Page 32 of The Clash of the Damned
I flash back to the night with Jude on Luca’s desk. It’s hard to pretend to care when I’m still not over her. “I’ll pass, thank you.” I give the girl a small smile before I excuse myself to the parking lot.
Lighting a smoke when outside, I pace. Considering what I asked Dom, it’s not my smartest move, but knowing that all of this is partially for Jude to marry someone else…I’m not handling it as well as I thought I would.
I see shapes moving in the darkness and prepare to confront or defend; I’m not really sure which. But as the shapes become clearer, I find Jayden, the man of the hour, in a passionate embrace with someone I recognize almost as well as myself.
“Clark? What are you doing here?”
“Fuck!” I’m barely able to make out my brother’s fists as they open and close in the dark.
It’s almost comical as the three of us look between each other, waiting for one of us to speak first. “Clark, maybe you should go. I’ll handle this,” Jayden suggests.
Clark holds out his hand in front of Jayden, the affection clear to anyone watching. “No! He needs to hear this.” Clark then turns to me, seeming prouder, taller, like he’s ready to fight me if he must.
“Why do you think Mom kept sending me on long assignments? Or why the marriage to Tatiana didn’t go ahead? You weren’t the first one in our family to fall in love with a Druid; you were just the one that got punished the hardest. For that, I’m so sorry. I should have protected you from her.”
I stand there, frozen in shock. Out of all the possibilities that could have played out tonight, this didn’t register as an option. Since I’m not rejecting Clark, he seems to see this as a win, and he grasps me in a hug. Fora moment, I let myself be comforted by my big brother as all the pieces of our relationship start making so much more sense.
“Go easy on him. This has been hard for him, and he’s special to me.” Clark kisses Jayden on the cheek. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” He walks back to Tao’s employee entrance.
“How about you light one of those for me as well?” Jayden motions towards my fallen cigarette, and still in a state of shock, I comply.
“Do you remember how I told you I cared about someone too? Well, now you know.” How do I hate Jayden when he’s caught between two of the people I love most in this world? “Does Jude know?”
“She does. I’ve told her everything, and she told me what happened between you two. While this may not be a love match, we want the same thing; stability for our people. Knowing our truth, can you respect at least her wishes, if not mine?”
I light a smoke for him before I light another for myself. I take a long drag and exhale the smoke into the night. Jude got the truth, which is all she’s ever wanted. I promised her I would be better, and that starts tonight. He’s better for her than I ever was, and he will take care of her in ways I can’t.
“It’s the least I can do after everything I’ve put her through,” I tell him as I hold out my hand in an offer of friendship.
Chapter 24 | Kiss From A Rose
Sebastian
Growing up amongst the Supernatural community, I’ve seen my friends take such pride in their Supernatural abilities, and I couldn’t be further from that. Don’t get me wrong, the pure power of what a Rogue can do, the healing, the speed, and the strength is a rush, and I love those parts. But how can I truly love being something, or someone, that forces me to kill this much? My finger brushes over one of the several tattoos across my forearms–the only way I can remember them. A map of evidence to all the crimes I’ve committed and the families that will never be whole again because of me. Not even Gabe realizes what’s right in front of him on my body.
That I no longer have to kill on demand and have taken my power back has to mean something. Now, I only kill to protect my loved ones. Not whenshetells me to. It has to be enough to help ease my lingering guilt.
A Rogue’s body identifies alcohol as a poison that doesn’t belong. Aside from the brief buzz we may get, our body quickly expels it, and we go back to our normal selves within a few minutes. So I’ve never experienced ahangover. As I walk into the dining room where my siblings eat in silence, I almost wish for a hangover so I don’t have to deal with the awkwardness playing out in front of me. I would rather chew off my right arm than sit through this.
Cutlery clings against plates, and the sound of chewing irrationally irritates me. Clearing my throat, I take a seat at the table and dish up from the assortment in front of me. “Great party last night.” But even as the words leave my mouth, I cringe at how false they sound.
“Well, I love my new toy, thanks, brother. She purrs like a dream.”
Amelia’s unbothered, but I can’t say the same for Clark. He’s shovelling eggs into his mouth like it’s a race to get out of here. I know he’s trying to avoid the elephant in the room. It’s like he thinks daylight will change my reaction, and that secrets are better discussed at night. Seeing my stare, Clark puts his fork down and clears his throat.
“I’m happy to report that business is doing well. The trial run with Tatiana for the events side of our business at your engagement party was a success. It was a bit above board, but now that we have a plan, we can expand our offering.” He clears his throat. “Rogue business is still a bit slower than usual, but we can attribute that to the religious zealots. I’m sure it will pick up once they get bored with us. In the meantime, there is a casino I may acquire that I’ve had my eye on it for quite some time.”
Amelia blows hair out of her face. “Why are we talking about business so early? I’ve only had one cup of coffee.”
“You’ve got a lot to catch up on. I know Sebastian has been training you while I was away, but you’re behind the rest of the Rogues, and we need to fix that ASAP if we’re ever going to reclaim our power amongst the empires. After breakfast, meet me in the training room. I want to see youin action.” Clark dabs his mouth with a napkin. “Pass the hazelnut spread please.”
“You’re charming so early in the morning, Clark, truly. You must be a hit with the ladies with a personality like that.” Amelia’s flared nostrils are the only sign of her sarcasm, and I doubt Clark realizes.
“Are we going to talk about what happened last night?” I ask.
Amelia sits up straighter, abandoning her bagel. “What did I miss?”
If our parents were still alive, I would never out Clark at the breakfast table. I would protect his secret like it was my own, but they’re dead, and we’re still picking up the pieces. If we want to break the cycle, something has got to change. If we have any chance of making this work as a family, we have to start trusting each other.
