Chapter XIV
"She hasn't moved from there."
Arien arrived home as soon asS?ren alerted him that something was wrong with Soleil.
"What did you doS?ren?" The deathly quiet accusation rung out.
Only tried to get her to take a truth serum under the guise of a vaccination.
Suddenly his plan sounded like the stupidest thing he'd ever done.
S?renground his teeth, in this rare moment struggling to explain himself.
As difficult as he found the words to describe what had transpired,S?ren forced himself tomethodically explain everything. He laid the entire plan out as Arien's incredulity grew. As his anger grew.
Ending with a resolute, "I admit my mistake." Another rare moment.
S?rencould tell Arien wanted to fight him like that had when they were much younger. He could see Arien flashing with anger, hurt, and disbelief as words failed him.
How does one tell his own twin that he hates him in a moment?
S?renfilled the silence, "I think she needs you right now."
Clenching and unclenching a hand which had proved to be useless in the moment, he didn't know how to comfort. "She was asking for you earlier."
Yet another instance which should have alerted him that something was wrong. She'd been repeating questions, not following the conversation...just generally off the whole morning.
Her inattentiveness. She'd been acting confused, not responding like normal.
Her clothes. She'd been wearing so many layers despite it being a warm day.
Her asking for Arien. After what she said yesterday about him, she wouldn't have been so interested in his whereabouts.
S?rennoticed things, so he was beating himself up for letting all this get past him. Allowing everything to get to this state.
"She was?" Arien was now speaking so softly, crouching down close to her. As though nearing a spooked animal.
"Soleil? It's me Arien." His breath was a mere whisper.
There came no response from her, no movement. Just her arms crossed above her bent knees, a blank stare into the near distance, head lowered.
S?ren paced a moment more, one more truth needing to be spoken, no matter how damning it was, how it would be the final nail in his coffin of sins committed.
Now not able to keep it to himself any longer, and not certain how to even break the news, the words dropped like a rock, "She's human."
Arien's head snapped his way, almost painfully fast, "What?"
"She admitted it when refusing what she thought to be a, well, wolf vaccination."
Arien's eyes flashed. Looking torn between pummeling his brother and comforting Soleil.
An incredulous plea dropped from Arien lips, "No, it can't be...she can't be..."
Stifling anger permeated the room as he slowly accepted the truth.
"That makes everything worse. So. Much. Worse. Brother." The final word spat like a curse.
S?renscratched a large palm roughly down his face. He knew. Of course he knew.
"Calm down, your anger won't help Soleil."
He never called her that. Had he ever said her name before this point?
More dangerous, dark emotions drenched Arien.
"Oh now you know what's best for her?"
Arien was spiraling, losing the battle against his temper. He tried to reign it in. As much as he longed to hurtS?ren in this moment, his brother was right - Soleil didn't need his anger right now after everything.
He couldn't look his brothers way any longer, "Just get out."
With one more quick glance Soleil's way,S?ren strode out, neither of them wanted him around and he accepted that reality as a punishment.
Left in the wake of destruction, Arien crouched even closer, lowering his voice infinitely.
"I'm so sorry Soleil. They're gone, you're safe now. You're safe here with me."
Soleil floated somewhere between her conscious and unconscious, hazy for the moment and lost to the happenings around her. It was safe there.
With nothing registering, Arien simply stayed close, close enough to touch but not daring to. Trying, failing,to keep his anger, helplessness at bay.
Long minutes ticked by with her only breathing, not moving, Arien filling the silence with whispered reassurances.
He knew not what else to do. He didn't know how to make things right again.
He'd been trying so hard to get them to a better place, to allow Soleil to be comfortable and for her to start feeling safe here, only to have it obliterated once more byS?ren.
Arien just couldn't understand why his brother would do this.
Just a day ago, he'd felt a moment of headway with Soleil, he'd felt as though things were slowly getting better, like she might one day forgive them and allow herself to be his mate.
But now...? Defeat set in.
Finally Soleil found herself back in herself, could feel the carpet under her feet. Could hear the whispered words of Arien meeting her ears. She was back on the ground, panic no longer the only thing thrumming through her body.
She quietly spoke, "What happens now?"
A gently confused Arien met her eyes, brow furrowed.
"Now that you know," she explained.
Know that I'm a weak human completely at your mercy.
Finally catching onto her train of thought, Arien quickly reassured, "Nothing, nothing Soleil. I promise. You're safe, I won't let anything happen again."
Despite his earnest tone, Arien's words failed to reassure her.
Another lie, he'd had made the same useless promise before.
And somehow he always managed to fail her, always failed to protect her fromS?ren.
In some ways she thought that to be nearly worse - at least she knew what to expect fromS?ren, she was never surprised by his darkness.
Whereas Arien acted like a friend, yet one that could do nothing to protect her or free her.
Despite playing good cop, the truth remained that both good cop and bad cop were always working for the same side. The side that kept her locked up here.
A truth she'd try to remember going forward.
She didn't what him around her any longer, "You can leave."
"But-"
Soleil firmed her voice, "Leave."
Arien looked as if about to try and convince her before rising with a resigned sigh. Thanks for ruining everythingS?ren. Hereluctantly made his way out, gently shutting the door.
Day passed with her locked in her room.
Night passed with a scuffle between the brothers - Arien's knuckles bruised,S?rensporting a blackened eye.
This self-imposed prison wasn't viable forever.
I rallied myself for the day once the sun had fully risen.
Flashes of yesterday came back to me like a broken reel, I'd been so disconnected, so out of control that I hadn't felt fully present.
S?ren
The doctor
The syringe
S?renagain
Arien at the end
Yesterday was...hard.And I felt drained, emptied of so much emotion. I pushed it from my mind, I had to pack away all the feelings that tainted the day, that's the only way I'd move forward today. Like I always did.
Something was also loosened, now that I knew they knew the secret I'd been carrying.
There was no retaliation, nothing terrible had happened.
I was fine. I would be fine.After struggling to inhale for most of yesterday, it felt like a richness of oxygen had returned to my lungs.
I felt less fractured today. I just felt fine again.
Even if it was just fine for now, that was enough.
I would have breakfast like everything was normal, I could pretend that I hadn't nearly lost it like a crazy person yesterday. They didn't get to have me broken or crazy, no. I was choosing to move forward like I always did.
Feeling like an okay version of myself, I pulled my bedroom door open, finally ready to leave, only to nearly bump into the figure standing right out side.
S?ren?
He too looked almost taken aback for a second, straightening to meet my eyes.
I paused. His eyes scanned me, probably trying to figure out the unstable girl. My eyes narrowed in return.
Then a roughly ground out unexpected explanation, "I just meant to slip this under your door."
His hand held out a folder.
Momentarily confused, I reached for it.
"The information you requested." Another clipped explanation.
Oh. My mother. The new man.
I'd forgotten about that, feeling as though ages had passed since we last spoke about this.
Honestly, our deal didn't even really hold up.
I'd not done what I needed to...but I guess he did get a secret out of me.
That was some sort of repayment right? And a near mental breakdown from me.
More than enough repayment I wryly figured.
Perhaps a thanks was in order but I'd be damned if I thankedS?ren for anything.
"Ask if you have any other questions." And then he seemed done with the conversation, about to do his signature dismissive stride off.
"Wait." I shifted uncomfortably.
Muscles tightening, he stalled.
"You have breakfast yet? Maybe join me while I look over this, so I can ask you if I have any questions. Might as well get it over with."
Then a flicker on his face, surprise perhaps? I could never tell with his features.
Colour me surprised too, but I just needed to know this. Needed to get this done without finding him again later. And maybe I had more questions. I felt strangely brave this morning. Maybe since I figured the worse had happened and nothing had happened in retaliation, I was feeling dangerous.
I walked ahead, not awaiting the no. Maybe he'd follow to the kitchen, maybe not, not the end of the world.
To my surprise, his steady steps followed behind.
This was decidedly strange.
Me sitting at the small breakfast nook in the kitchen andS?renright across.
Constance had laid out a selection of delicious foods and I was readily tucking in. My hunger from yesterday suddenly making an aching appearance.
Croissants. Fluffy scrambled eggs.Blueberry pancakes.A selection of bacon and cold meats. Enough cheese to have the fanciest charcuterie board. So many different fruits atop rich yogurt. Honey soaked waffles. A perfect cup of strong, freshly brewed coffee.
Yum.
It's like kind Constance knew I had the worst day yesterday and prepared this spread to raise my spirits.
I needed to thank her properly, she always treated me with such care.
My nose burned at the thought. She was a rare person in my life that consistently acted with kindness towards me with no ulterior motive.
And usually I wasn't too interested in food, but after a day of not eating?
I was ravenous.
I stopped scarfing things down for a second to lookS?ren's way.
I could've laughed at how uncomfortable he looked, as if bodily harm was preferable to this. Speaking of bodily harm, come to think of it, his eye did look to be almost having the hint of a bruise... When the morning light caught his face, an almost blue-ish,purple-ish hue became apparent.
I spoke with a mouth full of half-eaten food, "What happened to your eye?"
That nerve close to his eye flickered, slightly looking away, he muttered, "Arien."
Now a short derisive laugh did escape me. Soft, obedient Arien had punched his older brother. Way to go.
Not wanting to press more, he already looked ready to bolt, I swallowed my laugh and offered, "Eat something."
S?renlooked unused to using utensils or even see a breakfast spread. Just staring, like trying to figure out the food in front of him. For a second he wasn't scary, angryS?ren, just...peculiar.
Noticing he didn't even have a plate in front of him, I hopped up to find one, grabbing it quickly and holding it his way - "Here."
He deftly set it down on the table.
"The croissants are good." As if to tempt the man who didn't seem to know what people did at breakfast.
I took a final bite of the one on my plate, licking my fingers clean, I reached for the folder. At the back of my mind, I was pausing my eating to provide him some privacy to eat as well. I slowly perused the documents;
Benjamin Rutherford. Fancy name.
Age: 64
Divorced but amicably. Shows he's not a completely shit guy I guess.
Clean criminal record. Not so much as parking ticket.
Accountant working at the same company for 30 years. Steady, boring.
Two children, 17 21. Loads of pictures of the family on his social media, looking like a close and present father.
I slyly glancedS?ren's way, he was now precisely cutting through the croissant with knife and fork. Taking quick but small bites, his attention was so completely on the task at hand. It was strangely...amusing. Who ate like that?
He was so guarded even when eating but at the same time, so wholly concentrated on the task that it took him a minute to catch my eye again.
I cleared my throat, caught in my perusal of him, "So a completely normal guy?"
"Yes, nothing unusual. We were thorough." If the way he ate was any indication, I'm sure he was.
I guess that should be a relief. And it did feel good knowing.
But now I had more questions for my mother - Was it serious?
Had she met the kids? Was she happy? Maybe most selfishly, most importantly- How did I fit in?
It had always just been us two, me trying to take care of her and vice versa.
I'd send her most of my paycheck each month, for what she needed and the rest to be saved for our future plans.
She hadn't mentioned anything about that on our recent calls, was hethe reason why?
It just felt weird not being there for my mother in all this. Made me feel itchy internally.
"Can arrange for someone to check in on your mother occasionally." S?ren immediately focused back on his plate after posing his offer, as if it were a casual gesture.
I tried to figure the reason for this sudden offer.
It felt weighty, like a truce, or some sort of an apology that a guy likeS?ren was never capable of verbalising.
I couldn't imagine the words 'I'm sorry' existing in his vocabulary.
But this was close enough for me. Words didn't hold much meaning to me.
"Okay."
I continued eating,S?ren too,silence returning once more between the two of us.