Page 24 of Stone

All eyes fall on me, and I feel Sienna’s hurt radiating from her, penetrating my soul, so I gift them with a shrug. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fucking fine, Stone. She needs to grow the hell up. What were you even thinking?” he admonishes.

Her eyes narrow and her jaw sets, and I rub my forehead, waiting for the onslaught. Something that would never happen if her father was present.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I wanted to have some fun for once in my life before you marry me off to some guy I don’t even know.” Hearing the words sends a rush of jealousy and possession to heat my blood, and I grit my teeth and clench my jaw to keep my mouth shut. My fingers dig into my palm beneath the table as I stare stoically ahead, trying to block out her words.

Azrael’s hand snaps out, and he grips her by the throat. “Stop acting like a fucking brat before I punish you like one!” Her eyes bulge, but there’s not a single part of me that believes Azrael would harm her. I itch to get out of my chair and punish him for touching what’s mine, threatening what’s mine, but I remain unmoving as much as it pains me to do so.

He releases her, and she slinks back into her chair, stroking over the column of her delicate neck. There’s no mark there, but my fingers twitch to add one. How pretty she would look with my finger marks on her throat. Everyone would know she belonged to me. I’d make sure of it.

“Or should I add another punishment to Stone?” His lip curls as he stares at her, and her eyes flicker to mine before she shakes her head.

“I’m sorry,” she rushes out.

“Every action has a consequence, Sienna, and you need to remember that. You both do.” He looks at me pointedly beforeturning his dark eyes toward hers. The sinister way he delivers the words sends a shiver of awareness down my spine, and I fight back the need to swallow. Instead, I attempt to remain calm, but his words ring out in my head like a warning.

“Every action has a consequence, Sienna, and you need to remember that. You both do.”

Sienna

We eat breakfast in silence, but I can feel Stone’s eyes on me throughout, and I’m desperate to reciprocate the attention but refrain from doing so, knowing the agony it could cause. I’m barely able to eat the muesli placed in front of me. I don’t enjoy it the best of days, let alone with the threat of violence aimed at Stone hanging over me like a dark cloud threatening a storm of brutality.

Czar clears his throat, and I snap my head up to face him. “Stone is leaving in two weeks.” I turn my attention to Stone, who stares ahead, completely unfazed by this announcement. Was he even aware? “He has a big fight to prepare for on the East Coast.”

“Where?” I ask, then mentally chastise myself for showing too much interest.

His eyes narrow on me, and I turn my attention back to my muesli, pushing it around the bowl in the hopes it will disappear. I’m not allowed to be excused from the table until every mouthful is eaten, per Father’s orders.

“You pay too much attention to your brother, Sienna. Maybe you should concentrate on your own life. You are, after all, goingto be married before long,” Azrael gloats, but his focus doesn’t leave Stone, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him straighten at Azrael’s words.

When I turn to face him, his jaw is set, and I swear I hear him grind his teeth. His hands are balled into tight fists, which he quickly moves to beneath the table while staring down at his untouched food. “Not hungry?” Azrael asserts, making me want to kick him in the balls for being such a blatant dick toward Stone.

As each day passes, he sounds more like our father, and I hate it.

“No.” His deep voice is gruff.

“You’re normally starving the morning after a fight.” Azrael continues eating with a calculated calmness, but the implication of his words is clear: he knows something is off with him.

Stone’s eyes dart up, and he stares back at Azrael. “Maybe I had my fill last night.”

Every muscle in my body pulls tight, and I try my best not to choke on my muesli. My cheeks heat, and with the tension in the air, I lift my eyes to find Azrael and Stone staring at one another. The thick atmosphere becomes suffocating. Danger seeps from Stone’s eyes while Azrael’s have darkened so much it’s clear retribution is on his mind.

Does he know?

Surely, he doesn’t know. Right?

Azrael’s jaw grinds from side to side, then he cracks his neck. “You’re dismissed.” He waves a hand toward Stone, who pushes back in his chair so hard it falls to the floor, then he throws his napkin on the table and strides toward the door. I wince, expecting a slam, but it doesn’t come, and with the click of the door closing softly, relief floods me. Something clearly pissed Azrael off, and it will serve Stone right not to aggravate him further.

“Your wedding just got moved up. It’s probably best you don’t tell yourbrother.”My heart thuds heavily, making it difficult to breathe while Czar’s eyes ping-pong between us.

“I—”

Azrael holds his hand up, and his eyes slice to mine, the venom in them like a laser searing through me.

“Shut the fuck up and do as you’re goddamn told, and maybe everyone can survive.”

Tears spring to my eyes, but I won’t allow them to fall. Not for him.

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