Page 47 of Brightness

“I get it now… the rush, the freedom. You have to teach me properly. This bike, Void, she’s perfect.”

“She is. She only needs a name.”

She sparkles in the sun. When I was in charge of her, she made me brighten like I’ve never felt before. She’s a star, a goddess even. “Reva. Her name is Reva.”

Void tilts his head like he’s pondering. “Reva… yeah, I like it.”

“She’s definitely the one,” I gush.

Void looks at me, his eyes meeting mine.

A pulse, a wave of something, flows right through me.

I’m not sure what it is, but I am sure Void feels it too, because his eyes become more intense as he stares at me.

“Yeah… she is.”

Chapter Twelve

IVY

The ride home on our new bike was exhilarating. Of course Void bought Reva, how could he not? We both love the way she felt beneath us, but more importantly, he loved the way she handled. It’s something I didn’t think I would ever experience in my lifetime—the feel of a powerful bike between my legs and me in command—but I have a feeling with Void as a part of my life, I’m going to experience many firsts.

When we arrived back at the clubhouse, all the brothers were eager to check out the new bike. Even Eva was excited. It’s not until after we’ve shown off Reva that we are able to grab a moment to slip away.

Thankfully, we manage to find some quiet in the Cell. It’s nice to be alone with Void and not have to worry about anyone else. We shared something together today while buying Reva, and it felt awesome.

We’ve come a long way from the first night we spent together, the night after Eva and I were taken from the boat. Void would hardly talk to me. Actually, I did all the talking. He truly lived up to his name. It took every ounce of cheerfulness in me to break down his walls. Once I finally got there, it only took a minute, a split-second decision for him to brick that tough exterior back up. I still don’t know much about him, about his past or where he comes from. All I know is he doesn’t like talking about it, and that’s when he shuts down.

I get it. My past is screwed too. My parents dying when I was young, Eva having to take care of us both. And then we were stolen to be sold. Tony DeLuca, the man who purchased Eva and me, is actually a half-decent guy. He just goes about things in the wrong way, but it’s for the love of his family, and I get that now. Back when Andrés was threatening to hurt Eva, I would have done anything to protect her if Nycto hadn’t stepped in.

When Eva was shot, it killed me inside, watching her bleeding out like that. That precise moment, I realized family is everything. For the people we love, the people who mean everything, I would do anything to keep them safe.

That’s why, when I figured out the walls down here held people behind them—bad people—I knew we were going to be okay here.

Nycto would do anything to keep us safe.

As would Void, Ominous, Nerve… any of the brothers.

When I first arrived—when I was free to roam the Chamber—the man I heard moaning in the walls and I had a chat. Sure, he was delirious, but he told me what he’d done to the club. He told me why he was bricked up behind the wall. Why they were torturing him in that way.

Instantly, something inside of me clicked.

I felt the darkness take hold.

This man was bad.

Did he deserve to starve or suffocate to death for his sins? Maybe not, but if he was going to anyway, I sure as hell wanted to be there to hear it happen. To witness his reckoning.

I think I knew then that something inside me was fractured.

Broken.

Dark.

I might come across as bright and bubbly on the surface, but something is lurking, something that needs to be tamed. Controlled. Prevented from hurting people… or at least diverting that energy to those who truly deserve it. I got my first taste of it when I slammed that brick into Andrés’s face. Watching his skin rip and tear, his blood running free by my hand, made me feel mighty powerful and strong, like I could do anything. Bricking him behind that wall made me feel unbreakable.

I got another taste of it when I rode Reva—a hint of the woman I’m supposed to be.

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