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Something clicks inside me when I take in the full-on bright smile Mara-Lee’s shooting in my direction. I stumble slightly and narrow my gaze on the woman, cocking my head to the side.
“Leelee?”
The smile drops from her face quickly, and she pales slightly while nodding.
“Shit.”
“Fuck.”
Those two words could be heard coming from Cedric and Finley.
A small pang hits me, and tears well in my eyes. How could I forget Leelee? She was like a big sister to me. Her family was close to mine and then she disappeared suddenly without a trace. Mara-Lee had to have recognized me, right? But how can I be upset with her when I didn’t remember her until just now.
Shaking my head to clear the pain of deception away, I look to Finley. “Can I go speak to Eliya now?”
“Cuore mio, you wanna talk to us first?” Cedric asks, coming up behind me, his front flush with my back. His arms surround me, and I melt into him slightly.
“What’s there to talk about?” I whisper, casting my gaze to the floor.
“Arwen, you just realized who I was,” Mara-Lee answers.
“Yes, I did,” I confirm, keeping my eyes down. “It’s not like I can get mad with you for not telling me. You must have your reasons for keeping it quiet. I’m a stranger to you even if we knew each other years ago. I was just a kid still.” I take a breath and finally meet Mara-Lee’s gaze head-on. “I’m sure you remember what my brothers did with me when they had time. So can we please go deal with Eliya?”
“Are the rest of us missing something?” Vex asks, stepping in between Mara-Lee and me.
“Yes, but you’ll see,” Mara-Lee says, nodding in agreement.
“Thank you,” I murmur and relax further into Cedric.
* * *
“Why?” I demand, slamming Eliya into the side of the cell. We’ve been going at it for nearly thirty minutes, and I’m done. Eliya can suffer now while she gives the answers to what she’s been playing.
“Get away from me, bitch,” Eliya screeches, trying to push away from the bars.
“Not until you tell me,” I snap, wrenching back on her hair and slamming her face back against the metal.
“He was mine,” Eliya screams.
I yank her backward and throw her to the floor. Her head hits the concrete with a thud. “Explain to me how he could be yours when he’s a person and doesn’t have ownership like some pet.”
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Mara-Lee snickers from outside the cell.
When we’d gotten down here, Cedric nearly lost it when he realized I wanted to deal with Eliya myself. But I’d given him a look that simply asked him to trust me. He’d given me this, but I noticed him staying close to the doors, ready to protect me.
Eliya stumbles to her feet and turns to glare at me. “You ruined everything. He was going to be with me. I know it. Yet you come along, cry and whine about what your uncle allowed his men to do. Did you tell them how they’d leave you chained in the basement of Tainted X for hours while his men came down to use you on a whim?” She smirks, like her saying this aloud will affect me.
It does, but I won’t show it. Not right now.
Instead, I wait for her to make more comments, to do something, but she looks behind me to Cedric.
“You know we’re supposed to be together. Why are you allowing her to hurt me?” she whines, pathetically.
“Don’t even,” Cedric sneers and calls my name. “Arwen, finish what the fuck you’re doing and be done.”
I glance over my shoulder to notice him clenching his jaw, his eyes filled with such anger I fear he’ll start breathing fire next.
I nod at him, and an idea comes to me. Glancing back to Eliya, I curl my lip in disgust and pivot on my heel. I move to the door, which swings open to Cedric standing there. I reach up to touch either side of his face and bring his lips to mine. Our kiss turns heated, but I keep it short, though Cedric gathers me in his arms and slams the door shut as he pulls me away.
