Page 35 of Forever Filthy

“Because none of them wereher!” Hayze roars. It's still strange hearing him discuss his feelings and being so open about it, the fact he actually is starting just goes to show how much Vivian does mean to him and cements my decision that we are doing the right thing by trying to make this work between the four of us, regardless of what her brother thinks. “They were nameless, faceless girls that meant nothing to us. She was the one we all wanted but could never have because we worried it would tip you over the edge. I thought you finding Nova and loving her would ease your asshole ways, but I guess we were all wrong because you’re an even bigger dick than you were before.”

Vox growls and shoots Hayze a scathing look but doesn’t say anything as he swipes at the cut on his lip. It brings a smile to my face seeing his split lip. Serves the fucker right.

“Can we all just take this down a notch?” Vivian says as she breaks away from Hayze and moves toward her brother. She reaches for him but he steps back. Hurt flashes in her eyes andit takes everything I have inside me to keep from biting his head off for that stunt. “Vox?—”

“Is this why you changed?” he asks.

“What?”

“Is this why you changed, Vivian?” he snaps. She jerks at the harsh tone of his voice.

“Vox!”

He snaps his head toward me and pins me with a murderous look. “Stay the fuck out of this!” The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice is indication enough that he is feeling everything he has buried for years so I snap my mouth closed and let this play out. “Did you screw my best friends behind my back?”

She inhales sharply and straightens. I watch as she locks down her fear of hurting her brother, but I also see the acceptance in her eyes and that makes me proud. She is finally accepting us and that has a fucking ton of weight lifting off my shoulders.

“No. At first, they were just the guys I thought were hot.” Vox scrunches his face in disgust. “Then Archer and I… we hooked up.” Vox shoots a look at Arch that promises pain. Archer knows he is going to get his ass kicked for that and he is man enough to nod and accept what is coming his way. “But then he put a stop to it. Hayze became a safe haven for me and somehow things changed between us but nothing ever happened until… the other night.”

“What about him?” Vox grits out, flicking his head toward me.

I wait with bated breath to hear her explanation. She exhales. “He was my solace in the darkest moments. Archer is my protector, Hayze is the one that soothes my soul, and Ez, well, he’s the one that keeps me grounded. I didn’t realize I loved them all until last year when I thought Ezekiel died and Hayze and Archer left me to help you. I thought I was being dramaticuntil I realized watching Ezekiel die broke my heart. I needed Archer and Hayze to hold me together but then they left and took what remained of my fragmented heart with them. I’m sorry, Vox, I never meant to love them, I swear, but I’m not sorry because I won’t give them up, not again.”

“Again?” he pushes.

“You took the three of them from me last year and I won’t let you do it again. You have everything you wanted. You got the freedom you wanted from the Saints, I gave that to you. I saved Nova from the fate that was destined for her,Idid that not you or them. Me. I am the Lordess of the Saints and it was always going to work out this way.”

“No, the fuck, it wasn’t!” Vox yells. “The Filthy Few was constructed to keep you from this fate. I never wanted this for you?—”

Vivian cuts him off before he can finish. “You didn’t but Edmund and Virgil fucking did!” she screams. All of us guys move to Vox’s sides and stare down at the girl who has us eating out of the palm of her hand with that declaration. Tears shine in her eyes as she looks at each of us before finally focusing back on her twin.

“What the fuck does that mean? Dad and Edmund were trying to save you?—”

“No!” she snaps, silencing Vox. “Edmund was only trying to save Taylor,” she whispers, then sends me a broken look.

“What are you talking about?” I push as worry begins to gnaw at me, something isn’t adding up here.

“When Nikoa reached out to me to be his informant, I didn’t know what to expect but the more information I gathered for him the more secrets I uncovered.”

“How didyoubecome his informant?” Arch snarls.

She shrugs. “Who better to infiltrate the organization that murdered her father than the sister of the leader of a maskedcrew who was hellbent on tearing them down. Not only am I smart enough to hack computers but I’m a really good listener, and nine times out of ten no one ever notices a woman in a room filled with powerful men. I learned things and in my own way I thought helping Nikoa would help the Filthy Few, but it turns out you all had it wrong from the start.”

“Had what wrong?” Hayze hedges.

She smiles sadly. “My father and Edmund were only trying to save Taylor, not me.” I reel back in shock at the bitterness that coats her tone and shake my head trying to deny what she is saying. Dad and Virgil were trying to save the girls!

“What?” I breathe out.

She turns all her attention to me and normally I would be happy to have her focus only on me but right now, I don’t want it. The sorrow in her eyes is killing me. “You and I were always meant to be together. I was always going to be a Tempest, turns out you and I were promised to each other before we were even born.”

I stare at her at a loss for words. I feel disgust crawling through me, causing my skin to itch. My father wouldn’t have done this, he was a good man!

“Dad was trying to save you!” Vox argues.

Vivian stares at her twin, I see pity in her eyes. “You always thought dad was a hero. Hey, maybe he was to you but for me? I was nothing to him aside from a way for him to guarantee his future.”

“Vivi, you need to break this down, baby,” Hayze implores.

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