Page 66 of Banshee
“Is that why you’re here? Are you married to Banshee?”
I shook my head, a chuckle falling from my lips as I stared at the ceiling. “Banshee was the man he chose for me. But he said no. He said he was too old for me and I deserved more than being used as a pawn for politics. That I deserved to live the life I chose.”
“He was right,” Diana said with a smile.
“Except that wasn’t what I got.” Her smile fell, and she opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. “Instead,I was married off to a man who beat me and put me in the hospital.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aspen
Diana stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Before she could ask, I continued, “Skinner, the president of the Death Dogs, said he had information about you. Information he would give to Dad if he aligned with them. Dad jumped at it and agreed to marry me off to one of his men.”
“Oh, Irene,” she sympathized.
“It’s Aspen,” I reminded her.
“I’m sorry, Aspen. That will take a little getting used to.”
I nodded, knowing that it wouldn’t be any easier for any of my family to accept me as anyone other than the baby of Kronos. Little Irene Cooper.
“For three years I endured his abuse. Beatings, name-calling, shaming. Until one day, when I’d planned to finally make my escape, he came home earlier and beat me so badly I ended up in the emergency room. He told the doctors and police I had been mugged, and he’d found me a mile from our home.
“I still remember the way he squeezed my hand when the doctor came in after I woke up. The way he threatened me if I didn’t confirm his story.
“I was in and out of consciousness for three days. When I finally woke up, there was a different doctor in my room. A woman. She saved me, Diana. She and the women who worked with her got me out of the hospital. They got me the help I needed to recover from my injuries. And she set me up here inDiamond Creek. With a new name, a new identity. And I’ve been safe for two years. Until now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your being here means Dad will know where I am. I haven’t spoken to him or anyone from home in three years.”
“Wait, if you’ve only been here for two years, why haven’t you spoken to them in three years?”
“The same reason you never came home. I pulled away from them to protect them. Pepper threatened them. He said if I ever told them anything, he would have Skinner attack and wipe them out. So, I kept my mouth shut.”
Diana’s forehead scrunched in confusion.
“Dad didn’t react the same way when I disappeared, Diana. He didn’t go to the Death Dogs’ clubhouse and burn it down looking for me, like he wanted to do for you. He knew the Soulless Sinners had something to do with your disappearance, but without proof, he backed off.”
By the look on her face, she still didn’t understand. She’d never see our father the way I did. We had different fathers. The father I had after she disappeared wasn’t the same man she grew up with.
Maybe it was the difference in our ages. Maybe it was because he was older then. Or, maybe Banshee was right, and it was because he was no longer the president. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
I didn’t matter.
Not to him. Not the way Diana did. Certainly not the way Zeus did.
“He knew where I was, Diana. He knew who was responsible for my disappearance. He did nothing.”
“That can’t be true, Irene. He—”
“IT’S ASPEN!” I screamed, my hands fisting at my sides. I was sure to anyone looking in, it would appear that I wasthrowing a tantrum. Diana startled at my outburst. Her eyes filled with tears. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. My anger boiled inside me. Even my sister, who had been gone for decades, didn’t think I was important enough—to call me by the name I preferred. “My name is Aspen Winters. Irene Cooper is dead.”
“I’m sorry, Aspen.” Diana looked distraught, and I had to remind myself that she had been through so much more than I had. She deserved my grace. I just wanted a little of my own in return.
“He let me down, Diana. He doesn’t love me.”
“Of course he does,” she cried, standing from the bed.
