Page 72 of Speak No Claim

“How could you let this happen?” she asked him.

“I’m not his keeper, Deja.”

“No, but I thought you were his best friend!”

“Deja…” I grumbled, shaking my head. Blinking a few times, I tried to find her.

Slowly, the room came into focus for me.

“Enough,” I added.

“Enough?” she spewed. “Just wait until you see what they did to you!”

“I was there. I’m fully aware, Deja.”

Her eyes widened. “You voluntarily went through this?”

I didn’t reply, too exhausted.

“Oh. My. God! What the fuck is wrong with all of you? You seriously need to get your head examined because this is not okay! Do you understand me? They could’ve killed you, and then you would’ve left me all alone in this fucked-up world, asshole!”

I chuckled, trying to sit up. “I love you too.”

She rolled her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. In three strides, she was trying to help me, but I shoved her hands away.

“Okay, Macho Man, at least drink some of this water.”

I leaned against the headboard of my bed, hissing upon contact. She placed the straw in my mouth, and I gulped down half the bottle. Dehydrated was an understatement.

Once I finished, I eased her worry. “I’m fine.”

“Fine?” she argued. “You look like you just stepped out of a Medieval Dungeon.”

“Great, I’ll add it to my résumé.”

“This is not fucking funny, Onyx! It’s not funny at all, and the fact that you’re treating it as a joke is just as disturbing!”

I sighed, leaning my head back. “Can you stop fucking screaming at me? My head is pounding.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You weren’t even conscious when they dragged you in here, not even when the doctor fixed you up.”

“I didn’t need a doctor. You couldn’t stitch me up.”

Her eyes went wide. “I almost passed out when I saw your back, Onyx.”

Caspian chimed in, “Eh, I’ve seen worse.”

She glared at him while he smiled at me.

“Would you like me to bring you a nurse?” he implied.

“First off.” She pointed right at Caspian. “You’re a fucking idiot! And second off.” She pointed right at me now. “You need to stop proving whatever the hell you think you are before you get fucking killed!”

“They’re not going to kill, Deja,” I countered. “I’m a legacy.”

“That’s never stopped them before.”

“Deja—”