Chapter Nineteen
TOREN
I’m a ball of nerves.
Ever since Xaden and Cas stormed into the library, I have been a mess.
Maddison snapped at me more times than I want to admit.
I was prepared to weep at her feet if it meant I got the job but she kicked me out of there and told me to have my ass in there straight after class on Monday, so I took that as a good thing.
She wasn’t happy when I told her at the start of my trial that I didn’t have a bank account so I would need to be paid in cash, but she did agree to help me set one up so I took that as a win.
I was having a relatively good day until now.
Standing in front of the rink has memories of times I spent in there with Kenna rushing back to me like a movie.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes as I recall the moments we would sit in the stands and mock Cas, Masen and Kellan.
I run a hand through my hair and tug on the strands, trying to distract myself with the pain so I stop thinking about her, but it’s impossible. She’s ingrained in my blood.
I may not have known Emery for as long as I have Kenna, but I feel the same way about her. I wish she was here to talk to me and help me through this. Emery always knew the right things to say so I would see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Old habits die hard, huh?” I whirl around and stare at Meekan with wide eyes.
He never came here unless it was game night and he was in town.
Seeing him here now he just looks so out of place.
Meekan is hot. There is no denying that but he was always off limits because of his age, and the fact he is my best friend's older brother.
“What are you doing here, Meek?” I ask barely above a whisper, terrified he will go off on me like his mom did.
He strolls toward me without a care in the world, stopping a couple of feet away.
I take in the sight of him and note all the changes.
He doesn’t look like a happy teenager anymore.
He appears hardened by the world, a darkness circling his pale brown eyes.
His brown hair is just long enough to tuck behind his ears.
Much like Cas, Meekan is extremely tall and well built.
He made the perfect hockey player. He was Somerset's golden boy, but he is definitely not a boy anymore.
“I could ask you the same thing, Tor.” I drop my gaze and nibble on my bottom lip, feeling unsure how to answer him. “Toren?”
I slowly lift my head and meet his stare, the sight of remorse in his eyes has my brows bunching. “Yeah?” I whisper.
“What happened to my sister wasn’t your fault.
” His words hit me harder than a sledge hammer.
I stumble backward and nearly lose my footing, but he snaps his arm out and circles my waist, pulling me flush against him.
My palms land flat against his chest. I stare up at him with wide eyes.
The heat of his body soaks into me like a warm balm to my battered soul.
“I need to tell you something, but you can’t utter a word to your brother or father—”
“The fuck do you think you’re doing, Tink?
” At the sound of Xaden’s angry shout I jerk out of Meek’s hold and turn to see him and the whole Stormsend hockey team standing behind him.
Xaden’s glare could slice through flesh but it isn’t directed at me, it’s directed at…
Meekan. I step back and dart my gaze between the two of them.
The looks on both their faces is almost familiar.
They know each other!
“She’s talking to a friend, Devlin. Why don’t you and your little posse of wannabes take a walk?” It’s phrased as a question but we all know Meek wasn’t asking.
The sinister smirk that cuts across Xaden’s face sends dread rushing through me.
He walks toward us with a swagger only he could pull off.
I look to Cas, praying he will be able to defuse this situation but he’s looking at Meekan with as much malice as Xaden.
Just before he can get to Meek, I dart in front of him and place my hands against Xaden’s chest, halting his movement.
His eyes narrow as he looks from my face to my hands, then back again.
“You’re about to get burned by the fire you created, Tink,” he grits out.
I shake my head trying hard not to panic. “Xaden, he’s my friend,” I implore.
The asshole just scoffs, then bats my hands off, sending me stumbling back into Meek, who grips my hips.
Xaden snarls, then reaches out and pulls me back into him.
I gasp at the feeling of him pressed against my front.
His arms banded around me like a lover’s caress.
To anyone else this would look romantic.
I tense in his hold when he shifts his hands so one is bent around my waist and the other grips the back of my neck.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” Meek snaps. I try to pull back from Xaden’s hold, but his grip tightens in warning so I stop fighting.
“Why don’t you take the hint and fuck off, Agent Di-Leo.
” Xaden’s tone is laced with dominance. I feel Meek step closer to us and wish I could turn around and face him.
As if Xaden can read my mind, he spins me in his hold so my back is to his chest. The bastard makes a bold move and pushes his hands into the front pockets of my jeans, then rests his chin on the top of my head.
Meek darts his gaze between the both of us, clearly drawing the wrong conclusion but I know if I try and correct him, Xaden will lash out at me.
The look of betrayal in Meekan’s eyes when he looks at me hurts like a branding iron.
“Don’t fall into this mess, Tor. Let them go down alone.
I don’t want you to be a casualty in a war you know nothing about.
” His ominous words settle inside me with a bitter taste.
I have no idea what he’s talking about but I know he was about to tell me something important before Xaden interrupts us.
“Get the fuck out of here, Di-Leo, before I really lose my patience,” Xaden growls.
Meek shoots me one last look before he turns and walks away.
No one utters a single word or even moves until Meek is inside his car and pulling out of the lot.
I try to break free of Xaden’s hold but the son of a bitch just digs his fingers into my legs, drawing a whimper from me.
“Heads up,” Caspian hollers a second before I see other cars pulling into the lot. When I see the candy-apple red RX7, my breath hitches.
“Get ready, Tink. Big bro is here and if you’re a good girl and play your part, I might just let you come to the game next week so you can see me destroy him and that pussy you’re in love with, while your daddy sits in the stands and watches.”
“Go to hell, you bastard,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
He scoffs. “I don’t fear hell, baby, because it can’t be worse than being with you,” he spits.
I hate to admit that his words pierce my chest like shards of glass. I don’t know what it is about Xaden Devlin that has me being so submissive and compliant, but he has a hold over me and I can’t explain why.
My attention is snapped back to the here and now when I watch the door to the RX7 open and see a mop of blond hair poke out over the roof.
When he turns and sees me standing here, his brown eyes widen to saucers.
The surprised look vanishes the moment the monster behind me rests his chin on my shoulder, then shifts his hands so they are around me in a possessive hold.
My brother’s features grow taut with anger at the sight of me in the arms of his enemy.