Page 71 of Created in Chaos

“No problem. If you need anything, I’m sure this place is stocked. Just find someone from the crew.”

“Thanks,” I tell him, even though I hate the lack of familiarity between us. Nox makes a face that mirrors my emotions, but it slips away before he turns around and walks back down the hall. I shut the door and put my back against the wood.

That certainly wasn’t worth coming to bed. I would have sat out there with him all night, freezing, if I knew I wouldn’t get any real answers.

NOX

I knock on Nova’s door once the boat is moored. Lucian returned about thirty minutes ago, along with Lev and a couple other security guards. It wouldn’t have been unusual for us to have them with us if we went to another boat, so the crew aboard shouldn’t have a reason to think it’s out of place.

When I don’t get a response, I knock a little harder. “Nova, we’re heading back to the island. You can stay here if you want.” That’s a fucking lie, but it’s something I would say to someone I don’t care about.

The door opens from the inside, and it’s too dark to see her face tucked mostly behind the wood, but if I could, I bet she would be scowling at me. “Give me a second,” she bites out, then closes the door in my face. I might be in trouble. I don’t know why Lucian likes the feeling of her being pissed at him, because it fills me with dread.

I lean against the wall, pretending to be bored. Within two minutes, the door opens again, and out walks a slightly disheveled Nova. She barely even acknowledges me as she walks down the hall, but I sure as shit notice she’s not wearing a bra, which is kind of a dickish thing to be thinking about when she’s clearly not happy with me. Maybe I woke her up. That could explain why she seems pissed. I know I hate getting woken up.

She finds her way to the back of the yacht without any prompting from me and descends the ladder to the waiting boat. The driver—one of our guards—looks up at me with wide eyes, trying to decide if he should touch her to help her down or risk her falling.

Nova drops the last few feet before either of us decide, sticking the landing, then takes one of the only seats by itself, making sure neither of us could sit near her, though Lucian still isn’t in sight. I send a text to Lucian, telling him we’re already on the small boat and to get a move on.

The boat ferrying us back is full for the return trip. The guards who were already on the Leviathan when we arrived earlier have climbed aboard with us, leaving some who have to stand. No one speaks for the duration of the ride back to the island.

I wish I would have told Nova to pack better. It’s clear from her wrinkled clothes that she slept in them, or at least tried. By the time we disembark, I can see her shivering while she tries to tame her long hair, and I feel worse for not thinking ahead or at least telling her to check the drawers in the room for more comfortable clothes.

“Does anyone have a jacket?” I look around but come up empty. It doesn’t matter much, though, because Nova doesn’t waste any time hightailing it off the dock and to the side-by-side still parked near the storage building. I think about calling for a car, something that would have heat, but it would be a waste of time.

Instead of getting in the passenger seat, I climb in the back with Nova and put my arm around her. It’s not much, but I can block some wind. She tenses for a moment, then sinks into my embrace, burying her cold nose against my neck.

Lucian gets us home in record time, and we all hurry into the house, then up to our room. Nova doesn’t even let the door close before she demands, “Why didn’t you tell me the plan?”

“What plan?” Lucian plays dumb ineffectively.

“Don’t you even try it, pretty boy.” She narrows her eyes on my brother, who looks altogether too serene. “There was a reason we went out on that boat, and you didn’t tell me.”

“I’m still not going to.”

“What?” she splutters with utter outrage. I don’t blame her, he’s being cocky.

“Do you trust me, Nova?” Lucian rarely uses her name, and it’s usually very effective when he pulls it out, noting the seriousness of the situation.

Nova takes her time answering, letting her eyes roam over every inch of my twin then me with a shrewd stare. “Yes,” she finally bites out through clenched teeth. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll put up with your shit, Lucian Morningstar.”

“Watch your goddamn mouth, lamb.”

“You better watch your step, pretty boy. I lived off scraps for a long time, but I won’t do it again. If you don’t trust me enough to let me in, then there’s no point in me being here.”

“Not telling you has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with protecting you.” Lucian either misses the part about living on scraps or chooses to ignore it, but that’s all I can think about. I know she’s not talking about being poor.

“You could say that about anything.” She tosses her arms up in the air.

“I could, but I’m not,” he replies.

“I thought the whole point of me going was so you didn’t do anything stupid.”

“I didn’t do anything stupid. Go put some fucking warmer clothes on or take that shit off and get in bed.” He acts affronted at the fact that she’s still clearly cold.

“No,” she states slowly, her eyebrows raised, daring him to do something about it.

Lucian actually laughs, but it’s a dark, slightly unhinged sound. “I will rip those clothes off you if you don’t, and when I’m done, I will fuck you on the floor, against the wall, or wherever the hell else I want, and it won’t be gentle because I don’t do scraps, lamb, not with you. You will always get all of me, and I don’t think you would be very happy with all of me right now, so I’m giving you a choice—go change, or get in bed.”

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