Aiden stepped forward, trying to shield me again. “You don’t get to talk to her anymore. Get the fuck out of here.”
The command seemed to shift the last of Zack’s restraint.
The knife flashed under the dull light.
Aiden didn’t have time to react before the blade slashed deep, cutting through skin and muscle. He sucked in a sharp breath, staggering back as he grabbed at the wound.
Red bloomed across his shirt, spreading too fast.
I screamed, the sound ripping out of me before I could stop it.
Zack lunged at Aiden again, knife raised, but Rook’s hand shot out, yanking me back before I could be touched. The metal scraped sharply against the floor—too close. My heart hammered as I twisted, wanting to fight back, but Rook’s grip was iron.
My eyes stayed glued on Aiden. His eyes were wide, body coiled with tension. The two guards who’d been hiding swarmed him, pulling him in too many directions. His arms were pinned, tied roughly to the chair, focus split between defending me and struggling against the restraints. A flicker of movement caught my eye as a guard shoved something hard against the back of his head before I even realized what it was.
Reluctantly, I let Rook drag me backward, away from the room, away from Aiden, every step burning in my chest. My pulse roared, my stomach twisted with frustration and fear, and I swallowed the scream that wanted to tear out of me.
Behind me, the metallic scrape of the blade and Zack’s curses echoed, reminding me why we had no choice.
“They want you and we need you out of the room.”
“Rook,” I said, trying to resist the urge to fight him still.
“We have to go. I will come right back and get him. Aiden and I already agreed to this.”
“I’m only going if we arebothgoing back in to get him.”
We moved quickly down a series of dimly lit hallways, Rook glancing around every corner, making sure no one followed. I stumbled once, Rook’s grip tightening instantly, guiding me forward. Somewhere behind us, muffled voices argued, and I realized Aiden was still stuck in that room, fighting and bleeding, but there was nothing we could do right now.
My mind was still spinning, my body still trembling.
Everything I knew was a lie.
Zack. My past. My family. Rook—
“Rook, stop,” I yelled, pulling him to a halt. “I have to tell you something.”
“Right now? Isn’t there something a little more pressing?”
“We can keep moving, but I need you to listen to me.”
He pulled open another door, quickly glancing out and ducking back in.
“Dead end, next door.”
My heart rate picked up, and I knew I had to get the words out. It would be word vomit. A mess, but he had to know. Suddenly I understood why Aiden had been so hesitant. I understood what it felt like to say one sentence that could unravel your entire life.
“Rook, I’m not your sister. Not biologically, I mean. They told me about our parents, and why they worked with the Order. It was me. They were protecting me because I was illegally adopted.”
Rook stopped, freezing with his back to me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, quieter now. “I didn’t know.”
Rook let out a slow breath, his head tilting back like he was absorbing the weight of it. His jaw flexed, but he didn’t speak. Not right away.
My stomach twisted. Maybe it did matter to him. Maybe he—
But then he let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “That’s what they told you?”
