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“Kitten.” Jace reached out, cradled her face, and pressed his lips to hers. My jaw tightened with anger as Samara fell deep into it and caressed the back of his head, pulling their bodies closer. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
I wanted to bite his fucking head off for touching her like that in front of me, but I bit my tongue, knowing it wasn’t my place nor my right. I’d lost those privileges when I left her and Lily behind, killed my father, changed my name, and spent thousands of dollars in plastic surgery to erase any and all physical traces of Niccolò Antolini from existence. It was a wretched tale and an unbearable burden I’d forever carry on my shoulders, but I’d do it again if I had to. My only regret was never reaching out to Lily. Not once did I try. Not even to tell her that I was alive. Maybe things could’ve gone differently.
I didn’t wait for them to part before I started speaking.
“The others are in the basement, waiting for me. Once we’re inside, I’ll escort you two upstairs to the spare bedroom. I need to have a serious talk with the boys first, so you’ll have to wait in there for now. I’ll send Griffin to get you when we’re done.” I paused, then cleared my throat, adverting my pupils towards the house when I noticed Samara judging me with a grim glare that spoke vastly of her fury and distrust. “The boys will be returning to the academy tonight. As for your weapons, they’ll be returned to you before you leave. Now, if you don’t mind, please, follow me.”
I walked away before either of them could dare protest.
Sixteen
Samara
Aspromised,theRavagerswere nowhere in sight when Xavier escorted us inside the house. I know because I made damn sure to scope every inch of our surroundings while I had to help hobble Jace up the stairs. When we finally made it to the room and after Xavier shut the door, I locked it.
And then I got to fucking work.
I flew across the large room like a bomb had exploded under my ass and began plundering through everything I could get my hands on, starting with the nightstand by the bed, the gorgeous wood-stained dresser, which was also empty—go fucking figure—before stampeding like a raging bull over to the closet and swinging the door open.
“What are you doing?”
I twisted around to find Jace sitting on the edge of a queen-sized bed, gaping profoundly at me with a little smirk on his face.
“What do you think I’m doing?’ I irritably jeered at him. “I’m looking for weapons.”
“And how is that working out for you?”
I ground my teeth, internally snorting as I turned away from the vacant closet and surveyed our surroundings further.
“Kitten, stop,” he demanded when I kneeled beside the bed and began surfing my hands under and all around, desperate for just an inkling of luck. “There’s nothing here. Please, just sit down and—”
“I CAN’T!” I sprung to my full height, my stiff fists clenched at my sides, shaking. “How can you be so fucking calm right now? They know about me, Jace. They-they fucking kidnapped you! We can’t just sit here and—”
“Look at me.” He hastily gestured to his injured leg and horribly bruised, but handsome face. “Even if you did find something, do I look like I’m capable of fighting my way out of here? No. Besides, if Xavierwantedto kill us, he’d have done it already. There’s only one thing we can do now, and that’s to sit and wait to explain our side.”
He was right. I fucking hated that he was right. But like fucking Hell if I was about to just stand back or sit around waiting for what could possibly be our demise without at least trying to find something we could both use to protect ourselves with.
But that was also what stumped me the most. Xavier didn’t kill us, which meant he must’ve wanted something from us. I caught him repeatedly staring at me on the way here, too, and there was this insanely weird emotion flashing through his eyes I couldn’t decipher. The fact he hadn’t harmed us was more terrifying than being unable to read his true motives.
I sighed and sank down next to Jace on the bed. He reached over and tenderly grasped my face, turning my head before he planted a gentle kiss on my lips.
“It’s gonna be okay, Kitten. Do you trust me?”
“Always.” I reached up and grasped his wrists, resting my forehead against his. “It’s justthemI don’t trust. None of this would’ve happened if Finn hadn’t—”
“Finn didn’t snitch on you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
I pulled away and blinked at him, my brows raised. “He didn’t?”
Jace shook his head. “No, baby, he didn’t. Rhett, Isaac, and Phantom were at the club that night of the Harvest, when you were singing and dancing on stage. They saw your scar.”
Oh my God.
My lips parted in disbelief, but as I thought back to that day, filtering through my memories, I never saw them, any of them, anywhere.
Unless they’d arrived moments before my big solo dance. Every spotlight in the club was centered on me, so it was literally impossible for me to see even a smidge of the crowd. I usually wore knee-high boots when I worked, but those belonged to Ginger and all of her personal property had been wiped clean from the locker room like she’d never been there. I had no choice but to borrow a set of heels from another dancer.
God damnit!
