Page 140 of Relapse

I couldn’t do that. As badly as I wanted to see all three of my cousins rot in hell, I couldn’t say their names. They’d be after Noah then, for sure. Probably Damian, too. This thick headed prick didn’t even realize that I was saving his life by taking up silence as well. I’d saved him one too many times now, and he was none the wiser.

“Okay, wonderful, you aren’t a snitch.” Damian leaned back in his chair, giving me a slow, deliberate round of applause.“Have you seen yourself? Do you know that when you got to the hospital, you had three fingers barely hanging on to bone? Do you know that you nearly lost a kidney, because they had to pull,” he stopped to count to himself, “like 15 fragments of crushed glass from your body? Do you understand how many tears your sister cried for you?”

That one nearly got me. I bit my lip to keep my emotions under control, but I was close. Close to breaking down.

“I need to know,” I began, choosing my words slowly, carefully. “I need to know how Noah is. Please.”

Damian raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I was wondering if you’d ask about him. He’s down the hall. His rib was broken and he had a severe concussion that led to swelling in his brain. He’s been in a medically induced coma.”

My jaw clenched, and I tilted my head upwards slightly, away from Damian’s view. Maybe that small motion would keep all of these fucking emotions and tears where they belonged. But the word kept ringing in my ears. Coma. Noah was in a coma. And it was my fault. I hadn’t taken the danger of my family seriously enough. Jace had been right. I had thought that somehow, the respect and power I had in this organization would protect me and the life I wanted to live in secret.

I was wrong.

And worse, I caught feelings. Noah was only supposed to be transactionary, and even thinking that right now made me feel sick. Because he was so much more than that.

He was everything to me.

“Is he…awake?” The words trembled out of me.

Damian leaned forward. “Yeah, he’s awake. He’s been awake longer than you have.”

“How many days has it been since? How were we found?”

Damian countered my question with more questions. “Are you going to tell me who did this to you? And who did this to my little brother?”

We stared at each other for a moment, eyes meeting. There was something in Damian’s eyes, I noticed. Fear—an emotion I didn’t see him wear often. He was blindsided by this attack and he couldn’t begin to figure out who to turn to for answers. I was the only lead. Noah wouldn’t tell a soul, and it’s not like he knew my cousins by name anyway.

For a minute there, I saw him beyond his uniform. As a brother trying to protect his family. If it was Serenity sitting in Noah’s place, I’d be desperate for answers too. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to know.

But instead, I shook my head solemnly.

“You—” he was fuming now, knuckles turning white as he gripped the sides of the chair. “You are the biggest piece of shit, Silas Thorne. I wish my brother never fucking knew you.”

I wanted to agree with him. I had brought so much pain into Noah’s life, I didn’t really know what to do with myself anymore. Guilt fiercely weighed me down, and I was overcome by my role in this nightmare.

Damian shoved the chair back as he stood. “You want to know how you got here?”

I sucked in an unsteady breath and waited for him to explain.

“My brother texted me for help. He sent out an alert on his phone. Noah sent for help to save your life, Silas, and he got fucking jumped for it.” Damian’s face was red. “And you won’t even do the courtesy of telling me who nearly killed him? Who stepped on his fucking face and broke his bones? Fuck you!”

The tears broke free then, beyond my control. Noah was the only reason I’d made it to today—if he hadn’t stumbled upon me and sent that message, I might never have woken up. I couldn’t be fully honest with Damian, but I had to give him enough to understand: I was trying to shield Noah, even now.

Damian was marching for the door when I called out.

“Wait—”

He turned, hands clenched at his sides.

“If I were to tell you the names, it would put Noah in more danger. I’ve known them too long to pretend they’d show any type of mercy.”

Damian said nothing, but I knew something registered just then, understanding dawned across his features. The pieces of information I had given him were clicking into place.

Before either of us could say anything else, the door to my hospital room suddenly swung open, nearly hitting Damian. My nurse strutted in with a smile.

And Jace followed right behind her.

Quickly, I wiped the tears from my face and tried my best to look normal.