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“Shut up. Both of you.” Kyrin leans his head back.
I lift my face slightly until I’m met with Eli’s eyes. “So, you came here to help?”
“Yes and no.” He diverts his gaze to the other side of the room where it stays. “Part of my lineage in The Kings is to cause a stir among our enemies. My last name, Rebellis, is Latin for rebel. All of The Kings have a last name, which is their role in The Kings. I stir up mischief and cause a scene, but I’m also pretty good at keeping the peace, too. When The Kings came across this information, it gave me another reason to hang around—to see if Kiznitch had any part in an issue The Kings were having dealing with a specific orphanage cult.” He rolls his eyes. “Long story, another time.”
“So you’re staying until you reach the bottom of it?”
He nods, finally turning back to face me. “Yes, because this is what I have to do for The Kings.” I notice he doesn’t hold my eyes as he says the words. I don’t bother to ask him why he’s telling a filtered lie. “Once we know that whatever bullshit is happening in Patience is of no connection to The Kings…” He pauses, and I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs. “I’ll leave.”
I walk back into the house with new eyes. Different to what I felt the last time I was here. Saskia jumps up from the sofa as soon as I walk in and runs to me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “Thank God you’re okay, Lilith.”
I remain frozen, my arms sticking to the side of my body, unmoving. I breathe out a sigh of relief when warmth washes through my veins and I slowly lift my arms up and hug her back. “Of course I am.”
Sass steps back, her hands still squeezed around my arms. “Perse, the reason she didn’t like you was because she overheard King telling—”
“—fucking hell, Kill. Maim your woman!” King tosses a bottle cap at him.
Killian flips him off.
“—she overheard—” Sass glares at King before coming back to me. “King telling Killian about you getting texts from Patience and that you were working with Patience. The Dolls trying to join Mayhem and all of that. It was Perse being Perse. She thought you were evil and unredeemable.”
“The worst part about how you’re looking at me right now is that I can’t tell you what I felt when I found out they had performed that surgery because I can’t remember. I can’t remember anything.”
“We’re going to fix that…” Kill says, gesturing to the sofa. “Come lie down. I can’t promise that it’s not gonna hurt, but I’m pretty sure you can handle it. What with your bleeding knuckles and bruised face, I’m guessing you’re every bit the fucking badass you look like.”
I lower myself down. “There are blank areas. I can think back to a few months ago, give or take, but there’s something there, a gap. I never thought too much into it because I figured they had drugged me.” I wince. “They did that sometimes, but usually only when you’re new, to relax you, and usually only used MDMA.”
Killian drags a kitchen chair opposite me. “Do you remember who you were with those months ago, around where the blank happens?”
Fuck. “Wait, where are the people who were in Patience? What did you do with them all?”
Killian looks at someone—I’m guessing Kyrin since I can feel him breathing down my neck. “They’re safe.”
“For now,” Keaton adds, flicking a knife between his fingers.
“Who were you with, Lilith?”
I lean back against the sofa, resting my head against the edge. I close my eyes. “My friend Bear.”
Silence.
“The girl who was dancing at the bar that night? With the mask on? That same Bear?” Keaton again, now sounding interested. Trust is a fickle emotion. It’s somewhere between friendship and honesty. I know I could offer them information on Bear in return for their trust, since I’m certain they have none of it for me right now, but I won’t. That’s not my story to tell; it’s Bear’s, and when she’s ready to expose her secrets and tell all, I’m sure she will.
The front door closes and Kyrin’s parents walk in slowly, both of them with their eyes on Killian and me.
“Yes, that was Bear.”
“How did she end up at that bar, and then back to Patience?” It’s Killian’s turn to ask questions now.
I keep my eyes trained on the ceiling, where the patterns from the plaster swirl.
“Patience uses it as a buying platform.” I tilt my head back farther, bringing my eyes right to Eli. “But then, you guys already knew that, right?”
Eli’s fingers are on my chin, his thumb pressed against my lip. “I didn’t know if you knew about my part in the club. I had to test the waters, see how much you knew.” I don’t want to fight with him. For the first time since being here, it feels as though my presence isn’t exactly uncomfortable, not that it would bother me if I were. Energy is like fine wine. What notes people taste aren’t controlled by the wine itself, but rather the taster.
