Page 87 of Martyr

“No.”

“I don’t believe you. Iris drugged Yejun and betrayed all of your trust, and I kept the fact she was my cousin a secret for weeks. You aren’t the forgiving sort, West. More the act first, think later, type of guy.”

“Does it look like I plan on punishing you, Nixie?”

Nix took in the bath and frowned. “Why are you wearing your clothes?”

“I didn’t want to waste time taking them off.”

He seemed to struggle to comprehend that answer, brows furrowing even more. “You were…worried for me?”

West was an asshole. All these weeks he’d been falling for Nix, but he hadn’t stopped to consider how Nix might be feeling about him in return.

“Didn’t they tell you why they were doing that to me when you arrived?” Nix asked. “My cousin—”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. “I know how much she meant to you. Learning that she was involved with Yejun…that couldn’t have been easy.”

“So, you believe I didn’t know beforehand?”

“Of course not. I know you better than that.”

Nix held his gaze, searching his face for something. “Do you?”

“I do,” he stated confidently. “Yejun is confused at the moment, but once he calms down, he’ll realize his mistake as well. Your cousin really messed him up. He hasn’t been himself since. For a moment, it seemed like he was finally finding his center again, thanks to you, but…”

“I heard she was caught drugging him.” Nix tilted his head down as though ashamed, even though he had absolutelyno control over what others did. “I was too afraid to ask for details before but…Can you explain it to me? She knocked him out so she could plant something on his paintings?”

“Kind of.” West hesitated, but for what? Why should he care about Lake and Yejun right now? They weren’t the ones who needed him the most. “Let’s get dried off and dressed first, okay? Then I’ll tell you everything.”

Nix remained stiffly in place until West sighed.

“I promise, babe. I’ll tell you the whole story, start to finish.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Déjà vu,” he said it hoping to lighten the mood, but it didn’t work. “I care about you. I’m furious that they did this and that you’re hurting.”

“Why?” Nix pushed against his chest, just enough he could separate them a couple of inches. Then he turned in West’s lap and stared up at him. “Why aren’t you just as angry with me? I don’t get it.”

“Don’t you?”

Nix shook his head.

“We don’t choose our family. And we definitely don’t control what type of people they decide to be.”

“Basically, I lucked out and landed on the one thing you could relate to.” Nix snorted. “Guess my luck isn’t all that bad, huh? The difference is, I was close with Branwen. You hate your father.”

“And now?” He cocked his head. “Now that you’ve discovered who she was behind your back?”

Nix huffed. “Fair.” It was clear he didn’t want to continue, but eventually the silence became too much for him. “I was really hurt when I found out. The letter she left me? The one I told you guys about in the beginning? Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I’m pretty sure she wanted me to come here.”

“To find out who she blames for her death?” he asked. “And you’re certain it isn’t us?”

“It’s not,” he sounded certain, that was for sure. “There was someone else. Someone who convinced her to do all of that stuff against you guys. That’s who she wanted me to find. I doubt she ever imagined I’d get mixed up with you, especially since she’d used a fake name during her time as a student here.”

“And you don’t know why she did that?”

“I’ve thought about it over and over, but nothing ever comes to mind. Branwen is an old family name. Maybe that’s why? Could it be that simple? She’s never been fond of it, but I’ve never once heard her mention the name Iris as a replacement. Are,” he snuck a sideways glance at West, “you really okay talking about this?”

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