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My steps stumble as we enter the foyer, a crystal chandelier sparkling so far above us that I have to crane my neck to see the decorative ceiling. The floor is a black and white tile, in small intricate patterns, with a wide sweeping staircase in front of us, and various doors line the walls either side of us.
“Wow,” I mutter, Adam pausing to let me look around at the vast space. “You guys grew up here?”
Aeron comes to stand next to me, and I can see the pride in his eyes as he looks around at the grandeur that surrounds us.
“Yep, Dad is from old money,” he tells me, and I freeze, worried that Adam will be pissed at Aeron for telling me that much. Adam squeezes my hand, then leans in.
“But a relative of mine gambled it all away, so it left us with the house and not much else aside from a single tailor shop. Hence the Tailors were born; we had the connections for the back-end deals with the country’s rich and elite, and the more money we made, the more we could put back into the racecourses and the rest of the businesses.” My head spins with the history lesson, seeing the gang in a new light for the first time. I did not know they came from old money, or that Adam is a self-made man of sorts.
“And the rivalry with the Soldiers? Why did that start?” I ask, freezing as soon as the words leave my mouth.Fucking stupid, Lark.
Adam is also standing rigid, then he heaves out a sigh. “I suppose you’ve earned that truth,” he sighs, and I can feel the tension that surrounds me as the guys seem to hold their breaths. “Come, let’s get settled and I’ll tell you everything from the beginning. But I warn you, it’s not a pretty tale, and, well, you’ll see.”
With another resigned sigh and a grim determination, Adam leads us to the door to our left, opening it to reveal a cozy sitting room with huge couches in a U-shape facing a massive stone fireplace, a small fire lighting up the room in a twisting orange glow. He takes me over to one, indicating with a hand that I sit, then heads over to a drinks cabinet and takes out several crystal glasses. I watch as, with a slightly trembling hand, he lifts a decanter and pours a measure into each glass.
“Where’s Rook?” I ask into the silence, Aeron sitting on one side of me, Jude on the other, snuggling into my side.
Adam looks up from the drinks, his features pinched and his eyebrows drawn together. “He’s dealing with some Soldier business. He’ll be back later, don’t worry.” I can’t help nibbling my lower lip anyway, my fingers playing with the hem of my jumper. “Here.” I look up to find Adam holding a glass out to me, another tightly gripped in his other hand as Knox brings over one each for Aeron, Tarl, and Jude.
I take the glass, my hand quivering as I clasp it, pulling it into me but not taking a sip. Adam throws his own drink back, not even wincing as he swallows, and stands before the fireplace. His shoulders slump inwards, the hand not holding the glass coming up to rub at his face.
“The truth is, I don’t know what started the war between our families, just that my father brought me up to hate Rufus Jackson and all that the Soldiers stood for.”
“Bullshit!” Aeron shouts, leaping to his feet and striding over to face off with his father. They’re a similar height, although Aeron is full of righteous fire whereas Adam just seems defeated. “You’re telling me you commanded me to shoot Lark’s mother because of what? A slight that has been forgotten over the years?” His chest heaves, his arm flung out in my direction, and all I can do is sit there, not moving, barely breathing as Adam’s words penetrate my soul.
“It’s all I knew,” Adam pleads, his head hanging down. “We were raised to hate each other with an anger that was passed down to us, Aeron. Nothing else was acceptable. Tit for tat. It escalated out of control, first with what they did to your mother, then with what I ordered you to do in retaliation, and finally June.”
“Don’t beat around the bush, father,” Aeron sneers. “You ordered me to murder Lark’s mother, leaving Lark and Rook at the mercy of her fucking scum father. It was never just retaliation for Mom, was it?”
Adam’s jaw works, his grip on the glass so tight that I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter in his hands.
“Not just about that, no. I was blinded by years, generations, of hate, and after he did that to Heather, I wasn’t thinking straight.” He straightens, placing a hand on Aeron’s shoulder. “I’m so fucking sorry, son, I should never have taken it that far.” Aeron shrugs him off, his entire body vibrating with anger.
“Apologize to Lark! You know what happened after her mom died, don’t you?” Adam shakes his head, and I’m frozen, my lips parted to stop him from revealing my dark, sordid past, but I’m not quick enough. “He let his second-in-command rape her, telling her it was all her fault because her mom took her out for a meal. That was the day after her twelfth birthday, and then she was used by his sick fucking men until we captured her, only to be tortured by us too.”
“Aeron!” I shout, the glass dropping to the rug beneath me as I shoot to my feet, gazing in horror at him. My whole body is shaking now, the memories of the many men who used me over the past decade trying to force their way to the forefront of my mind just like those men forced themselves into my unwilling body.
Adam’s wide gaze locks on me, his face crumpled as tears fill his eyes.
“I–I didn’t know it was that bad…Doc never said it was that bad…” he whispers, swallowing hard like he’s about to be sick. I feel the same, my fingertips freezing while the rest of me is suddenly too hot. The need to run is pressing against me so hard it’s all I can do to tear my gaze away from Adam, looking at Knox across the room, who is also standing, fists clenched and glaring daggers at Aeron.
“Knox, can you show me to my room, please?” I ask, only a slight tremble in my voice. His hazel eyes immediately find mine, and he strides past Aeron and Adam to take my hand.
“This way, Little Bird,” he says, drawing me under his arm as he leads us back around the couch.
“Dove, wait—” I hear Aeron start, his voice pained. I stop Knox, looking over to see Aeron with a hand out, his mouth downturned.
“No Aeron, that was not your story to tell. You took my choice away, just like he did to you all those years ago. Just like those other men did to me.” It’s a low blow, comparing him to my abusers, and I see it land as he flinches, but like so many things that have been said tonight, it’s too late to take back, and I just turn back around, letting Knox lead me from the room as tears fall down my face, their salt reminding me of all that I have lost.
* * *
“I Can’t Go On Without You” by KALEO
Aeron
I watch her go, bile leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. She was right. I never should have spilled her secrets like that. Rage blinded me, just like my father, and I hurt the one person who means more to me than anyone else. The one person who never needs to feel pain again after all that she’s suffered.
“Aeron, son—” my dad starts, but I cut him off with a glare.
