Page 45 of Speak No Claim

Our mother tried to change it. She wanted better for Deja. Instead, she was silenced.

If she did haul ass, the families would murder her, and part of me thought that was the appeal for Deja. To not have to live in this world, one that she didn’t have much say in. I mean, being a Devereaux offered her more advantages than most women married off into the Brotherhood, but not much, and she knew it.

“Should I go look in my room and make sure my betrothed hasn’t hidden cameras everywhere?” she asked, making me lose my patience.

“Is this what you’re doing now?” She made her way over to me. “I should tell Hennessy you’re stalking her.”

“Then you’d have to answer to me.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

“Maybe, but you are scared of Dad.”

She inhaled deeply, hating that I was spitting facts.

“It’s not right what you’re doing to her. You can’t play with people’s lives whenever you feel like it, Onyx.”

“This was set long in place before you and I were ever born, Deja.”

“Jesus, why can’t our family just go to therapy and be done with it? This curse⁠—”

“Deja…” With one stern expression, I rendered her speechless.

“This is so messed up. You know that, right? You’re a fucking psychopath.”

“Sociopath,” I corrected. “If you’re going to diagnose me, at least get it right.”

“That’s worse! You have no remorse for what you do.”

I shrugged, mirroring her stance. “If you truly understood that, you wouldn’t be in my room provoking me right now.”

“Ugh!” She spun so fast, leaving in a second.

“She’s right, you know?” Caspian tore my attention back to him.

“What we do is fucked up.”

I smiled, not hesitating to admit…

* * *

“Yeah, but it’s so much fucking fun.”

Chapter

Fourteen

Hennessy: Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

A month flew by, and nothing had changed about my environment. I’d seen my uncle a few times in passing, but other than that, I was mostly alone with all my uncontrolled thoughts and emotions.

At first, I believed I made some friends with the girls at school, but other than running into each other in the halls, I didn’t hang out with any of them, including Onyx’s sister. I had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with her brother or just being a Devereaux in general.

Is there a difference?

Today was five weeks I’d been at the Graves, and for the first time, I was going out to venture on my own to see all the historical buildings in town. I was on my way out of the garage with a bike I’d found in there when Alfred halted my descent.

“Miss.” He greeted me in an easy tone. “Please let me drive you.”