Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Onyx: If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you’re fooling yourself. That’s like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn’t eat him.
“This is fucking bullshit!”
I came to with Deja screaming.
“Look at him! Just look at him, Caspian!”
My eyes fluttered open, groaning to wake up.
“How could you let this happen?” she asked him.
“I’m not his keeper, Deja.”
“No, but I thought you were his best friend!”
“Deja…” I grumbled, shaking my head. Blinking a few times, I tried to find her.
Slowly, the room came into focus for me.
“Enough,” I added.
“Enough?” she spewed. “Just wait until you see what they did to you!”
“I was there. I’m fully aware, Deja.”
Her eyes widened. “You voluntarily went through this?”
I didn’t reply, too exhausted.
“Oh. My. God! What the fuck is wrong with all of you? You seriously need to get your head examined because this is not okay! Do you understand me? They could’ve killed you, and then you would’ve left me all alone in this fucked-up world, asshole!”
I chuckled, trying to sit up. “I love you too.”
She rolled her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. In three strides, she was trying to help me, but I shoved her hands away.
“Okay, Macho Man, at least drink some of this water.”
I leaned against the headboard of my bed, hissing upon contact. She placed the straw in my mouth, and I gulped down half the bottle. Dehydrated was an understatement.
Once I finished, I eased her worry. “I’m fine.”
“Fine?” she argued. “You look like you just stepped out of a Medieval Dungeon.”
“Great, I’ll add it to my résumé.”
“This is not fucking funny, Onyx! It’s not funny at all, and the fact that you’re treating it as a joke is just as disturbing!”
I sighed, leaning my head back. “Can you stop fucking screaming at me? My head is pounding.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You weren’t even conscious when they dragged you in here, not even when the doctor fixed you up.”
“I didn’t need a doctor. You couldn’t stitch me up.”
Her eyes went wide. “I almost passed out when I saw your back, Onyx.”
Caspian chimed in, “Eh, I’ve seen worse.”
She glared at him while he smiled at me.
“Would you like me to bring you a nurse?” he implied.
“First off.” She pointed right at Caspian. “You’re a fucking idiot! And second off.” She pointed right at me now. “You need to stop proving whatever the hell you think you are before you get fucking killed!”
“They’re not going to kill, Deja,” I countered. “I’m a legacy.”
“That’s never stopped them before.”
“Deja—”
“Don’t Deja me! You cannot talk your way out of this one, Onyx. What happened? Why did they do this to you? What did you do?”
I stared at the ceiling, debating what to share with her. “I kissed someone.”
Her face fell. “You what? Since when do you kiss anyone, and why does that matter?”
“It matters because of who she is.”
Her eyes narrowed in on me. “Hennessy?”
I looked at her.
“They did this because you kissed Hennessy? And the council knew?”
“That’s why they called me in.”
“So they fucking whipped you for that?”
I stared at her.
“You took a lashing for this girl?”
Again, I just stared at her.
“What. In. The. 1800s. Did I just walk into?”
“Deja—”
“No! You lost privileges to speak now!” She sat beside me on the bed, grabbing my hand. “You need to listen to me… okay? Promise me you’re going to listen.”
“I can’t listen if I’m talking to you.”
She growled in frustration. “You need to stay away from her. You getting beat to death is not on the itinerary, okay?”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” She threw my hand at me. “Fuck. You. Onyx!”
“You really need to work on your bedside manner, little sister.”
She abruptly stood. “I’m so done with you!” She pointed at Caspian again. “And especially you!”
He held his arms in the air. “What the fuck did I do?”
“Nothing! You did exactly nothing, and now my brother looks like Frankenstein!”
He gestured to me. “Oh, come on, he’s never looked better. He’ll have all these wicked scars now. Chicks love that shit.”
Her mouth dropped open. “He’s been unconscious for thirty-six hours, you dick!”
He shrugged, gesturing to me again. “And look, now he’s awake.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my throat.
Deja flung around, seething at me, “Are you laughing? You think this is a joke?”
“You standing here yelling at me isn’t helping me heal, dear sister.”
She chuckled despite herself. “You two are unbelievable.”
“See…” Caspian remarked, “You’re laughing. Chicks dig scars.”
“Caspian!” she chastised.
“What?” he grumbled. “I’m trying to find the silver lining.”
“Which is what?”
He beamed, glancing at me with a dumbass expression. “Our boy’s got his first crush…” In a high-pitched tone, he bit, “It’s so cute…”
“You both are fucking idiots!” With that, she spun around and left.
“Finally,” I breathed out when she slammed the door behind her.
His demeanor changed abruptly, and Caspian sighed. “She’s got a point, though.”
“If you’re going to ride my ass too, there’s the door.”
He dramatically set his hand on his chest. “After everything I did for you?”
As if on cue, there was a knock on my door.
“And there’s your nurse now.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“You may enter!” he called out.
The person I least expected walked through the door.
“Special delivery.” Caspian smiled wide, gesturing to her. “Your Princess, motherfucker. You’re welcome.”
If I weren’t already sitting down, this might’ve knocked me on my ass.
Hennessy
When Caspian called me last night, I was confused about how he got my number, but that quickly changed as soon as he announced, “Onyx is unconscious.”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. “What happened?”
“He was punished.”
“What do you mean? What did he do?”
“Well, for starters, he’s lost his mind over you.”
“Over me?” I exclaimed, surprised.
“That’s what I said.”
Feeling instantly defensive, I asked, “What did I do?”
“You’re here,” was all she stated.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that my boy is going to get his dick chopped off if he doesn’t keep it in his pants for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, you’re not excused. It’s actually your fault he’s in this situation in the first place.”
“My fault?” I thought back to the reason for his call. “Is he okay?”
“He’ll be fine physically, not too sure about mentally and emotionally. He’s gone soft in the head for you.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Like you don’t already know.”
“Know what?”
“That he's going to want to see you when he wakes up.”
“Is he in the hospital?”
“Of course not, he’s next door to you, tucked away in his bed.”
I frowned. “But I thought you said he’s unconscious?”
“He is.”
“Then why isn’t he at the hospital?”
“Too many questions.”
“And that’s one thing about your Brotherhood, huh? No questions allowed.”
“I didn’t call you to hear your shit, Hennessy. I called you because Onyx is the only brother I’ve ever had, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen him take a lashing for anyone.”
I gasped. “A lashing?”
“Are you a fucking parrot? Yes, a lashing.”
“Ay dios mío.”
“Yeah, no fucking shit. You’re going to have to call all your gods on this one, Princess. Your man is going to need the protection.”
“Against whom?”
“You.”
“Me?” I winced.
“Yeah, your little kiss cost him forty stitches.”
I gasped again.
“From ten lashes.”
I had to sit, trying to catch my bearings. My heart was pounding out of my chest, especially when he added…
“One for every sin.”