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I’m reluctant to look up. I know Terra is here and I can’t bear to speak with her.
“Edgar.” Her voice is placid and smooth.
My eyes lift to meet hers and I clench the sheets beneath me. Why is she here? She looks so accepting. I couldn’t stand her fucking face when she walked through the portal, her eyes filled with awe and affection for the men accompanying her. One of them is with her now and it makes my stomach churn with bile.
A large lump forms in the back of my throat, one I’m not sure I can swallow. She is covered in dried blood. Her partner is too. Does she even know what she’s bathed in? This is not the sister I remember. Sully whispers from beneath my skin, She left you to die with your parents. She knew. Is that true? I have no reason to believe that Sully tells the truth, and yet my heart falters.
“What’s become of you? You’re a shell of the sister I knew,” I say in a raspy, hateful voice, my glare burning through her emerald eyes.
Terra’s expression wanes, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Edgar, it’s me.”
I stand and cross my arms as I circle her and her companion. I sneer at the sight of them. “You betrayed us. Mom and Dad are dead because of you.”
The male bares his teeth and takes a daunting step toward me. “What the fuck did you just say to her?” His eyes are royal blue and turquoise crescent moons rounds each iris.
I hold my ground. “I said it’s her fucking fault. She betrayed us.” My fury surprises her. She stumbles to find the words to say, so I beat her to it. “Just leave. I wish to be alone.” I sit back down on the bed. Terra’s companion clenches his teeth so tightly it makes my own hurt.
No one speaks or moves.
“I didn’t betray you, Edgar. Never,” she finally says quietly. We stare at one another until my pain is so overwhelming that I bite my cheek to keep the tears from welling in my eyes. “Never you, never our family.”
After a moment of silence, she leaves. Her companion shoots me another glare before following her out. I let out a sigh and fall backward on my bed.
I believe her… so why am I still so angry?
I close my eyes. Terra had the warmest smile of anyone I’ve ever known. She wouldn’t smile like she does now. There’s something crooked about her.
Something crooked. I ponder the thought.
Like Sully. She must have one too—a Shadow.
And Sully despises it. The weight that pulled away from her was intense and I only noticed its absence once she left.
Pain changes you, Edgar, remember? She needs to be disposed of. That’s not your sister, not anymore, Sully whispers inside my head.
I ponder that too.
3
Terra
Raine comes with me to shower. I don’t think he has any interest in seeing his own quarters at the moment. I must admit, I only let my weary eyes skirt my dark room before I’m walking straight to the bathroom. A bed, desk, and lancet window with a reading seat. Dust curls in the one stream of light that beams into my room. A stack of books that I’ll nosedive into later perhaps, but the only thing I want right now is to get all of this blood off my skin.
The octagonal white tiles make the bathroom practically shine. There’s not a spot of grime or dirt in here. Raine moves to the shower—only a wall of glass separates it from the rest of the bathroom—and turns on the water.
He doesn’t bother stepping out of the shower as he strips his matted jacket from his skin and unties his combat boots. I watch soundlessly as Raine’s muscles flex beautifully under the stream of water. The dried blood rehydrates like water paint, returning to its intoxicating color as it spills from his body and down the drain.
His pants are the last to go, sliding slowly down his legs, freeing his half-hard cock. My throat is dry and heat pools in my core as I watch my handsome, broken man tilt his head back in the hot water, parting his lips just enough to look serene.
I unzip my jacket and shed my ruined clothes, stepping out of my pants languidly and drawing Raine’s eyes back to me. Red streams of water glide down his face. He raises his hand for me and smiles. “Come here.”
He steps aside for me to submerge myself. I hiss as the heat stings my skin but it quickly becomes soothing and I let out a long breath. Raine stands at my back, his hands softly touching my skin and helping wash away the blood.
I could lose myself here and pretend I’m back at home. Pretend my life isn’t some far-fetched tale. The thought of Finn being as different as Edgar makes my stomach curl with dread. I lower my head and let the water run over my face.
Raine grips the base of my neck with one hand as his other smooths down my waist and cups my ass. He brings his lips close to my ear and takes a deep breath before whispering, “Want me to entertain you, babe? I know your head’s probably all fucked right now with the nasty things your brother said.” He pauses. I lift my head and meet his gaze. He sets both hands on my hips and guides me back until we’re both under the water. “Let me try to take it away?” he says sadly.
I stare at his weary blue eyes and let my gaze lower to his soft lips. “Raine, I know you’re hurting from everything that happened in Barkovah. Don’t hide your grief,” I murmur against his lips as he presses his forehead to mine. It’s then that I notice his tears, almost impossible to see.
