Page 103 of Daughters of Chaos

My mind is running a thousand miles a minute, wondering what she's been through, how she's feeling. I can't stop the worry that shows on my face at the thought of something horrible happening to her at the hands of the Bastards.What if she suffered like Kat did? What if they did worse because she's the MC president's daughter?

So many worries rush through my head as Mason works to free me from the bed. He must notice my struggle because the moment my foot is free, he curls an arm around my shoulders. "She's okay, Nix. She's here, safe, and in one piece. No one is going to hurt her again."

I nearly sob at his words.Rae is here now. She's safe.

I close my eyes and will the message to sink in, begging myself to believe it. Mason's warm body next to me gives me comfort as I take a deep breath. "You ready?" he asks, squeezing my shoulder.

With an exhale, I nod. "I'm ready. Take me to my sister."

My heart is pounding with every step we take closer to Raven.She's safe,I remind myself.She's here. We have her.Her door is only feet away now. It feels like a huge weight is sitting on my chest. I need to see her with my own two eyes to know she's really here safe. Maybe then I'll start to trust those words.

Jesse and Mason hang back a step when we reach the door, letting me lead the way. Taking a deep breath, I reach for the doorknob. My hands shake as I turn the handle, and the door begins to open. I'm nervous about what we're about to see and what state my sister is in. The anxiety is eating me up.

What if she's in pain?

What if they hurt her so badly that she's unrecognizable?

What if . . .

The door swings open, and my question transforms mid-thought. What if she's making out with the club's burly enforcer?

What the fuck!

I'm stunned at the scene unfolding in front of me. On the bed where Raven was just hours ago, Reaper is now lying on top of her, kissing her like there's no tomorrow. Several emotions pass through me at once—rage, shock, uncertainty, shock, curiosity, shock.

At first glance, it seems like he's taking advantage of her, but I can see Rae's fist clenched in Reaper's hair. Whatever's happening is consensual, and even in her injured state, my sister seems to be a driving force behind whatever we walked in on.

It takes a few seconds for my mouth to catch up to my brain as everything that's happening starts to sink in. "What the fuck!" I finally exclaim, halting Raven and Reaper's make-out session.

When Reaper pulls away from my sister, his face is more than mildly annoyed. His glare flits from me to the men behind me, stopping on Jesse. I turn to see J's wide eyes staring at the room before us. He looks both shocked and guilty as he meets the full force of the enforcer's irritation.What's that about?

I turn to Mason, who looks as stunned as I am. When he feels my gaze, he looks at me and shakes his head in disbelief. His mouth gapes like he wants to say something, but nothing comes out. What we walked in on has him as freaked out as it has me.When the hell did this start happening?

Shifting my eyes back to the bed, I see Raven's flushed face. She gives me a small half-smile as she greets me. "Hey, sis. I'm back," she says, curling her shoulders in with a wince. Her voice is weak and twinged with guilt as she looks between me and Reaper. She knows I have a million questions aboutthat, but they'll have to wait.

Rae's here. She's safe. She's awake.

That's what I choose to focus on as I step into the room with tears welling in my eyes. "You're here," I croak, clutching my chest. I take a few cautious steps closer as Reaper sits up and moves to Raven's side, still perched on the bed only inches away. It would be comical if it wasn't so bizarre. He's like an animal staking his claim, watching the rest of us like he'll jump in to protect her if anyone moves too quickly.

I move closer to my sister, eyeing Reaper with every step. Rae sees my hesitation and looks at him. She reaches out,squeezing his hand, drawing his attention to her. Something passes between them at that moment. A silent conversation between two lovers, much like Mason and I sometimes have. It's so strange to see it happen between Raven and the man she professed to hate on more than one occasion.

Reaper's face softens and his body relaxes when Rae gives him a tiny smile. I take that opportunity to move closer, wanting nothing more than to pull her into my arms and feel that she's real, that she's here. When I reach the side of her bed, she turns to me, reaching her arms out like she needs the embrace as much as I do.

A sob loosens from my throat as I throw my arms around her, hugging her as I bury my face in the crook of her neck. Her body is tense as she squeezes me to her. It's the only sign that she's as emotional about our reunion as I am. Her tears don't fall. Sobs don't escape her throat. It's not her style. But the way she's hugging me right now is all I need to feel to know this means as much to her as it does to me.

"I was so scared," I cry into her shoulder.

Her hand strokes the back of my head as she replies tightly, "I know, Nix. I know. I'm so sorry. I'm here now. It's gonna be okay."

Her words make me hold her tighter. I don't want to let go, so I don't. We sit quietly after that, locked in our embrace as the guys wait patiently around us. They understand how much we need this, and I appreciate them for it.

When we finally break free, I take a closer look at my sister. She's still marred with cuts and bruises all over her skin, but her eyes are still as piercing and strong as ever. It gives me hope that no matter what she went through, she never let them break her. My ferocious sister, my rock, my best friend, my hero—she didn't let them take her strength, her resolve.

I know, without even asking, that she fought them every step of the way. I'd even wager she took more from them than they did her, and that makes me so proud. But I'm still worried about what she went through in there. How bad it must have been.

The questions stick to the end of my tongue. I want to know what happened, but I'm scared to ask. What if I'm wrong? What if they took more from her than she's letting show?

I swallow hard, trying to work up the nerve to ask the question, still holding her hands in mine. When I hesitate, she answers my unspoken inquiry. "It looks worse than it is," she says. "They roughed me up. Tried to intimidate me, and copped a feel through my clothes a couple times," she pauses to make me meet her eye. "They never got what they wanted, Nix. It never made it that far." Her words grow softer as she tells me what I need to hear.

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