by V. F. Mason
My heart flips at how well he knows me, and countless memories of our childhood play in my mind like a most vivid and favorite movie.
He read books to me, took me to various classes, came to my room during storms, and always invited me to go places with his friends, because he felt better if he had his eyes on me all the time. It changed a bit after my father died; he got killed, and no one knows how, and Mom went to another country and married some rich dude who needed a trophy wife.
We each had our space to grow, but through it all, he stayed a solid rock that could withstand anything and protect me from danger, heartbreak, and even myself.
And the man standing in front of me now, who sacrificed so much in order to get us both here, deserves for me to tell him the truth and respect him enough to be honest without trying to play games.
He raised me better than being a coward.
“I’m going home.” A muscle twitches on his cheek, but besides that, he doesn’t acknowledge my words. “Ryder… he didn’t use me. He wants me. And I want to be with him.”
Florian whistles as he takes cigarettes out from his back pocket and puts one in his mouth, lighting it up, although all his focus stays on my brother as if he’s not sure how he will react.
“Yesterday, you came here in tears, wearing only his shirt, terrified about what happened. Today, you’ve changed your mind just like that.” He snaps his fingers, the sound making me jerk. “And now you want me to accept this and give you my blessing?” Even though he words it as a question, it sounds more like a statement.
“I was wrong. His past—”
“Does not excuse his present. You’ve heard his sob story, and now what? Suddenly, the sinner became a saint?” A hollow chuckle escapes him that causes coldness to slip into me. “This just proves how naïve you are and cannot be trusted when it comes to judgment.”
“Octavius,” Remi says in warning.
“Stay out of it,” he barks at him and then addresses me, stabbing invisible knives into me and twisting them for good measure. “One day, you hate the guy; the other, you love him. And tomorrow, what? You’ll want to kill him? Relationships require maturity that you lack.”
His jabs open something ugly within me that wants to retaliate and hurt him right back, so the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. “And whose fault is that?” I fire back while his brows rise. “You’ve kept me sheltered in this golden cage! How could I learn how to be mature, when you haven’t given me a chance? You even forbade me to date!”
“So now I have to apologize for loving you?”
I clench my fists, trying to put a lid on the swirling pain growing inside my stomach, because this conversation is not going how I planned.
After his reaction yesterday, I thought it would be different and he’d be more understanding. Not to mention, he’s no better when it comes to dark deeds.
They are all sinners who will never step inside heaven, because they take lives, and only God has a right to do that.
“No. You cannot stop me from living my life though. And I will make mistakes. But these are my mistakes.” Exhaling a heavy breath, I add, “Ryder is my choice right now. I hope you can support my decision and hash out whatever problem you have with the MacAlisters. Because our relationship is not part of that problem.” With this, I spin around, ready to storm out and go back home, when his catches my elbow, stilling my movements.
Hope blooms in my chest along with joy at his action, because leaving in the middle of the fight is almost killing me, and I want to run into his arms in relief; however, that hope quickly crashes and burns when he speaks up. “I forbid you to go, Estella.”
“You cannot forbid me anything.” I pull at my elbow, but his hold on me only tightens, his fingers digging into my skin. “Let me go, Octavius.” I twist my elbow again and wince when I can’t break his hold. “I want to be with Ryder. You can’t stop me!”
“He’s a murderer. You think I will allow you to be with a murderer?”
A hysterical laugh bubbles up inside me. “And this comes from you? I’m in a room full of murderers!” I finish on a yell and even Santiago gets up, coming closer to us, ready to interfere at any moment.
“He’s a MacAlister too. And those men have no regard for their women. Hell can freeze over before I allow my only sister to be with one of them. He’s a dead man, Estella.” Steel coats his voice, causing fear to fill me. I shake my head, not wanting to believe my brother would do something like this. “We’re at war right now. How do you think it will go? Either he kills me or I kill him, sister of mine.”
“No!” I shout, finally freeing myself and stepping back, intending to trust my heart this time and not believe what people, even my brother, say about my man. “Ryder wouldn’t do it. Because he knows I love you.”
A grimace curves his lips, his eyes staying absolutely cold, and for the first time in my life, I’m terrified of my brother, for he shows me a part of himself I’ve never seen before.
A cruel, ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. “Love means nothing. And it proves once again what a fool you are.” I step back when he advances on me. “If you cannot control your emotions, I will.”
My burrows furrow. “What do you mean?” And my yelp reverberates through the space when he dips down and throws me over his shoulder to Florian’s loud sigh. “What are you doing? Let me go!” I shout, hitting his back as he moves toward the stairs, ignoring my pleas. I try to jump in his arms, to wiggle free, but I’m unsuccessful. “Octavius!” My fists drum on his back, yet my brother doesn’t even tense or flinch as he walks rapidly upstairs and then heads to my room. “You cannot do this to me!”
“Watch me,” he says and then kicks open my door, reaches my bed in two short strides, and drops me on it. I bounce several times and sit up straight. I take off running to the door, but he’s already closed it, and I hear the lock being twisted.
No.
No. No. No.
He locked me inside? Just like they all used to when Dad beat the shit out of him?
I bang on the door, yelling, “Octavius, let me go!”
“It’s for your own good, Estella.” A beat and he adds, “I will never approve.”
“Let me go! You can’t do this to me! Octavius, please!” I strain my voice shouting, but he ignores me. I hear his boots thud heavily on the marble, letting me know he left. “Octavius!”
I bang on the door until my fists start to hurt and then search for my phone to call someone, only to realize I dropped it downstairs.
“Damn it,” I whisper, wiping away my tears while frantically thinking about my escape and where the spare keys are.
I toss away blankets and shelves, striving to find at least something to help me. A pin or a screw to turn the lock and then scream for help some more, hoping—although I know better—that maybe Antonio will help me.
After a while, all my attempts prove fruitless, and my voice becomes hoarse from all the screaming. I fall to the floor, sobbing into my hand. “How could you do this to me, Octavius?” I whisper, not understanding how my brother could be this cruel to me right now.
Or strip me of my freedom, a thing he values above anything else after our childhood.
Pressing my back to the door, I wrap my hands around my knees and hide my head between them, breathing in and out so panic won’t overtake me while I think what might happen next as he keeps me hostage here.
I never imagined my brother would be the one to become the captor who decides my fate and has no regard for my feelings.
Finally, hours pass, or so it seems, as the sun settles on the horizon, and I’m so exhausted from crying I’m ready to doze off, when I hear a gunshot erupt in the air.
Followed by Ryder’s loud roar. “Estella!”
My obsessive and possessive man is here.
Hades came to save his Persephone, except her brother guards the mansion, keeping her far away from him.
Either he kills me or I
kill him, sister of mine.
My heart stills as fear envelops me and makes me nauseous.
No.
Chapter Thirteen
“How does the saying go?
In love and war…”
Ryder
* * *
Ryder
Fury slashes through my entire system, boiling my blood, while burning anger rules my instincts. The image of my woman crying in her room because her fucking brother couldn’t put her feelings above his makes me see red and want to kill the fucker in the most agonizing way.
Especially after he fucking manhandled her.
I relented last night, at Estella’s pleas when she said her brother would never hurt her, and left her in that house with the intention to abandon my plan all together. She said she didn’t want to start our lives together by running away or disrespecting Octavius. I couldn’t refuse my woman when she pleaded with those green eyes of hers.
What do I know about sibling bonds anyway? Based on her stories, he indeed loved her a lot and sacrificed his soul in order to protect her.
I should have known better than anyone though that no sibling bond could be trusted, because family is all about greed and selfish desires.
My woman doesn’t have to worry. I’ll be her family from now on, and the fucker who made her cry will pay.
Brother or not, no one hurts what belongs to me.
I fire more bullets in the air, alerting the Four Dark Horsemen of my arrival, and roar again, “Estella!” Just so she knows I’m here and will save her from the ivory tower while conquering the dragon standing in my way.
Surprisingly, no guards greet me on my way. In fact, the driveway is completely empty, and the closer I come to the mansion, the more sense of doom settles over me, adrenaline pumping my blood. The familiar excitement in the anticipation of a fresh kill pollutes my mind, momentarily replacing Ryder and awakening the monster who hunts only those who deserve it.
However, before, I never truly had anything valuable that I was afraid to lose.
And now?
Now, I live and breathe for my woman, and I won’t rest until my hands hug her tight and get her out of this golden prison her brother calls love.
I fire three more bullets, and that’s when four men emerge from the house, each different in nature, based on the reports, and holding their own weapons in their hands.
Santiago flips a knife through his fingers, grinning at me, while his eyes promise me a life full of pain. Remi boldly watches me as he removes the safety from his gun, and Florian winks, blowing me a kiss as he swings the chain in his hand back and forth. “Ryder! We thought you’d never show.” He sighs dramatically, pressing his other palm to his forehead. “Be still my heart. Look at you, breaching the castle like a dashing prince.” He cocks his head to the side. “Or should I say Hades has come from the underworld to Olympus. Well”—he opens his arms wide—“the gods have heard your call.”
I barely pay any mind to the bullshit he spits; that’s sort of his specialty. Florian can talk for hours to his victims, confusing their senses before removing the charming mask and showing his true colors of a man who evokes so much pain his victims beg him to kill them before he starts any real torture.
Instead, I focus on Octavius, who has a single gun on him as well. He steps forward, his stare cold, yet interest sparks in them, contradicting his stance, as if he’s ready to lunge for my throat at any minute.
At least we have something in common.
“Where is my woman, Octavius?”
His jaw tics, and his hold on the gun tightens. “My sister”—he emphasizes the words, wanting to show he has more claim on what’s mine than me—“is in her room where she belongs.”
“My woman belongs with me.” I show him my claim right back, and by the anger crossing his face, he doesn’t like this reminder. “She will be by my side always from now on. With or without your fucking permission.” My gaze slides over them all. “And I will destroy anyone standing in my way.”
Santiago laughs, finding the notion hilarious it seems. “Let me introduce you to the simple math, Ryder. There are four of us and one of you.” He looks at my gun. “Bullets will end at some point in that gun of yours. How do you intend to best all of us?”
A smile curves my mouth at his question, wondering if I can start first with his pretty face and maybe finally wipe away the smug grin he permanently wears. “The Four Dark Horsemen are known to have high morals.” A collective laugh greets my statement, so I elaborate. “You will not attack one man. So one by one, you’ll be lying on the ground, begging me to spare your life, and then I will get my woman.” I shift my focus back to Octavius. “Or you can spare yourself all the humiliation and get the fuck out of my way.”
Even if I have to struggle for my last breath, I will win this fight and free my princess.
I withstood hell as a child, subjected to things normal people rarely survive. What are four more men?
They might be powerful, but there is no more powerful man in the world than the one trying to save his woman and get her back.
“I’ll cut out your tongue first,” Santiago says, rubbing his chin with the tip of his knife that glistens, reflecting the sunset.
“That sounds like an interesting plan.” Remi approves. “Although I’d like to see how he executes those brave words of his.” He nudges Octavius, who stays silent, just drilling his stare into me. “At least he doesn’t run away like a coward.”
Florian shakes his head, sighing. “You shouldn’t have come here alone, Ryder. Very, very foolish of you. But then again, the MacAlisters are not known to be smart. This much your family has proven over the years.” He looks over my shoulder, and surprise flickers in his green orbs. “The plot thickens,” he mutters.
Heavy footsteps echo behind me, and I wonder if those are the guards they’ve decided to let loose on me to tire me out. Then Jaxon’s harsh voice speaks up. “The MacAlisters are never alone.” As if on cue, he stands next to me on my right, pointing a gun at them. From my left, my three younger brothers do the same, creating a unified front. “Gentlemen. Shall we start then?”
Remi points his own gun at us. “May the strongest one win.”
“Let’s hope your mother doesn’t cry too much when she loses all her sons tonight,” Florian says, and Cillian snarls at him. “A family should leave at least one heir at home in order to preserve the bloodline. Don’t you think?”
“Don’t concern yourself with our mother. We still have Davina,” Duncan replies. “Better think about your father. You’re his sole heir, after all.”
All amusement is gone from Florian’s eyes, and he steps forward, wrapping the chain tight around his knuckles, ready to choke one of us to death.
“I thought you were too busy in New York,” I say, shocked my brothers arrived, but not taking my gaze away from the Dark Four. After our conversation yesterday, I didn’t expect shit from him.
“We’re never too busy for you, brother,” he replies, removing the safety from his gun, and the rest grunt in unison. Their arrival speaks to the little boy still existing inside me who wished to be accepted by his family and to know what it’d be like to rely on someone besides himself.
So someone would care when something happened to me or remembered me when I died.
My brother offered me this time and time again for the last ten years, but I pushed him away, because his actions opened deep wounds still present within me.
Would things be different if I didn’t let my resentment rule me and instead gave them all a chance to build a connection into a tight bond that could have given me a family a long time ago?
I always thought children shouldn’t be punished for the sins of their fathers, because I knew firsthand what it was like to pay for my father’s screwup.
Yet this is exactly what I did to my siblings, demanded a price for all the pain dished out to me by their parents, and they apologized and atoned time and time again, even though it w
as no fault of theirs.
Estella’s words flash in my mind.
My brother… he’s my everything. He’s the only who loved me, and he never made me feel unwanted. I can’t imagine living in a world without him.
I look at Octavius again, his hair pulled back so his scar is visible to us all, and I know without a shadow of a doubt it was caused by pressing a hot poker to it. Salt must have been sprinkled on it to leave such an angry slash as well.
A boy who withstood and agreed to such hurt so the monster wouldn’t get to his sister.
A man who kept her safe through every hardship until I could meet her.
The minute this fight starts, I will lose Estella no matter the outcome.
If I kill Octavius, she will hate me until the day she dies.
If he kills me, I will meet her in the underworld, and she will forever resent him. Their bond will be irrevocably broken.
She will never forgive Octavius or me for going against each other and leaving her all alone to pick up the pieces.
My heart hurts for the first time in years just imagining her pain, and I can’t subject her to it due to my selfish desires.
This must be what everyone calls love, because it tops the obsession swirling inside me with every breath she takes.
This love cares only about her happiness and not mine; it wants to create a world around her so she never knows sorrow again.
And happiness won’t exist for her without Octavius.
I raise my hand to stop them all, and Jaxon glances at me, frowning while the Four Dark Horsemen grin, and Florian says to Octavius, “I think he finally got it.”
Octavius studies me for several seconds and asks, “Do you? Finally get it?” And all his unusual actions become crystal-clear in my eyes.
A test.
Everything that happened since she arrived home was a test designed to see what I would do, and based on that, he would deem me worthy or unworthy of his sister.