Page 2 of Coerced

“You won’t believe this, but Noah is Matt’s twin.” Jax looked at me with raised eyebrows. “I can only imagine what the holidays look like at their house. On one side is Noah wearing his Nazi swastika and on the other is Matt making a peace sign.”

I didn’tquiteget what he was saying, but I understood enough to know that Noah and Matt Farley were probably complete opposites.

Gemma let go of my hand and stood up, and whatever she saw upset her so much, she gripped my shoulders hard.

“I thought that Firsts First stuff died when Reilly Argaud was tried and sentenced to the Box,” she muttered.

A tremble shook her, but I knew it wasn’t because she was afraid. It would take a lot more than this to scare my girl.

After Argaud attacked her in November, she’d had nightmares and a few panic attacks, but even that wasn’t because he’d scared her. Well, mostly not, anyway. It had taken me a bit to realize that, and to understand that what he’d really done was shatter her confidence.

In her before-Sanctuary life, she’d learned self-defense from her martial artist uncle, and if she were pure human, that probably would have been enough to keep her safe through her short life. The neph world was way more dangerous, though, and her few skills weren’t enough to protect her here.

Sure, she could knee a dude in the nuts or knock him out with her power, but she’d be the first to fall in arealfight - and Argaud’s ambush had reminded her of that.

It didn’t help that her world had been turned upside down last summer. Because of me, she lost her scholarship, had to cut all contact with her family and friends, and gave up her dream of one day performing on Broadway. She’d had a good life, and I’d dragged her out of it.

I’d also half killed her, but she didn’t hold that against me, seeing how I was possessed by a demon at the time.

Like her forgiveness eased my guilt.

She’d had a hard time coming to terms with all of that, and I knew she was still struggling with the stunt Argaud had pulled, but she acted like her old self a lot more now. That was a relief. I didn’t like seeing her hurting.

“It’s true that Reilly started it up to divert attention from his activities,” Jax was saying, “but Noah and Cole have kept it going. With Reilly, there was at leastsomeorganization to the group. Not that I support it in any way! I’m just saying that now, it’s devolved into Noah spewing hate and Cole directing attacks at his whim.”

Gemma’s fingers dug even deeper into my shoulders as he talked.

Yep, I was right. Breakfast is about to end.

I was gonna be getting involved in something that, one, wasn’t my business, two, could end in someone getting hurt, and, three, would take me away from these golden-brown waffles.

I started to wolf them down as fast as I could.

“The worst thing they tell their followers,” Gigi said, “is that Firsts are the only ones who stand a chance against the Diabolical.”

I choked a little.

“Don’t they know a demon would suck them dry as fast as a Fourth?”

“Far as I know, Fanishell’s never been outside the Sanctuary.” Jax made a face and pushed his plate back. “Skews your perspective, I guess, to be kept safe and sheltered your whole life.”

“But that kind of lie is going to get people killed.” Gigi’s eyes flashed with anger. “Ooo, it fries my fritters that people are so willing to believe his garbage!”

Fritters? What’s a fritter?

“It’s disgusting, and someone needs to stop him!” In her outrage, Gemma took a step forward.

Oh, no.

I reached out and grabbed her wrist, careful to be gentle.

“What are you gonna do, angel? Fuss at him? Hate to tell you, but fussing won’t change his mindset.”

“Then I’ll start with fussing and go from there.” She raised her voice and pointed with her free hand, and a few people turned from the show across the room to gawk at us. “He’s threatening them because of how they were born! I will not stand by and watch someone get hurt because of idiotic ego issues!”

“Say that five times fast.” Jax grinned. “Idiotic ego issues. Idiotic—”

I tuned him out when she twisted her wrist free of my loose hold. From her apple-red cheeks and sparking eyes, I figured I had about five seconds before she stopped listening.

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