Page 7 of Orion Ruined

Look at that. Logan, siding with Kai? I must admit, ‘Maisy’ woke my dick from its winter sleep when I saw her, and her freshly showered scent wafting under my nostrils made me feel like a horse on drugs, but even so, she’s seen us. It’s game over for her. In our world of lies, betrayal, semi-automatic guns, and killings, you trust a few people. And these two make my most trusted army, though it’s shocking even to me.

“What’s this? A mutiny?” I snap.

Kai pleads his case. “Orion, you saw her. She’s different. Normal. We don’t kill people from outside our world.”

Clearly this goes deeper than I thought for him.

“I’m with Kai on this one,” Logan adds.

Fools! “She came to my door with rat’s blood on her,” I point out. “Rat’s blood! That’s a message for me. Or us. How can you not see it?”

They stare at me, silently resisting.

I exhale a loud sigh. “I can’t deal with you two today. Stay the night, but away from her room. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”

“Are you gonna kill her?” Logan asks.

“Not until I know who sent her. Come, I’ll show you to your rooms, then I’ll go and see what she knows.”

I take them upstairs again, but to the opposite side of the house, to Lisa and Mya’s rooms. My sister and niece are the only family members I allow in my house, so they rightly have a room each.

“Orion, I trust you, brother,” Kai insists as he enters his room. “I know you won’t kill her.”

Logan heads for his room without a word.

“Get some sleep,” I tell them.

MAISY

I shift my weight from foot to foot as I wait for Orion. He is the person I ought to get on my side, seeing as I’m in his house and looking for his protection. But somehow, I get the feeling he doesn’t want me here. I’m not frightened–even though his eyes are black as a bottomless pit, seeming to magically lure every living creature to him. Mine are, too. Darkness doesn’t scare me. What does scare me is that I can’t read him. But I’ll take that over being on the streets. I’m finally safe, thank God! A mantra that’s been on repeat in my head. That, and from time to time, the image of the three of them standing over me.

The knock on the door makes me jolt. “C-come in.”

Orion strides inside as if he’s meeting me in some professional setting, like a boardroom or something. “You haven’t dressed yet.”

“I have nothing to wear.” I chew on my bottom lip. “Maybe I’ll wash my old clothes later.”

“No. Throw them away. I’ll bring something for you.”

He disappears somewhere and comes back with a t-shirt, jeans, and underwear. How often has he been in this situation?

“I hope these’ll fit you.” He hands them over and glances at my legs, at the wound on my ankle. The skin is broken and red where I was shackled.

“Thank you.”

He sits on the armchair opposite the bed, rests his left ankle over his right knee, and leans back. “Sit,” he orders.

I take a few steps backward and sit on the bed.

“What’s your name?”

“Maisy Roy.”

“I’m Orion Carte. But you knew that already.”

I nod.

“Tell me why you showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night.”

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