Page 55 of Created in Chaos

I want it.

There’s a renewed desire to keep her safe and not let her see how ugly our world can truly be. “Tell me what you think is going to happen,” I encourage, hopefully leading her to the right outcome.

She crosses her arms over her chest and leans back. It’s a defiant, defensive position. “You’re going to talk to her and find out what she knows about what happened in the bathroom.” She never calls it an attack, which is what it was, but she doesn’t want to think of herself as a victim.

“How do you think I’m going to do that, lamb? I’m not going to trick her into spilling her guts or coax her into confessing everything she knows. I don’t have the desire or the time to tempt her.”

“What are you going to do? Beat it out of her?” She snorts as if that’s a ridiculous conclusion.

“If she doesn’t talk or tries to lie to me.” It wouldn’t take much. Grace is weak. She’s probably going to piss her pants the second I raise my voice. Nova’s mouth falls open in shock at my response. “How did you see this going? I told you I would kill anyone who was involved. Do you think that changes because she’s female?”

“I…” She hesitates. “I don’t know. I figured you’d make her tell you by sweet-talking her into it, then get her kicked out of school or force her to leave.”

“I don’t do second chances, lamb. If I would have dealt with this shit in the library sooner, maybe none of this would have happened. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“You can’t kill her, Lucian,” she says, as if she still doesn’t believe I’ll do it. She sounds like she’s trying to convince me the sky is blue and there’s no way I could argue with her point.

“I can and will, which is why you’re staying here with Nox.”

My brother surprises the hell out of me. “I’m coming with you.”

“What?” There’s no way I heard him correctly.

“I’m going to be there,” he confirms with his face set, as if he’s already made up his mind.

“You hate this shit,” I remind him. I made a promise to him a long time ago—I’ll deal with the dirty shit so he doesn’t have to. It never bothered me the way it does him.

“This isn’t for power or money. It’s for Nova.” It’s an explanation I can understand. Nox has never been motivated by the need to lead the way like I have, but he possesses the same fierce loyalty I do and he cares about Nova.

“Whoa, whoa, just hold up. I want answers too, and she deserves to pay for her involvement, but you guys are talking about killing her,” she explains as if we don’t understand the concept.

“She wouldn’t be the first,” I tell her, exposing a truth I thought she already understood, but maybe I was wrong. “I don’t need you to have a war of conscience with me, lamb. This part of my life doesn’t ever need to touch you.” I gesture to Nox, who up until now has wanted it that way too. “But my hands will never be clean. I will always do what needs to be done, and you need to accept that. You don’t have any other option at this point.”

“Don’t go telling me what I’m going to do, pretty boy. I’m not scared of you.” She bucks right up against my will, even after I confessed my sins. I can’t help the dark smile that curls my lips.

“I know, lamb, and that’s probably how you got yourself into this situation.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ll become obsessed with anyone who stands up to you,” she challenges with a narrow-eyed glare.

“Nah, you’re not the first person who tried to tell me no. You’re just the only one I didn’t want to end for it. It’s a you thing, pet, I assure you.”

“It better stay that way too, pretty boy.”

“Or what?” I’m helpless not to challenge her.

“I don’t think either one of us wants to know the answer to that question,” Nova confesses.

“Oh, he wants to know. He’ll probably pry it out of you later, but he can indulge in his fantasies at another time.” Nox reels the conversation back in. “I think you should let her come if she wants to be there. It involves her.”

Now I want to smack him upside the head. “You’re really going to team up against me?”

“It’s not against you. It’s for her. If you want her in our life, then she should at least know what we’re dragging her into.”

“And if she hates us for it?”

Nox assesses Nova for a long moment, taking in every feature. “She won’t, but she will understand the lengths we will go to so we can take care of her.”

“And it will make her an accessory, meaning I have one more reason to make sure she can never escape us.” I voice the thought in my head, not really thinking about how it might sound to her.

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