But then I saw Dimitros standing to the side, his eyes locked on the man bound to a chair. I gasped, recognizing him, and then quickly registered Lykos and Salvatore towering over him with hands covered in blood. Lykos’s white shirt was covered in blood and rolled up at the sleeves, but what struck me was his face. There was no pity, no mercy,nothing.
Aria seized up next to me, and I realized my mistake. Her eyes dilated, her face taking on an expression that scared the shit out of me, and she let out a high-pitched scream.
All eyes jerked toward us.
She screamed and screamed, a loud wail that made the hairs on my neck rise. I wrapped her in my arms while I stared at the scene with disbelief.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, although I was certain nobody could hear me through the screams.
“Dimitros,” Lykos shouted, nodding toward Aria. “Take care of your sister.”
Dimitros ran over to us while all I could do was hug her and rock her, staring at my father’s bloodied body tied to the chair. Dimitros tried to take Aria, but she wouldn’t go to him, and judging by the expression on his face, it was the first time this had happened.
“Aria,” I whispered, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Who’s that?” she screamed. “So much blood.”
Then she let out another wail, her screams echoing through the warehouse. She was clinging to me like a wounded animal while reeling from Dimitros.
“Hey,” I murmured. “You’re okay. I got you. Dimitros is here too.” She turned her head, peering at her big brother through her wet lashes with a scared expression. “He would never hurt you.”
Her screams finally stopped.
“Who’s that?” she asked in a raspy voice while silent tears rolled down her face. “Why are you… killing him?”
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “He’s… That’s my father, and he’s a bad guy.” I had no idea where those words came from, but I was desperate to calm her down. “Dimitros and Papa were just protecting you.”
Dimitros took a tentative step, crouching down, and she let him hug her. He began to speak to her in a soothing voice. She leaned into him, soaking in his strength.
While my attention lingered on Aria, Lykos cleaned his hands and joined us. They remained faintly pink, but the blood was gone.
Then he was back and he hovered over Aria, watching her carefully.
“Aria, look at me.” When she didn’t move, he repeated, his voice soft but firm. “Look at Papa, please.” She slowly shifted to look at him, her eyes cautious, and he let out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this. I love you, and I’m still the same papa you always knew.”
Her eyes flickered to me, then behind me, only to return to Lykos. “That’s Violet’s father.” He nodded. “He’s a bad guy?”
“Yes,” he murmured, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “He hurt Violet and threatened to hurt you. I couldn’t let that slide.”
Aria’s eyes, full of questions, met mine. “Is that true?”
“Every word,” I breathed. “You stay here with your brother, okay?” I said calmly, although my insides were in chaos. I was hesitant to leave her, but I needed to talk with Lykos and ask what the fuck was going on. Why in the hell would he bring the one man I never wanted to see here?
“Yeah,” she murmured as Dimitros sat down on the concrete floor with her in his arms and nodded a silent acknowledgement that he had her. Aria whimpered before curling into her brother.
Lykos took them in with a pained expression, clearly wanting to stay and comfort Aria, but, in her state, she might start screaming again.
I took his hand and yanked him away toward Salvatore, who hadn’t bothered to wash up.
The coppery scent of blood hung like fog in the air, clogging my throat and nose, and it seemed to sink into my skin along with the horrible images of my father. He was still tied to the chair, his eyes burning a hole in me.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I hissed, glaring at both of them.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Salvatore drawled without a hint of remorse. “You know, people die when they witness this shit.”
“Salvatore, threaten my future wife again and you’ll be my ex-friend,” Lykos warned in a cold tone.
He just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
