Page 56 of Created in Chaos
“You really are quite mad,” she mutters in awe.
“It’ll stop surprising you at some point.”
“I really think you’re underestimating your ability to unnerve me.”
“Nah, I’m just confident you can handle me.”
“We shall see.”
NOVA
Despite my insistence that I accompany the guys to meet with Grace, my gut has been in knots since they agreed. If I’m honest, the sick feeling came much earlier than that. Seeing myself on the screen and having to watch what happened from an outside perspective wasn’t fun, not to mention observing the way Lucian looked at me back then, as if he really did hate me, wasn’t easy either.
In the moment, I didn’t know that he actually bumped me off his chest. Sure, I considered it, but seeing it is different. I also noticed when he shifted like he might grab me, or even stop me from falling, but decided not to. My feelings were hurt for the version of myself in that video, the one who didn’t have a soul to talk to or confide in, but that sadness evaporated when I watched Grace and a guy I don’t know slink out of Room 106 while I booked it down the hall.
I should have suspected she had a part in it. It was only a few days later when she and her buddies cornered me up on the third floor, warning me to stay away from the Morningstars. She must have decided to use a direct approach when she couldn’t get me alone, or maybe it surprised her that I fought back and didn’t just crumple when she tried to pull me into the room. It could be why she brought backup with her when she came at me again for not staying away from the guys.
Assuming it was her behind the bathroom thing is a leap, but not a far one. I don’t think the Umbras were behind it, like Lucian floated once or twice. If they wanted me to give them heirs, it would be a pretty dumb move to leave me for dead, so that leaves her, unless I’ve made even more enemies in this place than I thought.
We load up in a small vehicle Nox calls a side-by-side to drive over to the yellow house. It’s like some souped-up golf cart with big tires and a roll cage. Instead of taking the path behind the house near the beach, Nox takes a road that turns off before we reach the main house.
The fancy streetlights dotted along the narrow road illuminate several houses farther back off the lane. I wonder which home was Alden’s and if someone else lives in it now.
“Are all these people your family?” I raise my voice to be heard over the engine.
“Albert was my father’s only brother,” Lucian informs me. “Trusted members of our team and staff live here, but many of these homes are empty.” His eyes scan the darkened houses.
A pang of sadness hits me in my chest. They are alone, just like me, and I know it affects them. Maybe that’s part of the reason why we’re all drawn to each other.
It only takes a few minutes before the houses along the lane disappear and the yellow house comes into view. I’ve never seen it from this angle, but there’s no mistaking the cheery house with it lit up the way it is.
There’s a car in the massive driveway, parked near the garage. I have no doubt it’s from whoever brought Grace here. My stomach hollows out when the engine of the side-by-side cuts off, leaving us in the dark with only the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore. It’s eerie.
“It’s not too late to change your mind. You can wait here or drive back to the house,” Lucian offers, gripping the metal bar above my head after exiting.
“I want to know why she did it,” I confess.
“I can tell you that—she’s jealous,” he replies simply.
“Because she didn’t want me around you two.” I trade glances with the twins, who are both out of the vehicle now. It’s the easy conclusion, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around someone being willing to kill me because of it.
“She probably thought she could scare you away, and when it didn’t work, she got stupid.” Nox shoves his hands into his pockets, but it doesn’t hide the way his shoulders bunch up by his ears.
“Did she have a reason to be that mad at me? Were you guys with her?”
“No,” they both answer emphatically at the same time.
“We’ve never been with anyone the way you’re suggesting,” Nox adds, glancing briefly at Lucian.
“Did they know that?” I press.
“They knew what they were getting with us. We didn’t bullshit any of them to get them to sleep with us.”
I scowl at the mention of them being with other girls. It’s not something I want to think about.
“Wait out here,” Lucian says. “I’ll get whatever answers you need.”
I have to admit that it’s tempting to let them handle her. I could console myself by pretending I didn’t have a choice if she lived or died, but that wouldn’t absolve my conscience. When they promised to kill the person who put me in the hospital, it was appealing. I don’t think I understood how serious they were, and I wanted the person who hurt me to hurt too, but now I feel conflicted. There’s part of me that wants her to pay for what she did, since she left me to die on a dirty bathroom floor after God only knows what they did to me—I still can’t remember the whole thing, and I don’t think I even want to at this point—but there’s another part of me that thinks I’m wrong for feeling that way. Maybe her living with the knowledge that she will never have the Morningstar brothers would be enough to torture her.