”
His grip on my hand tightened. “Please don’t… don’t… leave me…”
“Hey… Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.”
“Not… You’re not… close enough… I-I can still feel… still feel him…” he whimpered, tears slipping past his waterline. “I can still feel him… I can still feel him… I can—”
Brushing my thumb across his sorrow, I positioned myself next to him on the cot.
It was a tight squeeze, but I needed to make it evident to him that I wasn’t leaving.
While I couldn’t remove the memory of his touch, I could replace the horrors of Stefan with my love.
With a gentle tug, Liam’s head rested on my chest, and I curled my arm around his shoulder.
He nuzzled his face into my neck, fingers curling around my shirt with an adamant refusal to let go. “Don’t leave… Please don’t leave me…”
“Never.” Swallowing the dryness in my mouth, I brushed my fingertips across his cheek. “Never.”
He continued mumbling his plea, his words softening as exhaustion swept over him once more. Relaxing against me, a sigh of relief slipped between my lips as his entire body weight rested against me. His gentle breaths and light snores replaced the sobs and agony he’d expressed.
Two things I knew would return as soon as he woke up again, but I’d be there, a never-ending constant.