Page 116 of Rebellious Royals

"After he nearly took Pas's head off?"

"He needed it," Aspen explained. "Keir, Tor was trying to figure out how to apologize! He's never been able to do that either."

"Shit," I breathed, realizing how deep his trauma really went.

"And I think it was a little PTSD too," Rain said. "He said he heard his mother's voice. I mean, not literally, but like, that repetitive reminder of abuse from childhood kicked in, and I don't think he was allowed to be anything but brutal."

"He wasn't," Aspen said. "If my brother didn't do good enough - and I don't just mean win, but winwell enough- his mother tortured him."

"I saw the scars," I told her.

Aspen nodded, but Rain gave me a confused look. "What scars?"

"Titania lashed him with magic," Aspen explained. "He probably won't like that you know, but I think you should. He can be mad at me for telling you."

"Instead of me," I realized.

Aspen just shrugged. "I'm immune from his rage."

"There's that," Rain agreed. "But are we talking about like, slave scars or something? I mean, the type I've only ever seen on slaves in my history books?"

"No," I said. "Those can be healed. These? Tor's back has a crisscross pattern on it, but he won't heal them."

"I don't know if he can, Keir," Aspen said. "I mean, magically, it should be possible, but emotionally?"

"He said something about wanting them as a reminder," I said.

Which made Rain sit up to look at us both. "Guys, that's not ok. Does Dad know?"

"Liam knows as much as anyone else," Aspen assured me. "Believe it or not, my brother likes him - and talks to him."

"Still?" I asked.

She nodded. "Liam makes him promise to attend a session. Torian makes it sound like he's being forced, and yet when he's there?" She gestured at her head. "He feels like, um... You know how sometimes you get in bed and it's perfect, and you know you shouldn't move because it won't be this good again, but you have to? Yeah, Liam makes my brother's mind feel like that."

"Who do you talk to, Aspen?" I asked.

Those blue eyes of hers snapped up. "Me?"

"You," I said, hugging her a bit with the arm she was lying on. "Believe it or not, I care about you too. We're partners, right? Means I need to look out for you, andsomeonejust announced that she's a queen."

A smile took over Aspen's face. "Oh, that's so cute!" Then she looked at Rain. "I really like your boyfriend."

"Me too," Rain said, shifting so she could lay back down. "But Aspen, can I ask a really stupid and insensitive question?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you think Torian only liked girls because you do? Or that you do because he did?"

I froze, not wanting to move at all and interrupt this. I'd never thought about it, but Rain had a point. These two were crawling in each other's heads, and they were siblings. That had to be weird in some ways, but also would shape who they'd been as kids, then teens, and now as adults, even if that was still a new thing.

"I..." Aspen's brow creased. "I honestly don't know."

"Do you like any guys?" I asked.

Aspen made a face and shook her head. "I don't think so?"

"What do you mean?" Rain asked.

---