Chapter Twenty-Six
TOREN
I felt bad leaving Harper alone in my room this morning, but I knew if I didn’t show up for my tutoring lesson, Eugene would alert my dad and he is the last person I want to deal with right now.
Two hours later and I’m finally walking through the front door, ready to crawl back into bed and sleep the rest of the day.
Just as I close the front door, someone knocks. I want to cry at the injustice but I suck it up and open the door coming face to face with Meekan Di-Leo.
“Can we talk?” I frown at the urgency in his tone.
I look over my shoulder and when I don’t see anyone I nod.
I drop my bag on the floor and make sure I have my phone in my pocket before following Meek back outside.
“Let’s take a walk.” I say nothing as I fall into step beside him.
There’s an awkward tension hanging in the air.
Granted Meek and I were friendly but not in the sense that we would hang out or anything like that.
As we continue to walk I get lost in my head.
It’s been a while since I have been able to be in the presence of somebody and feel comfortable enough to lose myself in my thoughts.
Emery was that person for me, unlike Kenna who always filled the silence and loved to talk.
It was one of the many things I loved about KennaDee.
“Do you remember this place?” The sound of his voice pulls me from my wayward thoughts.
When I look up at him, I find his gaze focused across the road.
I follow his line of sight and gasp. It’s the park Kenna and I used to come to after school and do our homework, while we waited for the guys to finish practice on the days we didn’t want to go to the rink.
“How did you know we would come here?” I ask quietly. Memories of the past assault me and sadness washes over me like a wave. I reach up and clasp my pendant, repeating my chant over and over again in my head to keep me grounded.
To teach is to learn. To learn is to excel. To excel is to thrive. To thrive is to live.
“I paid attention.”
I slowly lift my gaze to him and find he's already focused on me. “Why am I here, Meekan?” The hesitation in my tone is clear.
He sighs and motions for me to follow him over to the park bench. With a resigned sigh, I do as he asks. We sit here and just people watch for a while. A pang of longing hits me when I see a mother and her three children laughing and playing on the playground.
“You didn’t kill my sister, Toren.” His words are like a jolt of electricity rolling through my body.
I stare at Meekan with an intensity that has him growling.
Words fail me. I reach up and clasp my pendant, repeating my chant over and over praying that it will ground me and keep me from having a panic attack. “It’s a cover up—”
“Toren,” I whirl around at the sound of his voice and jump to my feet. I stare at Masen and Kellan with wide eyes. Both of them look like shit and after what happened last night. I’m not particularly happy to see either of them right now. “We need to talk.”
I shake my head at my brother. Last night he had every opportunity to speak to me but he chose to make a public stance that he was against me so no one would turn against him.
He let everyone in this town speak ill of me and not once since I have been back has he tried to defend me.
The only time he has actually looked at me or spoken to me is when Xaden is around.
“Oh, now you want to have that conversation,” Meekan says as he comes to stand beside me.
Both Kellan and Masen glare at him, hatred wafting off both of them in waves.
I look between the three of them, wondering what the fuck happened.
Yes, Meekan is older than all of us but never once have any of us had an issue with him.
“What the fuck are you even doing with my sister?” Masen spits. I gasp at the audacity of my brother.
“Masen!” I scold but they ignore me as Meek takes a step forward, forcing Mase to match his move.
“Just hanging out and letting her know the blame was put on the wrong Kellar,” Meek bites back.
Masen presses forward until they are chest to chest. Kellan darts forward and tries to push them apart but he doesn’t have the strength to do it on his own, so I rush into the fray and try to help.
“Mind your fucking business,” Masen shouts.
“Both of you need to calm the fuck down,” Kellan snaps, but they ignore him as they continue to hurl insults at each other.
Before I can wrap my head around what’s happening, Masen punches toward Meekan.
Unintentionally I somehow manage to get between them.
A scream tears out of me when Masen’s raised fist comes directly for me, but I can see it in his eyes that he’s unable to stop himself.
The hit was meant for Meekan but I’m now in the way.
I screw my eyes closed and brace for impact.
To teach is to learn. To learn is to excel. To excel is to thrive. To thrive is to live.
The wind rushes out of me when I’m shoved to the side and land on the grass with a grunt. I snap my head up and stare at Xaden standing there with my brother's fist clenched in his own. I gulp when I take in the look on Xaden’s face.
If death was a person, he would look exactly like the dark god standing in front of me.
Masen tries to yank his fist free but Xaden doesn’t budge an inch. Kellan steps up ready to help his friend but out of nowhere Cas appears and blocks his path. Both Xaden and Cas are in their uniforms, they must have come from practice.
“Get your fucking hands off me, Devlin,” Masen grits out through clenched teeth.
Xaden scoffs and releases my brother’s hand with a shove causing him to stumble back a step.
“Keep your fucking hands off my girl, Kellar,” Xaden warns, then turns to me.
The intense look in his eyes has me tensing.
Masen continues to scream and shout at him but it’s white noise as we just stare at each other.
I start to tremble when he comes toward me, the nearer he gets the easier it becomes for me to breathe.
I don’t know what it is about Xaden Devlin, he has done nothing but push me, taunt me and make it clear he hates me, yet I feel safe when he’s around.
Why? “Come on, Tink,” he says. He reaches a hand out to help me to my feet.
I stare at it for a second, knowing that if I take his offering it means more than it looks.
This is me choosing to turn my back on my brother and Kellan.
“Stop thinking and just live.” His words are jarring and force me to close my mind off to everything else except for him.
I place my much smaller hand in his and let him help me to my feet.
His gaze is sharp and calculating. Xaden is an enigma. When no one is around he can’t get far enough away from me, but whenever there is an audience, he always has to be near me and him being this close, has my mind traveling back to that kiss.
God, the way he dominated my mouth and took charge, his grip on my body and the feeling of him between my legs is something I will never forget.
“Leave her the fuck alone, Devlin!” Masen screams but I don’t move. I’m too lost in Xaden’s eyes right now to look away. So many emotions pass through those seductive eyes, but there is always hatred and I don’t understand why.
What did I do to him?
Xaden completely ignores my brother as he speaks to me.
“Don’t ever meet with Meekan again. Do you understand?
” His words are jarring and pull me from my trance.
I attempt to draw back, but he tightens his grip on my hand then bands his other arm around my waist anchoring me to his chest. My breath hitches at the contact and my eyes widen slightly in surprise.
My chest is rising and falling but I don’t feel like I can get enough air into my lungs.
“If you try to have a tantrum here, I’ll drag your ass to my car with your brother and those other two watching, then punish you at home in front of your friend. ”
Something's wrong with me!
Instead of being upset or angry that he would dare to speak to me this way, all I can think about is if he punishes me then his hands will be on me.
“Why don’t you fuck off back to where you came from, Devlin, and leave Toren alone.
” Xaden’s eyes darken and I start to worry for Meekan’s safety.
I don’t know Xaden well but I can just tell he has a short fuse and doesn’t deal well with being told what to do.
I gasp when Xaden flips me in his hold so my back is to his chest and he turns us so we are facing Meek, Kellan, Cas and my brother.
Three out of four of them look like they want to tear the man behind me apart, but not Cas.
He just looks like he wants to fight. “Get the fuck away from her!” Meekan snaps.
Xaden chuckles but it’s a dark sinister sound. My eyes nearly bug out of my head when he leans down and presses an open mouthed kiss to the side of my neck. My toes curl in my shoes and my body reacts without consent as need for him consumes my every cell.
I shiver when he speaks against my neck, the vibration sending goosebumps along my skin.
“I’m not going anywhere, Di-Leo. You stupid fucks don’t get it, do you?
” Xaden pulls back from his hiding place against my neck, then rests his chin on top of my head as he continues on.
“She’s mine.” My mouth parts but no sound escapes.
Why does hearing him call me his, make me feel hot and needy?
“Your beef is with me. Let my sister go now, asshole, before you start something you can’t finish,” Masen threatens.
Both Cas and Xaden laugh, but the sound sends a shiver of dread down my spine.
“The war started a year ago. I’m just evening the playing field,” Xaden grits out, then drags me after him.
I turn back to get a glance at my brother and the others, but Cas’s huge form blocks them from my view.
Cas shoots me a warning look that has me snapping my head around.
Xaden doesn’t need to say anything as we reach his car.
I move to the passenger side without being prompted and climb in like I have done this a million times.
I watch him and Cas exchange words briefly before he finally climbs in beside me.
When he starts the car, the roar of the engine only seems to amplify the tension between us.
I watch as Cas climbs onto his bike, then Xaden pulls out with enough force to slam me back into my seat, leaving behind tire tracks.