Chapter 10 #3
He moves forward some more, and I fire a question, hoping to stall him, and look around for the staff that usually pops up from every corner but are nowhere in sight now. “You have another theory?”
“She wanted a man on her own terms. I think Zeus, as her father, skewed her views on relationships, but an obsessed hunter? I bet she could have lived with that and would have accepted him.” Why are we even discussing mythical gods as if they were humans?
“Her brother couldn’t accept it, which proves that no one fucks you up more in this life than your own family. ”
“Those theories aren’t even that popular. She was a virgin goddess who eluded men hungry for conquest or power. She was never in love with any of them.”
“You’re named after her. Do more research, darling, and look what she truly represents.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I stay silent.
“Knowledge is power. And trust me, you’ll need it.” He points at my ring. “Wearing that makes you a target for vicious people, and it’s better to have epic comebacks for them.”
What the hell?
“Who are you?” I finally ask.
“According to the press, you’re plain as day,” he hisses through his teeth. “They are liars. You’re very beautiful. Which makes all of this even more interesting.”
Somehow, his so-called compliment sounds more like a mockery. “Who are you?” I repeat, clearing my throat and standing still. Why should I be intimidated by some random dude in my own, for the time being, house?
“My middle name is Actaeon. You don’t need to know anything more.”
The name rings a bell. Honestly, there are so many versions of these myths that one might come up with a new story every single time.
“Actaeon? As in the infamous hero who got in trouble with Artemis because he spied on her when she bathed, and as punishment, she transformed him into a stag so his own hounds tore him apart?”
His gaze darkens. “You could say that. Annoying-as-fuck name, if you ask me. Dying because of one’s weakness is not the way to go.”
All right.
This just got weirder.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you, of course.” My brow furrows.
“In a way, Artemis was the reason both Actaeon and Orion met their unfortunate fate. One must always study their enemy to know what to expect. Myths teach us to be cautious for a reason, and those who ignore them are fools destined to fail and repeat history every single time.”
Now he sounds delusional. This Actaeon understands we aren’t actual characters in myths, right?
He extends his hand toward my face, about to make contact, when I feel heat at my back, and a brawny arm wraps around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest. The instant his warmth surrounds me, it calms all the alarm bells ringing in my ears.
My body grows soft at once, and relief fills every cell in my body when Orion’s voice echoes in the night, enveloping me in a protective cocoon. “Don’t touch my wife, Actaeon, unless you want me to break your hand.”
I know I should escape the embrace, but instead, I burrow deeper into it and put my hands on his arm, choosing the devil I know among the two.
Actaeon sighs dramatically and flips the lighter open again, amusement flashing in his eyes as he watches us.
“I was just welcoming Diana into the family.” Into what now?
“After all, she’s my sister-in-law, and since you guys are celebrating your one-month anniversary tonight, I figured it’s the perfect moment for that.
” He lights up the lighter and brings it to his chin, tracing it over his skin, and it must burn him at least a little.
He doesn’t so much as flinch at the action.
“So I took our private jet and came here. Don’t you appreciate that, Diana? ”
My jaw about hits the ground at this news that makes zero sense to me.
Brother-in-law? There was no information about Orion having a sibling.
Actaeon also doesn’t seem like the person who can be contained, so someone with his character would have made headlines by now.
Or maybe I misunderstood?
“Brother-in-law…as in you’re his cousin?”
Orion tenses behind me, and his grip around me grows stronger when Actaeon shakes his head, closing the lighter.
“We’re siblings, half brothers to be precise.
We share the same father. Unfortunately, that fucker procreated twice.
Well, successfully, that is.” Anger seeps from his words, leaving no doubt that he shares everyone’s sentiments in this castle about the guy. “May he rot in eternal hell. Amen.”
“So you are a Walker?” It would explain why no one ever made the connection between the two.
“I’m not a Walker.”
“Oh.”
How is this possible? So he’s a Wright?
The brothers have little desire to address my confusion. Instead, Orion barks, “Why aren’t you at the boarding school?” Oh, so he’s, what? Seventeen or eighteen?
Actaeon snatches out a cigarette from the pack in his back pocket and rolls his eyes when my husband adds, “Don’t even think about smoking in front of Diana.”
He puts it behind his ear instead and hooks his thumbs in his front pockets. “A little break wouldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, I’m the best in my class, and most of them are boring as fuck. Teachers don’t mind, either.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard.”
“What did you hear?”
“You’re harassing a new student. She’s afraid to attend her classes because you’ve already crashed a few of them. She is also nonverbal due to a childhood trauma that took away her parents.”
Now it’s Actaeon’s turn to tense, and his fingers flex around the lighter.
His face still stays emotionless, but a muscle on his cheek ticks.
“Harassing is such a strong word for what’s going on between us.
Let’s just say she saw something she shouldn’t have, and now we have a problem. In time, she’ll learn.”
If I thought he was crazy before, now he sounds downright insane, reminding me of those psychopaths psychiatrists speak about on various documentaries.
“It stops now, Actaeon. If you continue to harass the girl, there will be consequences, and you won’t like any of them.” It seems my husband might be cruel, but not so cruel as to allow his spoiled brother to bully some innocent girl.
I expect Actaeon to say something bizarre once again, or argue with Orion, as he doesn’t seem like a person who listens to orders much.
He does none of those things and instead shrugs.
“As you wish, Brother.” I don’t miss the lack of sincerity in his words.
He simply claps his hands. “I’m starving.
Let’s eat. That witch forbade me from touching anything.
Remember to invite me to her funeral. I’d toast to that.
” With that, he goes toward the terrace as we stand still.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to process it all.
A gasp slips past my lips when Orion turns me around, cupping my cheek. His other hand skims from my arm to my waist, gripping it. “Are you all right? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” He tips my chin up. “You can tell me.”
“No, he only showed up five minutes ago. I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“It’s a long story.” His thumb brushes over my cheek, the touch evoking goose bumps and sending scorching heat through me.
And my heartbeat speeds up when he leans forward, his breath fanning my lips.
“He doesn’t know the truth. To him, this marriage is real, so we'd better act like we adore each other tonight.”
And just like that, his words burst the cocoon around me, reminding me about our situation and how staying close to this man is dangerous to my heart.
Pushing him away, I take several steps back and lift my chin while meeting his stare. “Let’s put on a great show, then.”
I follow Actaeon when Orion says, “Diana, I need to talk to you after dinner.”
He’s ignored me all this time, but now wants to talk?
And then it hits me.
It’s been one month since we got married, which means he’ll be thirty-six soon.
I couldn’t find any information about his birthday—he keeps that well hidden—but I know it means he’ll get his family’s estate soon.
I’ve heard the staff gossip about it when they thought I couldn’t hear them.
Maybe he won’t need me living with him when he gets his hands on it, and this brings to the surface the stupid pain I wish I'd forgotten.
I hurry my strides, praying to get through this ordeal in peace, even though my whole body seems to forget to function properly in his presence.
Even though the man could write a book about how he constantly rejects me.
Tonight, Diana, Orion, and Actaeon are going to have dinner.
Sounds like the start of some ironic or lame joke.
Let’s hope it won’t turn into a nightmare for me because this family seems to have more secrets than I originally anticipated. And the thing about secrets?
They have the power to scare, scar, and destroy.
Let the gods toss a coin tonight.
And may the odds, as always, be in Artemis’s favor.