Page 127 of Broken Pact

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl.

“Oh,” my half-sister squeaks, twisting around and clutching something to her chest. “You’re home!” Happiness lights up her face like she just saw a mound of presents with her name on it.

I storm into my living room, hackles raised and gaze heavy. “What the fuck are you doing inside my house, Naomi.”

She drops the bundle of clothing to the floor and backs up a few steps. My gaze cuts to the navy blue boxer briefs with little eggplant emojis on top of the pile. I distinctly remember Coraline pulling them off with her teeth last night, so how the fuck did they end up in my living room?

I shake my head, scattering those questions to the wind. They’re not important. No, what’s most important is figuring out why the fuck my half-sister is standing in the middle of my house like she belongs here.

Her hands fly out in front of her, a paltry attempt at placating me, I’m sure. “Now Jasper?—”

“Jagger,” I snap.

She tilts her head to the side, her brows creasing with confusion. “But your name is Jasper.”

“Not to you it’s not,” I growl out, advancing on her. “You have ten seconds to tell me why you’re here and how the fuck you got into my house.”

Her back hits the wall with a muted thud and her face brightens, her smile tipping up in the corners and stretching too wide. “Oh, well, that’s easy. She let me in.”

I stop in front of her, just out of arm’s reach. I don’t want to give her an opportunity to touch me. My heart kicks inside my chest when her words register. “She? She who?”

There are only two women who have access to this house, neither of which are the one in front of me.

Naomi reaches forward and tries to hook her index finger onto my pinky. “C’mon, Jasper, don’t make me say her name right now. It’ll only upset me, and I don’t want to be unhappy right now. Not when I’ve finally gotten everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Horror slams into me with the weight of a Mack truck. I feel my eyes widen to uncomfortable sizes, and I stumble backward. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

She lunges toward me, wrapping her arms around my middle and squeezing like some human-sized barnacle. “Don’t do this, Jasper. Don’t break us up now, not after all the hard work I’ve done to get us here. Not when I finally took care of everything in our path.”

I wrench her arms off of me and dodge out of the way when she tries to lunge for me again. Pieces of the puzzle start to form inside my mind, each one dripping with fear. Understanding is slow, and I don’t think I can fully comprehend what the fuck is going on, but one thing is clear: I need to find Coraline. Now.

I pivot on the ball of my foot and jump over the back of the couch. “Coraline,” I yell, sprinting toward the staircase. “Are you up there, baby?”

My heart thunders inside my ears, a staccato rhythm of dread. I take the stairs two at a time, ignoring whatever Naomi is shouting at me. I burst into the bedroom, expecting to find the love of my life bound and gagged or—no.

Fucking no. I will not allow myself to sink into those fear-soaked worst-case scenarios.

But it doesn’t matter because she’s not here.

The air saws in and out of my lungs with labored effort as I tear apart my bedroom—our bedroom—like she’s going to be hiding underneath the bed or behind my laundry hamper in the closet. She’s not in here or the bathroom or the loft space. She’s not anywhere.

And yet, she’s everywhere. Her kindle on the nightstand, my tee she nicked to sleep in the first night she was here. Her clothes, toiletries—it’s all still here.

I brace my hands on the doorframe to the en suite bathroom, my mind spinning. So she left in a hurry and didn’t take anything or she didn’t leave by choice.

I run down the stairs and storm into Naomi. Her smile crumples in the corners as she trips over her feet backing up. I clench my fists to keep my hands busy, old habits riding me hard.

My body is fucked-up, my fight-or-flight response tripped hours ago, and coming home to Naomi in my living room and not Coraline has only activated it further. Too many years living as a Reaper in the old ways. Always a heartbeat away from all-out war, always on guard and ready to fall into action.

This whole fucking thing feels like one big trigger for me.

“Where is she?” I seethe, getting into her space.

“Who?” she says, blinking at me with purposely wide eyes. I’m not buying the innocent act for a single fucking second.

“Don’t fucking play with me, Naomi. Where is Coraline?” I bite out through gritted teeth.

She blinks, her brown eyes darkening. “Coraline? Hm, I don’t know a Coraline.” She snaps her fingers, her lips twisting into a cruel smirk. “Oh wait. Black hair, blue eyes, legs for days, and a little jealous? That Coraline?” She lifts a shoulder and leans back against the wall. “I took care of her for us.”

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