Chapter 207
Drake's POV
Ronan's gaze swept over Jessica—barely conscious, face swollen beyond recognition—before landing on me. And in that moment, I saw something flicker across his features. Something that made my blood run cold.
Recognition. Understanding. And beneath it all, a rage so deep it made Austin's outburst look like a child's tantrum.
He knows, I thought. He knows everything.
Before I could process that terrifying realization, Ronan crossed the room in three long strides. And then—because apparently my day couldn't get any worse—he plopped his ass right down on my lap.
"Hey there, handsome," he purred, his weight pressing down on my thighs in a way that made every injury throb. "Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
"What the fuck—" I started, but the words died as pain shot through my legs. "Get off me!"
"Aw, don't be like that." Ronan shifted, grinding down just enough to make me gasp. "We're just getting to know each other better."
"Get your ass off me before I rip it off!" I snarled, jerking against the restraints.
"You'll rip my ass off?" Ronan's grin widened, but his eyes stayed cold. "That's pretty aggressive for a first date, Drake. But hey, I'm flexible."
This isn't happening. This can't be happening.
"I mean it!" I tried to sound threatening, but my voice cracked. "Get that thing near me and I'll tear your dick off!"
"Ooh, kinky." Ronan leaned back, bracing his hands on my knees like he was settling in for a long chat. "But I'm not sitting here because I want to, babe. That sofa's got Alaric's name written all over it—literally, I think he carved it in—and Kade's claimed the desk. You're my only option, sweetheart."
"I am NOT your option!" I writhed, trying to buck him off, but the straps held firm and every movement sent fresh agony through my shoulder where Casper had stabbed me with that broken champagne glass.
"Stop squirming," Alaric called from the sofa. "You're making this weird."
"I'M making this weird?" I shot back. "He's the one sitting on me like I'm a fucking barstool!"
"Technically, you're more comfortable than a barstool," Ronan mused. "Though you could use some padding. Been skipping leg day, Drake?"
I'm going to kill him. If I get out of these restraints, I'm going to kill him.
No, you won't, Ragnar said flatly. You can't even protect yourself, let alone—
"Ronan." Alaric's voice cut through my internal rage. "Get off him before his wolf turns you into a chew toy."
Ronan tilted his head, considering. "Think his wolf's got the balls?"
"His wolf's got more than he does," Kade commented dryly.
Fuck you, I thought at Ragnar, but he didn't respond. Just retreated deeper into my mind, disgusted and silent.
"Besides," Kade continued, pushing off from the wall. "He's been screwing around behind our sister's back. Probably caught chlamydia. Or syphilis. Maybe both."
I froze. "What?"
"Our sister?" I repeated, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Something shifted in the room. The air grew heavier, charged with an energy that made my skin prickle. Ronan's weight on my lap suddenly felt like a thousand pounds, and the casual mockery in his expression morphed into something far more dangerous.
"Oh," Ronan said softly, his amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "You didn't know?"
"Know what?" My heart hammered against my ribs. "Kade, what the fuck are you—"
"Elowen." Ronan's voice dropped, losing all traces of humor. He leaned in close, so close I could see the gold flecks in his eyes, "Your ex-girlfriend. The girl you betrayed, cheated on, treated like garbage..."
He paused, letting the words sink in like poison.
"That's our sister."
The world tilted.
No. No, that couldn't be—
"You're lying," I spat, but even as the words left my mouth, I knew they were hollow. Knew from the way all three of them were looking at me—not with pity, but with barely restrained violence.
"Do I look like I'm lying?" Ronan asked conversationally, even as his hand shot out and gripped my jaw hard enough to make bone creak. "Because I'm not. Elowen—sweet, innocent Elowen who you manipulated and controlled and made cry herself to sleep—is our baby sister."
Oh God. Oh fuck. Oh—
Before I could process, before I could even breathe, Kade was there. His fist connected with my face in an explosion of pain that sent stars dancing across my vision. I heard something crack—a tooth, maybe—and tasted blood, thick and coppery on my tongue.
"That's for every time you made her feel worthless," Kade said calmly, like he was discussing the weather.
I spat blood and what was definitely a tooth onto the concrete floor. My second one today, courtesy of the Thornwood family.
This can't be real. This has to be some kind of sick joke.
"If you think what we did to Jessica was bad..." Kade leaned down, his ice-blue eyes boring into mine. "Just wait and see what we've got planned for you."
Another explosion of pain—Ronan's boot connecting with my temple. The world swam, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. I braced for the agony, for the blinding white-hot pain that should accompany a kick like that.
But it didn't come.
Instead, there was just... nothing. Darkness. Peaceful, quiet darkness that swallowed me whole.
Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell?
Then I heard it. That voice. The one that had been haunting me since the night of the ball.
You're welcome.
Raven.
The darkness shifted, and suddenly I was aware of my body again—or rather, the absence of pain in my body. The throbbing in my face, the burning in my wrists, the screaming agony in my shoulder where Casper had stabbed me... all of it was muted. Distant. Like someone had turned down the volume on my nerve endings.
What did you do? I asked into the void.
I took your pain, Raven's voice echoed around me, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous. Well, most of it. Can't have you passing out and missing the good part, now can we?
Why would you—
Because I don't like seeing you suffer, Raven interrupted. There was a pause, and when he spoke again, I could hear the smirk in his voice. Unlike your friend Blaze. I gave all your pain to him instead. I don't like him.
Despite everything—the terror, the confusion, the overwhelming sense of being completely fucked—I felt a ghost of satisfaction. Blaze, that asshole who'd laughed when I had humiliated Elowen at the bar, was somewhere experiencing the full force of what should have been my agony.
So... I ventured carefully. You like me?
No, Raven replied flatly. But I hate you less than I hate him.
Well. That was something, I guess.
Gee, thanks. That really warms my heart.
Your heart is a shriveled, blackened thing, Raven observed. But yes. You're welcome.
The darkness began to recede, and I became aware of voices again. Muffled at first, then clearer.