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No, he did not.
“Levi rounded up his buddies and set fire to our place over winter break,” he dropped, widening my eyes. “Campus was deserted. We always stay while everyone else clears out to the ski resorts in Aspen. The fire would’ve smoked us out. Ten of them were waiting with bats and brass knuckles. That’s if the fire didn’t flat-out kill us.”
“That’s what would’ve happened,” Lucien said softly. “If Winter didn’t overhear their plans and warned us. They set fire to an empty building and Wilder recorded it. The dean expelled everyone except for the guy sharing the name with Thompkins Hall. Levi got off with probation.”
“Course he did,” I spat, drawing my knees to my chest. “That’s the only end to the story.”
“Not quite,” Wilder added. “We got all ten of those fuckers—hard. Levi’s limp... he didn’t have that a year ago.”
“We beat his ass bloody,” Rafael clarified. “Somehow, we think he figured out your sister warned us, because instead of getting us back, he went for her. Almost everyone hounded her last year, but Levi took it further. She saved our skins and becoming that fucker’s next target was her reward.”
The full story crushed me, but the end of it I knew. Levi did go after Winter with the harshness you expected of violent, vicious bastards. That’s why he was the second person she named in her letter.
“We tried to help her,” Lucien said, repeating Rafael. “I taught her to defend herself. And we told her all she had to do was give us a list—we’d take out everyone on it free of charge.”
“But she said no,” I whispered.
“She said no and asked us to stay out of it. Winter told us if we got involved, the situation would escalate and we’d make it worse for her. That’s the last thing we wanted to do, so we backed off and only stepped in when they tried to pull something in front of us.” Lucien tipped my chin. The shock of a stranger’s touch faded as he stroked my cheek. “We were wrong, Luna. We shouldn’t have listened. I’m so sorry... that we realized it too late.”
Tears stained his fingers.
“That’s why we’ll do whatever you need,” Rafael said, voice hard. “The Royals have it coming either from you or from us, so we might as well do it together. Between the five of us, we won’t get caught, and we can’t be stopped.”
Clearing my throat, I swiped a hand across my face. “Again, thank you for what you tried to do for my sister. I truly appreciate that you were there for her, and I take back half the things I said about you just now. But none of this has anything to do with me. I’m not after revenge. Like I said, it was a prank. Harmless. I don’t need your help or your tips.” I stood up, staring Wilder down. “So, I’m going now, and I’ll take my knife.”
Rafael stepped between us, leveling me with his bare, painted chest. “Before you leave, consider what we bring to your plan—I know you have one,” he said when I opened my mouth. “Thought out and planned to the last detail. You’ve got something picked out for each of them, you just don’t have the skill to carry it out and not get caught. We do.”
He pointed at Lucien. “He’s mastered almost every martial art.”
Lucien shrugged. “I’ve been around for one hundred and fifty-eight years. Had to do something to pass the time.”
“Wilder is a hacker. He’s also got a weapons collection that my father would give anything for.”
Wilder glared at me harder.
“Cato is Cato.”
I don’t know what that was supposed to prove, but oddly, I didn’t ask for more information. Deep down, I knew Cato wasn’t someone you messed with.
“And I’ve made it my life’s work to make the intentional look like an accident along with etcetera, etcetera, redacted, redacted. You’ll find out the rest when you’re one of us.” He cuffed my chin. “So, stop playing hard to get. Become one of us. No one does it better than a Rogue.”
I freed my switchblade from his grasp. “No, thank you,” I said, sidestepping him. “Goodbye.”
I made it five steps.
“Why not?” Rafael asked smoothly. “Out of curiosity.”
Unbidden, my feet slowed, halting me in the grass. “Why?” Slowly, I turned. “For argument’s sake, let’s say I wasn’t going to give Owen a haircut. Let’s say I intended to... shave his beard. More than that, what if I want to shave the beards of everyone who hurt Winter? I’m supposed to believe you’ll back me up? Hold them down while I pull out the shaving cream?”
“I’m loving this metaphor,” Rafael hummed.
“You’re not as deep in this as I am,” I snapped. “I have nothing to lose. Yeah, my sister tipped you off about Levi, but guilt and regret don’t come close to what I’m feeling. I don’t want your help because you’re not willing to take this as far as me. Know how I know? Because if you were, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation right now. Owen, Levi, and all of them would be d—” I cut myself off, sense holding my tongue.
