Page 40 of In Too Deep

Itook an extra day to clear my head and think about things. As much as I wanted to get back to Sage, I needed that time alone to process what Andrea had revealed to me. I still can’t believe it’s true. A part of me wants to believe it, but another wants to call her a liar. Rituals? Why have I never heard of this before? One would think if their father were planning something like this, I would know about it. I shake my head and run my hand over my face before grabbing the liquor bottle off the table and bringing it to my lips. I enjoy the burn as it goes down, trying to make sense of any of this.

The girls make sense. That would be why there are no girls at Bellmont. They were given up, being seen as the weaker sex, the cursed. I take another long pull before finally laying back on the bed. Thoughts run wild through my head, and none of them make any kind of sense. I just don’t understand. How could he have kept this from me, of all people?

Closing my eyes, I let sleep tug me under. It doesn’t take long for the dreams to come. They always do, and I welcome them with open arms. Evil. That’s all I see in my dreams, and maybe that’s all I should see. I am evil, after all. I’m the son of a killer. I kill. That doesn’t make me much better than him, does it? I toss and turn as visions of my mother play out in my dreams. The whistle of the whip as it travels through the air and the scent of blood. When I look at her, it isn’t her face I see. What the fuck? It’s Sage.

I wake with a start, sitting straight up in bed before rubbing my hand over my face. It was too real, too vivid. The thought of calling her crosses my mind until I look over and see it’s two in the morning. I’m sure she’s asleep right now. Instead of waiting any longer, I throw my legs over the side of the bed and grab my clothes, pulling them on quickly. Fuck this. I want to go home. I want to be closer to Sage. I need that connection right now.

I grab my shit and check out of the hotel, climbing in my car and taking off. I drive as quickly as possible while running things through my mind. Was I going to have to be a part of this ritual? Was he even going to tell me it was happening?

I speed through the near-empty streets until I reach the gate at Bellmont. As usual, the man steps out and checks who it is before opening the gate and waving me through. Then, a thought hits me. Is this why we can operate outside the law? Are we that safe in Bellmont?

I drive down the road and pull into the driveway, killing the engine before I climb out and grab my bag. Then I go inside, locking the door behind me. I don’t see Juno, so he must be downstairs with Sage. I set my bag on the couch and make my way to the stairs, opening the basement door. I hurry down the stairs and flip the light on when I reach the bottom. Juno is passed out on the couch, but when I look at the bed, I don’t see Sage. My heart begins to pound against my ribs as I walk closer. Rage, anger, it all whips through me at once, thinking she left me.

I take one more step, and that’s when I see her. She’s on the floor next to the bed, curled into a ball. Why is she on the floor? I kneel in front of her, and her head pops up, fear in those icy blue eyes. I narrow my eyes, trying to understand what the fuck I’m seeing. No. This isn’t right. This is all wrong, all fucking wrong!

I lift my hand and reach for her face, but she cowers away from me. I shake my head, warning her not to do it again. Then I bring my hand to her cheek and run my thumb down the trail of blood. It wipes off, but more blooms. I try to take slow, deep breaths as I look down.

“Stand up,” I snarl. Sage shakes her head, but the anger is too intense. I wrap my hand around her throat, jerking her to her feet. Sage stands before I speak again.

“Turn around,” I tell her this time. She looks at me, really looks at me, before slowly turning around to face the wall. Then I see more. Marks. Blood. Whip marks. I shake my head as I process what I’m seeing. Her body, her perfect body. I reach for her shoulder and turn her back to face me.

“Who did this to you?” She doesn’t open her mouth to say anything. No. That’s unacceptable. “Who. Fucking. Did. This. To. You?” I ask through gritted teeth. Her eyes move, but she still doesn’t speak. I follow her gaze to where Juno is still sleeping on the couch. He wouldn’t have done this. He knows she means too much to me to do that to her. No fucking way.

“No.” I take a step back and point at her. She’s lying. “No. No fucking way.”

“You … you think I’m lying?” her voice trembles as she speaks.

“He wouldn’t do this,” I argue, keeping my eyes on hers the whole time.

“You think I did this to myself?”

“Don’t say it, Sage. Don’t you fucking tell me he did this,” I warn, keeping my voice low so as not to wake him just yet. Sage laughs. It’s not a normal laugh. It quickly turns maniacal before I move in and slap my hand over her mouth. “You’re lying,” I seethe. Sage reaches up and pries my hand off her mouth before I see the tears in her eyes.

“You left me to him, Ares. You told me I was safe here. You lied to me.”

“He didn’t do this,” I roar this time. Juno stirs on the couch before sitting up and looking over at us. His eyes widen as he looks between the two of us.

“Juno, you didn’t do this,” I say louder this time. Juno shoves off the couch and walks over to us, his hands in the air.

“Ares, come on. We’re like brothers,” he says as he steps in between the two of us.

“We’re like brothers,” I repeat his words back to him. “Brothers.”

I reach for him, resting my hands on either side of his head, holding him like that as I lean in and rest my forehead against his.

“You didn’t do that, Juno,” I repeat once more. Rage isn’t a strong enough word to describe what I feel right now. There’s nothing to describe what I feel right now. Something hot boils in my veins. Sweat begins to trickle down my temples.

“It’s me, Ares. It’s Juno. Come on,” he almost sounds like he’s pleading with me. Is he pleading? For his life right now?

“It’s Sage, Juno.”

“I know it is. It’s Sage, Ares.” I lick my lips, keeping my head pressed against his as I sniffle.

“She’s mine, Juno. Mine.”

“I know she’s yours, Ares. She’s all yours.”

“What did you do, Juno?” I ask, squeezing his head a little harder between my hands.

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