Page 73 of Speak No Claim

“Don’t Deja me! You cannot talk your way out of this one, Onyx. What happened? Why did they do this to you? What did you do?”

I stared at the ceiling, debating what to share with her. “I kissed someone.”

Her face fell. “You what? Since when do you kiss anyone, and why does that matter?”

“It matters because of who she is.”

Her eyes narrowed in on me. “Hennessy?”

I looked at her.

“They did this because you kissed Hennessy? And the council knew?”

“That’s why they called me in.”

“So they fucking whipped you for that?”

I stared at her.

“You took a lashing for this girl?”

Again, I just stared at her.

“What. In. The. 1800s. Did I just walk into?”

“Deja—”

“No! You lost privileges to speak now!” She sat beside me on the bed, grabbing my hand. “You need to listen to me… okay? Promise me you’re going to listen.”

“I can’t listen if I’m talking to you.”

She growled in frustration. “You need to stay away from her. You getting beat to death is not on the itinerary, okay?”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Dramatic?” She threw my hand at me. “Fuck. You. Onyx!”

“You really need to work on your bedside manner, little sister.”

She abruptly stood. “I’m so done with you!” She pointed at Caspian again. “And especially you!”

He held his arms in the air. “What the fuck did I do?”

“Nothing! You did exactly nothing, and now my brother looks like Frankenstein!”

He gestured to me. “Oh, come on, he’s never looked better. He’ll have all these wicked scars now. Chicks love that shit.”

Her mouth dropped open. “He’s been unconscious for thirty-six hours, you dick!”

He shrugged, gesturing to me again. “And look, now he’s awake.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my throat.

Deja flung around, seething at me, “Are you laughing? You think this is a joke?”

“You standing here yelling at me isn’t helping me heal, dear sister.”

She chuckled despite herself. “You two are unbelievable.”