Page 93 of Whispers of Fire

The mood shifts brutally.

He gulps his beer, swallowing hard. It’s too fucking delicate. I don’t want to betray Ares. No one here does. He’s my prez, the man I look up too, but even a mentor can fuck it up and I won’t let him take this away from me.

Shadow takes a deep breath, resting his palms flat on the counter.

“When I knew I wanted Erin, her father got in the way. Things got… violent. And I could have lost her over this but… I fought, man. I fought like a crazy motherfucker and in the end, I got her. And I'll do it all over again if I have too.” Runnin’ a hand in his blond and silver hair, I notice a few wrinkles at the crest of his eyes. Shadow’s in his forties but he stills looks young as hell, and the weight of his words seems to ignite something in him. Like a fire he understands. As if he could see what I’ve been struggling with since I was pushed away from my girl. For whatever reason, he was put in a similar situation in his past, and from what I gathered from all the times I saw him and Erin, those two are endgame, so if anyone can get it, it’s him.

“All I'm sayin’ is that sometimes the right thing doesn’t always seem right, but still… you gotta do it, man. Cause life ain’t worth it without it.”

I nod slightly. He doesn’t want to say that betraying Ares is okay, but still, he understands that gettin’ my girl back is more important than breathing itself. I feel less alone knowing I've got a brother on my side. He won't help me but at least he knows the hell I'm going through.

“When is it?” He must be talking about the wedding, word spreads like wildfire in the club, so I don’t even bother to ask. I’m too tired for anythin’ actually; my body and my mind are weak as fuck right now.

“Sunday at ten,” I say, my voice breaking even as I try to hide it.

Fuck it.

I’ve been hiding my feelings for years and now I can’t even keep a straight face when I talk about her.

“Then you better get some sleep. You look like shit,” he says, his tone as cold as ice, standing from the stool, adjusting the collar of his black shirt. I tilt my head on the side, raising a brow.

“I’ll come with ya, bother. Sunday mornin’. And you’ll get your girl back.” His voice is so low I can hardly understand it. Tapping my shoulder and turning his back, he heads straight to the boxing room.

I have to stop myself from letting my jaw touch the floor.

Shadow’s gonna help me.

He's willing to take the risk, and fuck, even if I hate him for puttin’ himself in this shitty situation with me, I can't help but be relieved.

Perhaps it won't be a suicide mission after all.

Chapter 17

Rose

The wedding day

“Get up, Rose, come on! We have so much to do!” my mother shouts, storming into my room, bouncing on her feet like a kid on Christmas day.

Today is the day and I still haven’t heard from Vox.

I sit on my bed, my eyes still puffy from crying myself to sleep, like every morning since the last night I've spent at Vox's. My mother must have gotten used to it because she doesn’t even make a remark.

As I watch her grab my hairbrush on the desk and already start to work on my hair, I take a glimpse at the top drawer of my dresser. I've hidden the four dollars I took from my mother's wallet in my underwear. I’m still amazed that she hasn't figured that out yet.

In the Faithful Lambs, the bride is only allowed to wear knickers under the dress, so I'll have to hide the dollars in the elastic band. They are my ticket out of this life. All I have to do now is get ready and put a fake smile on my face so no one will suspect my escape after the ceremony. I must act like a loyal and submissive bride, swooning over her fiancé.

Ew .

I sigh and sign at my mother.

“Let me eat my breakfast first, then I’ll come back upstairs to get ready.” I need to eat. I have no idea when my next meal will be.

“Okay, right, but quick, we have to do your hair after,” she answers back, her voice full of a mixture of anxiety and excitement. “Hurry up, Rose, we need you to be perfect today.”

Perfect.

For them, I will.

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