Page 14 of Burning Truths
“Let’s get you cleaned up, Kens.” I whisper.
I can hear footsteps behind me, but I keep my eyes on her. Waiting for her to speak, to scream, to say she hates us. Anything other than the silence that’s suffocating me in this moment. Yet, nothing comes. Her sunken eyes peer up at me with so much fight left inside them and pride suddenly fills my chest.
“Kens-” I start.
“Tell me a joke.” She says, stopping my former question.
The room is so quiet, I swear I can hear the faint sound of her heart beats slow down to a steady thrum. Chuckling under my breath, I think for a moment before I blurt, “I guess getting married to a Stone comes with it’s own form of torture.”
Once the words leave my mouth I instantly want to take them back, but our girl lets a soft giggle slip free. A small weight liftsfrom my chest at the soft sound, but then my face falls. She sees it the second it happens.
“Take me to my room.” She says, her voice strong. Clear. Steady.
West lets out a laugh behind me that makes me jump from the sudden sound. “There she is.”
He steps around me to come kneel beside her with a wide grin on his face. Placing both hands on either side of her, West leans in, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Pulling back, he captures her gaze for a few seconds, neither of them speaking a word, only sharing a look before he nods. That one look says more than any conversation they could have right now. He sees it too. Her strength and fight.
“Anything for you.” With a wink he stands and starts to undo her bindings.
Once she’s free, she rubs the red marks on her wrist with a wince, but she masks her pain well. Once she’s fully untied, the sadness and guilt morph back into rage and suddenly I’m throwing the chair against the wall, letting out a feral scream. The room swims, my entire body vibrating, all I can taste is blood. West steps back to give me space, but a little pale hand lands on my chest pulling my gaze downward. Kenna stands a few inches shorter than me with the look of a fucking warrior.
“I’m ok.”
I can’t look at her, knowing those big round gray eyes are staring up at me. Instead I keep my eyes trained on the wall behind her.
Pinching my chin between her fingers, she forces my head down and I let her. I can’t deny her anything. But I close my eyes, not willing to let her see the demons lurking behind them. .
“Look at me, Cole.”
I can’t. It’s not right. Everything in this room is wrong.
Digging her nails into my skin she speaks louder this time, “Look at me.”
And I do. Our gaze clashes like the sea against the sand.
“I’m okay, Cole. I’m fine.” She murmurs only to me.
My chest aches from the look in her eyes but I see her clearly. A fighter. A true Kingston heir. She’s calming me when I should be the one calming her, and that feeds the feeling inside my chest.
Shaking my head, I grip her hand, and push it into my chest harder. “We should be protecting you, not treating you like the enemy. This should never happen!” I’m trembling under her touch.
Her chapped lips tip up in a smirk, “I’m made of steel because of the way you all care for me. I’m only as strong as the blood that runs through you. I bleed, we bleed. It’s the way it’s always been. We all bear the pain of the foundation.”
She’s so smart for someone who’s still in school. We’re only kids. She deserves to be in high school planning prom or cheer squad bullshit. Not in a basement being treated like a prisoner before her sixteenth birthday. She presses up on her toes to kiss the spot just under my chin before she slips her fingers into mine and pulls me towards the stairs.
West waits at the top leaning in the doorway with a look that lets us know he’s proud of how she’s handling this. We both are. She hesitates when she notices Ryker isn’t waiting for her, causing my fingers to tighten around her in reassurance. Ryker will come in his own time.
When we reach the top, Ryker moves from the shadows to stop in front of us. With one curl of his finger and without missing a beat, Kenna drops mine, taking a step forward before running into his arms. West and I watch as he lifts her and turns to walk away. Kenna’s legs wrapped around his waist, her hands tangled in his hair.
“Ryker.” I call out.
He pauses, but doesn’t turn, “Cole.” He warns.
He’s on the edge and me stopping him from caring for her will push him over. That doesn’t stop me from saying what we all know.
“It’ll be you in the end. Come to terms with it now or later, but she’s yours to protect. It’s time you stop hiding in the shadows.”
He looks down at Kenna, “She’s always been mine.”