Her face morphs into that of the beautiful brunette who once laid in my arms like this, nearly lifeless, over twenty years ago—who last sent the feeling of terror through me.

  Teigan.

  No, I can't think of her. I need to focus on Aria.

  If I don't do something … It doesn't bother me but I'm not done with her yet.

  Stop lying to yourself. You couldn't save Teigen but you can save Aria.

  I growl at my conscience, who rarely shows up. I usually have him blocked out but the reminder of what I did to Teagan brings it forth.

  I'm not a hero. I don't save people. I hurt people.

  I can't leave Aria like this. Something inside me can't abandon her even if I really want to leave her down here.

  She has a power over me she doesn't deserve and only her death would erase it. Still, I can't leave her here.

  "Why? Don't tell me you actually care if I live or die," she grumbles without much emotion behind it.

  I don't care. It'd be so easy to let her drift away.

  If only I could.

  I carry her out of the basement and run for my car. My father isn't going to be enough to help her. She needs a hospital.

  I rush into the emergency entrance of the hospital with Aria in my arms, her arms latched around my neck.

  "I need help!" I announce and the nurses sitting around doing nothing hurry over to help.

  "What happened here?" the youngest nurse asks with a chart in her hand.

  I have no clue what to say. Everyone in Royal City knows not to get on my bad side so I give her a dark look and she shuts up. I’ve never brought anyone into the hospital before but they know to stay out of my business.

  An orderly brings over a gurney, and I lie Aria down. She hesitates for a moment with her arms still clutching around my neck but after a minute, she releases me, groaning in pain.

  I follow the group of nurses with Aria into the back and listen closely to what they say.

  "Sweetheart, what's your name?" the youngest nurse asks.

  "Aria … James," she hisses the answer after the gurney goes over a bump then into the triage area of the emergency room.

  "Can you tell me what's bothering you, Aria?" the older nurse asks.

  "Pain," she mumbles weakly.

  "What was that?"

  Anger blazes through me but I contain it as much as I can. "She said she's in pain, you fucking idiot!"

  "Sorry, Mr. Harris," the youngest nurse squeals in fear.

  "What's going on here?" Dr. Calvin, one of the hundreds of people I have within my pocket, asks as he walks along the stretcher being led to a room.

  "Room two is open, Dr. Calvin," one of the nurses announces.

  "Nurse Jane, you stay. Everyone else clear out!" Dr. Calvin snaps before looking right at me.

  He knows I'm responsible for whatever is happening here.

  I still don't speak.

  "Patient's name is Aria James," Jane, the oldest nurse, states with the chart in her hand.

  "How old are you, Aria?" Dr. Calvin asks as he pulls out his pen light and shines it in her eyes, slightly squinting.

  "Seventeen."

  "Can you tell me what happened?" He directs the question to Aria, not giving me another chance to give him answers. He knows I won't just stand by.

  I watch Aria as she closes her eyes, groaning in pain.

  "I-I fell … down the … stairs," she stutters.

  Surprise slams into me. I expect her to tell him that I shoved a pipe up her ass and threw her down the stairs but she's not placing blame.

  She's lying, not knowing whether or not I'm still here, and I wonder if it’s because she's protecting me, she knows the truth won't do her any favors, or because my torture is having the psychological effects I desire.

  "You fell down the stairs?" he asks while he trails his hands up her arms, squeezing gently to see if she reacts. The animal inside me wants to rip his hands off for touching her but she's in trouble. I have to deal with this torment for her sake.

  "Where is the pain?"

  "My … shoulders … head … stomach … and my … butt." She breathes heavily, like every breath is causing her an infinite amount of pain.

  I watch as his hands move over her shoulders, checking under her shirt at the bruising.

  "Tell me how many fingers I'm—" he starts with three fingers two feet from her face but I stop him.

  "She can't see," I interject, announcing my presence to her.

  "Ms. James, were you born without your sight?" he asks, which further pisses me off.

  "I … lost my sight … when I fell," she mumbles.

  Dr. Calvin blinks rapidly before flashing his pen light in her eyes again.

  "I don't see any retinal damage but we'll be able to confirm the damage after a CAT scan."

  "That's not the most important thing right now," I growl at him. "She's been bleeding for about eighteen hours."

  "Bleeding? From where?" he asks then glances at the blood seeping through the shirt around her hips. "Oh, god. Kai, what the hell?"

  Dr. Calvin knows full well that girls like Aria aren't safe around me and sometimes they get hurt. He knows exactly what I did to her even if I've never done that to someone before.

  Dr. Calvin pushes Aria's hip to turn her over, and she lets out a cry of agony. I don't know how it happens because I don't make the decision to reach out, but I grab her hand and start stroking her hair.

  She presses her face into my hand and her body relaxes as Dr. Calvin examines her.

  Am I actually bringing her comfort? I'm her tormenter, and yet she accepts the kind gesture I don't want to give.

  "Nurse, prep the O.R. stat, and make sure we have plenty of blood. She's lost a lot of it. What's her type?"

  Aria opens her mouth to answer but I already know it.

  "A positive." I beat Aria to it.

  The nurse looks positively green in the face as she races out of the room, almost in tears.

  "I'll be back in a few minutes," Dr. Calvin says before leaving more calmly than his nurse did.

  Everything is silent for a minute as Aria rolls onto her back, groaning the whole way.

  Then, she speaks.

  "Where am I?" she asks softly.

  "The hospital. That should be obvious," I hiss, more irritated at the situation itself than with her. She can't see and the only clue would've been Nurse Jane.

  "Why did you bring me here?"

  "Why?" I gape at her, stunned by her question.

  "You could've just left me there or called whoever helped me after the accident but you brought me here. Why?"

  Why? How the fuck am I supposed to explain that my ever-absent conscience wants her to live? That I can't just let her die?

  "Yeah, I could've. Be grateful that I didn't let you bleed out." I avoid answering the question.

  I'm not angry at her but at myself. I'm the one who couldn't just leave her there. I can't explain that Teigan's memory pushed me to bring her here.

  That would make her think I'm anything but an unfeeling demon. It's dangerous for her to believe otherwise. After all, I am the reason she's about to go into surgery.

  "You didn't want me to die," she says as if she can read my mind. "Why is it so hard for you to admit you want or don't want something when it doesn't make you look like a psycho?"

  Why? Isn't that the million-dollar question?

  "What makes you so certain I actually want you alive?" I try to keep my voice level but even I hear the tension clear in my tone.

  "If you didn't, I'd be dead right now. You would've left me on the side of the highway after the accident. You just want me to be afraid that you might actually kill me but I know you won't. The fear you see in me is for pain, not death. You lost your head when you threw me down the stairs but if I'd died, you wouldn't have been able to forgive yourself, would you?"

  My arms shake as I stare down at her. Emotions I consistently avoid run through me at her accusation.

  Could I have let her die? Would I have grieved her? I guess I'll never know.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ROWE

  The tick I always have in my jaw from anger that I bottle up is more prominent today. I see it as I wash my hands in the bathroom after suiting up in my gear for football practice.

  The guys and I have all bombarded Kai with texts about his absence but we've heard nothing back.

  The other guys have been gossiping about what could be going on but I haven't made a single peep.

  Kai made his stance perfectly clear. Knox fucked up by trying to push the boundaries Kai set up and of all people, Aria suffered for it.

  I wanted to beat the shit out of them when I saw her tumble down the stairs, like a sack of bricks. Knox and Kai.

  We're all smart enough to know we can't touch Kai, though.

  We can't save her from him, even though I desperately want to. I want to put her in my car and drive off. Take her to the east coast where my aunt and uncle are before hopping on a plane to whatever country she wants.

  We wouldn't make it far.

  "Any word?" Knox asks as I grab my helmet and push past him, leaving the locker room silently. "Dude! What is your problem?"

  He follows me into the hallway but luckily, it's empty. I drop my helmet and turn to him.

  "You want to know what my problem is, Ward? You're my fucking problem," I growl with anger. "You couldn't leave it alone, could you? You had to push and now, you know what? She's the one suffering for your stupidity. You challenged him, and he's taking it out on her." I push my hands against his chest and shove him into the wall.

  "Fuck off, man. You think we aren't all fucked up about this?" He pushes back and I grab him by his throat, pinning him against the wall.

  "Yes, we're all fucked up but you seem to be the only one who isn't grasping that Kai is not going to answer. Why, because he's busy torturing her because of you. You poked the fucking bear, Ward, and now she has to deal with the claws!"

  Dax and Nico run out of the locker room and pull us away from each other as we start throwing fists.

  Knox doesn't want to accept the blame. I refuse to settle for anything less. We're at an impasse.

  "Fuck you, Kade!" Knox snaps at me as he shakes off Nico, a tremor rippling through his arms, his fists clenching. "You didn't do shit to help her either. Do you think you're some kind of saint or are you really just pissed because she actually wanted me and not you?"

  "You fucking—" I nearly tackle him but am pinned by Coach Patrick against the wall opposite of Knox, who stares in shock.

  "No fighting, period. Just because you assholes have your panties in a twist doesn't give you the right to fight on school property. You got me?" he hisses, dashing his gaze back and forth between me and my enemy.

  "Got it, Coach," Knox groans out.

  "How about you?" Coach Patrick turns his piercing gaze to me, a warning clear in his eyes.

  "Crystal clear, Coach."

  "Good," he mutters, stepping back, an edge still present. His expression sours with sadness as he rubs his temple. "Practice is canceled. I need to go to the hospital."

  "What's going on, Coach?" Dax presses, concern on his face.

  Everyone knows there aren't many people close to him which leaves the list very short of possible people he's going to see.

  Coach Patrick sends each of us an angry glare but it softens when he sees we're just worried about him.

  "It's Aria,'' he admits. "She just got out of surgery. I need to be there when she wakes up."

  My heart breaks apart at his shocking words. I only register the words “Aria” and “surgery.” Everything else fades to the background.

  "Why is she in the hospital?" Knox asks, seeming mortified by this news.

  "Like you don't fucking know?" It's the stupidest question he's ever asked. Obviously she's there because of whatever Kai has done to her.

  "Fuck you, man. We're all worried about her."

  Coach just stares at us like this thought has never crossed his mind. He probably thinks we’re just Kai’s errand boys, but we all care about Aria even if there’s only so much we can do to help her.

  We're not Kai. We aren't a group of psychos. We want Aria to be safe, and Kai is the furthest thing from safe.

  "We'll see you at the hospital, Coach," I say right before he walks away. I leave the dumbshits to gossip about what could be wrong with her.

  If she just got out of surgery, that means she's not dead. Their next priority should be to check on her instead of hanging around like a bunch of gossiping biddies.

  I rush to change out of my gear and hightail it to my car.

  I pull up to the hospital and rush over to the registration desk, telling them Aria's name. She gives me the room number but as I'm heading there, I see Kai and Coach Patrick talking with hushed voices. I barely sneak past them and make my way to her room silently.

  Her normally vibrant hair is dull and stringy in a knot on top of her head and her skin is translucent as hell, but she looks at peace, laying on her side.

  She must still be out from surgery but I don't see any bandages.

  What the fuck did Kai do to her?

  "Who's there?" she asks weakly as I close the door.

  "It's okay, Aria. It's just me," I say before moving over to the chair next to her bed.

  She doesn't open her eyes but lets out a relieved breath. "Rowe? What are you doing here?" she asks, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She looks at me but it's as if she doesn't even see me.

  "I came to check on you. Coach Patrick told me you were here," I admit.

  "Did Kai call him?" she asks.

  I shrug. "Not sure. How are you feeling?"

  She smirks. "The doctor has me on a cocktail of painkillers. I'm completely loopy. Almost doesn't bother me that my vision is messed up."

  Messed up? Is that why she had surgery? That can't be. Her eyes are as beautiful and clear as ever. There's a small bruise on her eyebrow but not much more damage to her face.

  "What's wrong with your vision?" I sit my hand on top of hers, gently squeezing her fingers.

  "I haven't been able to see since I fell down the stairs," she admits. "At first, everything was completely black. Once Kai got me out of the house, everything was lighter, grayer with a few shade variations. Now, I can see color and shapes but everything is blurry, kind of like when someone wakes you up after a long day and you've barely been asleep for an hour, and your eyes refuse to focus on anything. You know what I mean?"

  She squeezes my hand back, her voice breaking slightly. She needs someone to understand what she's going through. Aria is looking to me for that.

  "Yeah, I get it," I say. "My dad … he's a real piece of shit," I admit and note the curiosity across her face. "Once, he beat me so bad I couldn't see straight for a couple hours. It was pretty freaky."

  I don't talk to anyone about my dad, not since he went to prison. Things have been better since then but he left his scars on me and my family.

  "That's horrible."

  "Like I said, he's a piece of shit. He's been in prison for five years now. He was a terrible drunk, and he beat my mom so bad she fell into a coma for five days. When Kai found out, he returned the favor and pulled some strings to have him put away for the rest of his life so no one has to be scared anymore."

  I was so grateful to Kai for that. I practically worshiped the ground he walked on, as did my mom and my sisters. What a bunch of fools we were?

  A small smile plays on her lips and I'm not fooling myself to think it's because of my experience similar to hers. It has to do with Kai.

  "He helped you?"

  "Don't do that, darling," I beg, lacing my fingers through hers.

  "Do what?" Her face twists, befuddled.

  "Don't try to see the bright side behind his actions. Kai is more evil than my father ever has been. My father had an addiction that turned him into a monster. Kai is naturally that way. We all made the mistake of thinking the same way at first. That's how he gets you. He makes you think he's only dark to help those he cares about but it's only a facade. He does things to help you but it's only to drag you in and get you exactly where he wants you. He makes you feel grateful then gets you to take his oath then he has you by the balls until he decides to let you go."

  She blinks at me a few times, shock on her face, but I can tell she's truly absorbing what I'm telling her.

  "What do you mean by take his oath? What is that?" she asks, her voice soft and curious.

  "He makes us give him a vial of our blood. At first, he tells us it's to prove we're willing to bleed for him, but it's all a lie. He wants it as leverage to keep us from challenging him, from running. If we go against him, he'll pin some horrific crime on us and have us sent to prison for the rest of our lives. It's his failsafe. We're his prisoners just as much as you are. The only difference being the pain he causes is emotional with us. His reach is too far for anyone to beat him. He has hundreds of vials with names on them. I've looked up every single one of those names. There's even one that works within the President's cabinet. All of these people will do whatever it takes to protect themselves from him, even if it means committing atrocities in his name."

  She squints her eyes before looking down at my hand.

  "I know he's a horrible person. I figured that out in that classroom," she admits.

  "That's not even the start of it, darling. All he did was hold you down then. He's capable of much worse things." She needs to understand how much of a monster he is.

  Her eyes flash up to my face, surprise across her face. "You don't know?" The words fall off her tongue, almost like a thought not meant to come out.

  "Don't know what?"

  Her expression turns dark as she bites her lip as if it's a nervous habit. "After you all left the classroom … Kai raped me himself. He said if I told anyone what happened in that classroom, he'd kill my dad."

  My mind is blown. I can't even think of what to say about what she’s just confided in me.

  Kai raped her? That's the last thing I'd expect to come out of anyone's mouth, let alone Aria.

 

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