Page 77 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

“I can guess the gist of it. I’ve been around with you before.”

Cain paced ahead of me into the frat house. We walked into the living room, and two guys were sitting on the couch, obviously bandaged. Six of their other friends were in here, and they started to scatter before Cain turned and closed the doors behind him. The lock snapped shut.

I stepped in front of the doors. The guys were backing away, their eyes wide.

“Those two,” Cain said, pointing at one of them, then at the other. They both looked like they were about to piss themselves. “They helped take her.”

Remy must have gotten his hands on video.

“What—what happened?” One of them started to say. “We didn’t do anything—”

“I hate liars. Don’t tell me none of you knew,” Cain said quietly for a second time today, and the room went even more still than it had before. He glanced around the room. “We’re going to have a conversation about playing with my toys.”

Fuck.“Four to one, Cain?”

He didn’t bother to turn around. “Never said I needed you, Pax.”

He raised his hand and gestured for them to come at him.

None of them wanted to, I could tell. They traded frantic glances, but they knew there was no other way past him and out those doors.

Suddenly, three of them flew at Cain, their movements almost synchronized.

Not that it mattered. Cain whirled to attack each of them in turn, blocking their hits, not appearing to give a damn when they landed one on his rock-hard body.

I leaned against the doors, beginning to grow bored. The first three had fallen, but four others had moved in to take their place. One rushed at me, finally, trying to stop me from blocking the doors.

I hit him over and over again, pulling my punches just enough to keep him from going down, until he slammed into the wall, his eyes rolling back in his head.

He fell to the ground on his knees, then slumped over onto his face.

Cain’s eyes were bright for once when they met mine, as he was surrounded by all those bodies.

But by the time we were driving back to the house, he seemed quiet and preoccupied. The high he usually had after a fight like that had already faded.

There was something wrong.

Sometimes, a rare event shook Cain’s sense of himself as a psychopath. Once we’d gone to visit a rival gang leader to find the man had an eleven-year-old girl drugged up, hollow-eyed and bruised, sitting on his lap.

Cain had destroyed him and the top hierarchy of his gang—and even though he’d said it was for territory, he’d also carried that girl to our private doc to make sure she got help. Remy found out what happened to her and made sure she reached a safe, loving family.

The whole thing fucking haunted Cain—not what he’d seen, not the blood bath he’d created, but the fact he’d given a shit about something.

Cain slowed the car. Aurora was sitting on the imposing front porch of the house, which was usually unused. She looked over her shoulder, as if she sensed us. She was gorgeous, her long hair swept over one shoulder, her gaze magnetic even from this distance. Her face looked sad. Had she been crying? The thought made me feel a sudden burst of protectiveness that tightened my hands into fists.

Cain was staring at her too, then he abruptly hit the gas and we sped past her.

Judging from the way Cain looked at her, we were in trouble.

Every single one of us… especially Aurora.

23

Aurora

The next morning I reluctantly got out of bed. Time to face another day. I couldn't believe that I'd finally been brave enough to rebel against The Demon and claim what I wanted, and it had been so heartbreaking.

I'd always heard that the first time a girl had sex was disappointing, but the sex itself hadn't been disappointing. It had been the aftermath that was going to haunt me all day. I hated the fact that I was going to have to go out there and see Stellan after he hurt me…again. After I’d been stupid enough to give him the chance…again.

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