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“Maybe. It won’t be today though,” I say truthfully. Jealousy kept him from looking a little closer, and I don’t know how I feel about that. So I stay silent as I process what could have been.
Levi bustles me into the room I’m staying in, helps me into my pajamas, and tucks me in with my medication. My eyes are already closing as he kisses my forehead. Today has been emotional, and I don’t care what time it is, I’m done.
Chapter9
Chastity looks so small as she falls asleep in front of me. I’m vibrating with anger over her conversation with Jacob. On the outside, I kept a cool head, but only because I didn’t want to sway her decisions about how she feels about her brother. I wanted her to give him a chance to explain because he did help by providing us with what we needed to blackmail Mother Superior.
I just didn’t realize the whole story was so bad. Sibling rivalry is something I thought the leader of the Locked Souls Society to be above, so to hear he’s so human is disappointing.
Kissing her forehead, I debate staying with her, or even picking her up and taking her to live with me. Fuck, this limbo is pissing me off.
“I’m not going to hurt her, Levi,” Jacob mutters from the door, disgustedly. “We should talk quickly before you leave. It’s just as well that she’s asleep.”
“She’s had a really shitty few days.” I sigh, stepping back. My ring on her finger will protect her until I can come back. I hope she’s ready for my constant check-ins. The boys probably won’t be much better.
Forcing my hands to relax, I walk out of the room, gently closing the door behind me. Following Jacob into his office, I struggle to control my emotions. In this office, he’s Dragon, and not my future brother-in-law.
“Dragon, I don’t think I need to impress upon you how important Chastity is,” I begin to say. He sits behind his desk, his face a seemingly impenetrable mask, except for a tiny tick in the corner of his right eye.
“She’s my sister. Of course she’s important. Chastity is also your Eve, and the center of the Society’s plans. The Adams need—”
“I don’t give two fucks about any of that in this moment,” I growl. “I know my place, but I will not stand by and let Chas get continually dropped into the deep end of the pool. She doesn’t know anything about this world, or why she is so damn sheltered. I don’t even understand why she's Eve, when typically it’s someone who is sexually experienced.”
Jacob grimaces at the thought of having a conversation that skirts his sister’s sexual activity so closely. “I didn’t make that choice, the Council overrode me. You know that no one knows she’s my sister, because our identities are so closely guarded. You have been afforded liberties due to the circumstances…”
“Sir, I appreciate that, but your sister has been through literal hell,” I remind him. “She would rather leave this world than spend one more moment here. I don’t know everything that happened while she was with her father and step-mother, but she’s been beaten really badly. Chastity says her memory is spotty, so she doesn’t remember either. The important thing is to be there for her when things come back, and honestly, I don’t think you’re equipped to handle that.”
Jacob slams his fists on the desk, and I watch impassionately. I’m unimpressed.
“Chas and I were thick as thieves when we were kids, but when I turned eighteen, things changed, and I left her. I should have found a way to bring her with me, and my decision not to will haunt me,” he growls.
His roles as brother and leader are clashing before my eyes, but I’m content to wait him out. “My parents don’t know where I live, so my sister is safe here. They haven’t even bothered to call me. Now that I know some of what’s happened, I want to get Kara out of that house.”
“Those people shouldn’t be in charge of a dog, much less a child. She has a nanny, doesn’t she?” I ask.
Dragon nods, staring at the wall before grabbing his phone. “My father’s chef is about to quit unexpectedly, and I’m going to put someone in his place that will be able to be my eyes and ears for now. Isabella doesn’t cook, and heavily relies on outside help. I’m going to slowly replace every one of the people who work for them with someone I trust,” he plans.
I’m glad Jacob is starting to realize that there’s a problem. He honestly should have begun doing this years ago. “I can hear you judging me, Levi. What the fuck do you want from me?”
“I didn’t expect you to have messed up so epically,” I yell at him. “You supposedly care about your sister, give a couple of fucks, but you kept her from her daughter. Don’t you understand that you’re part of the problem?”
“My father told me she was a basket case,” Jacob complains.I’m going to deck him.“The day she had Angel was awful. I came over because I had a meeting with him, and instead, my sister was in labor, screaming about demons. Chastity sounded insane. Father told me she had gotten knocked up by King, a mechanic in town, and that she had disgraced the family. I had no reason to believe differently.”
Taking a deep breath, I try to see it from his point of view, but I can’t. “You didn’t think anything of taking her daughter from her?” I ask.
“She was a danger to herself, muttering to herself, pleading for help from people who weren’t there. Now that I really think about it, I realize she was begging for help, trapped in her mind because of her trauma. Chastity needed help, but not the kind my family gave her.” Jacob sighs, dropping his phone on the desk to look at me. His eyes are filled with sorrow, and I scrub my face.
“Chastity deserves so much better than your damn family. There are secrets I can’t tell her because of The Society, but I am done keeping things from her otherwise. Make things right with your sister, or I guarantee, you won’t see any of your other nieces or nephews,” I tell him, standing up. “Angel deserves her mother, who adores her. Find out what happened to her.”
I storm out of the room, worried that I’ll punch him if I stay any longer. I need to get back to the Academy, find out what Mother Cross may be up to, because I know the bitch won’t take her lack of power over Chastity lightly.
* * *
Walking into Holy Cross,I run into Tempest. Her eyes are frantic as she hurries.
“Tempest, what’s going on?” I ask, eyes narrowing.
She looks surprised to see me and huffs. “I’m fine. Mother Cross gave me a laundry list of things to do. I am just in my head, trying to prioritize it all. She wants everything cleaned, and is insisting that I scrub the Chapel as well.”
