Cyrus is like fire. Explosive. Dynamic. And consuming. He could easily light you up and make you come alive, but on that same note, if you do him dirty, he’ll engulf you in his inferno and burn your ass beyond recognition.
Tristan is like ice. Cold. Impenetrable. And unpredictable. Getting through to him is like trying to chisel your way through thick walls of ice. Once you get there, the payoff will be worth it. But that's if and only if you can survive his frigid bite.
“Tris has a point.” Atlas says, raking his fingers through his hair as he leans back into the passenger seat. “We have enough on our plate.”
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out I'm the ‘enough’ he’s referring to. And as they each subconsciously glance my way, my suspicions are all but confirmed.
The weight of their stares burn into my skin, and the icy blast from the air conditioner does nothing to soothe the heat. Sweat coats the small of my back as little beads of moisture trickle down my spine. I’m in over my head, but letting them see my discomfort isn’t an option. This conversation is too damn important.
Gnawing on my nails, I glance at the clock on the dashboard and grimace. It’s only been a few minutes since Ezra pulled over, but the ensuing argument feels like it’s been going on for hours. I know they care about me. Probably now, more than ever. But the problem is, this isn’t about me, it's about her. And she isn’t something they ever planned on.
“She’s a liability.” Ezra says, cutting into the conversation. He flicks the ash of his cigarette out the window and pulls another long drag before continuing. “Jessie used her as bait. It's only a matter of time before someone else does the same.”
She’s not a liability,she’s family.
I feel my composure slipping and I know it's only a matter of time before my anger finds its way out. They’re treating my sister like she’s an inconvenience. Like she’s some fucking business decision they need to weigh out. Like she isn’t even a fucking person at all.
“We could s… send her away.” Tristan says, looking down at me. “Keep her safe from this s… shit.”
I almost scoff at his offer, but I stop myself short and maintain my cool composure. If the roles were reversed, I doubt he’d be so eager to send any of his brothers away. I’m sure they’d all fight with everything they had to stay together. I’m doing exactly what any of them would.
Tristan hooks his finger under my chin and tilts my head up. “S… Stevie, look at me.” He says, locking his dark emerald eyes with mine. “We can keep her s… safe. Don't you want that?”
Goddamnit.He’s putting me in an impossible situation. Deep down, I know he’s right. My priority has always been to keep her safe. The only way to guarantee her safety is to keep her as far away from The Reapers as possible. They would never hurt her, but their enemies might. Sending her awayisthe smart choice, but he of all people should know, the smartest choice isn’t always the right one.
“No.” I sigh, avoiding his eyes as I jerk my chin out of his grip. “I know my sister. If I try to push her away, she’ll just fight her way back to me. It won’t work.”
I don't need to look into his eyes to feel his disappointment.
“Fine.” He spits, looking out into the dense forest surrounding the G-Wagon. “Don’t come crying to us when she ends up f… fucking dead.” He says the last sentence under his breath, but with the deafening silence filling the SUV, he may as well have screamed it.
“Look.” Atlas says, pulling everyone’s attention on him. “It’s been a long day and emotions are high. Priority right now is going home and getting cleaned up. We can discuss all of this shit later. ”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
When Atlas gives an order, they all follow his command like gospel. We’re going home and no amount of pleading will get them to change their minds.
I want to trust that we’ll continue this conversation when we get home, but after watching this discussion go up in flames, it’s clear none of them want to bring Alex in. To them, she’s a risk not worth taking.
“I’m not going home.” I say, doing my best to keep my voice from wavering. “I’ll walk if I have to, but I’m going back for her.”
This could be my last shot at retrieving Alex. I have to fight them on this, even if they end up hating me for it.
I shift my gaze to the left and look at Tristan expectantly. The icy glare he shoots back at me stings, but I keep my face even.. There’s a challenge in his emerald eyes, and I know there’s no way I’m getting past him without a fight, so I shift my focus to the lesser of the two evils, his twin, Cyrus.
“Cy, can you let me out?” I ask, keeping my voice soft to disguise the frustration brewing within me.
Cyrus doesn’t bother to look at me as he shoots out his clipped response. “Not happening, Princess.”
What the hell.
“Cyrus.” I say, gritting my teeth to keep my anger under control. “I don’t have time for your little mind games. I need you to let me out. Now.”
“No.” His response is short, but the venom behind the word stings.
“Cyrus.” I whisper, moistening my lips. “You can’t be serious right now.”
He clenches his jaw and lets out an exaggerated sigh.
