Broken Pieces

by Toni Aleo

  “I just freaked when he threw you like that,” he says to her, and I pause.

  He means it.

  “I know.”

  But that doesn’t change anything. “Rebekah, he’s a monster.”

  Looking back to me, she says, “Osh, we’re all monsters, but I love this monster. I always have, and I need you to let me go.”

  Silences stretches between us, and I swear I can hear her heartbeat, or maybe it’s the wolf’s, I don’t know. I’m just freaking the hell out. This is insane. I’m still reeling from the fact that Ryland Kelley is not only alive but an amalgam—and that he also tried to literally bite my head off. I want to say she is stupid for trusting him, but I can’t get over the way he is looking at her. He’s looking at her the way he did when they were younger. When he was completely in love with her and wanted to marry her. But that was shut down quickly, and only a couple weeks later, he was dead.

  Did my father “kill” him?

  I wouldn’t put it past him.

  “Everyone is freaking out,” she gasps, her eyes going from mine to his. “We need to calm down because this is okay. I’m okay, you’re okay, and Ryland is okay. I just need you to understand that I love him, he loves me, and I want to be happy. I need to be happy. I’m begging you to let me go without a fight. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Swallowing hard, I shake my head. My body and mind are telling me to stop her; she can’t do this. But my heart is saying to let her go, and I really don’t know that means. Am I being smart, or am I wishing I were her? I’m supposed to be the older brother, I’m supposed to be smart and know what to do, to have a plan. But I feel lost. Scared.

  Clearing my throat, I say, “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Well, you have to,” she says, her eyes clouding as she holds my gaze. “’Cause I’m going.”

  “I’ll stop you,” I promise—because I have to.

  “You can try, but I’m going.”

  “So you’ll turn your back on us, for him?” I ask incredulously, and man, I wish I were her. She is so strong, so hardheaded, and I’m jealous. I’m green with envy of her.

  “Yes,” she answers automatically. “And don’t think that doesn’t pain me, but I have to follow my heart, and it leads to him.”

  As much as I admire her, I can’t let her do this. She isn’t thinking. “I don’t care if you say he is trying to protect you, I just see a dog that can’t control his temper and will hurt you. I love you, Rebekah. I won’t let you make a stupid decision that you’ll regret—or that will ultimately kill you.”

  “I love her. I would never let that happen,” Ryland says, coming around to her, but she stops him. “She will always be safe. Trust me.”

  “Trust you? You just tried to bite my head off!”

  Ryland waves me off. “I only snapped at you. Relax.”

  I shoot him a dry look as Rebekah comes between us, her eyes pleading with mine. “Osh, I love you, I do. You know that. But you have to trust me. Ryland wouldn’t hurt me. Just look the other way. You won’t even have to say you saw me. Just let me go. Please.” It would be that easy. I could play it off with no issue. I know I could, but should I? Can I let her go? “If this were you, and he were Taegan, wouldn’t you want this chance to be happy? I can’t stay here anymore. You know in your heart, you just know I’m screwed if I do. I’ll never be happy. Please, Osh, please.”

  Gasping, I look away, my eyes filling with tears. I want the chance, I do, but I gave it up. Can I allow her to do the same? But what if this is a trap and she dies? I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life. “I can protect you, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I know that, please don’t think I don’t. I know you’ll go to the ends of the earth to protect me, Oceanus, and I love you for it. But you can’t stop him.” Her voice breaks as I look down into her eyes. “I have a chance to leave, to be happy. Can you really stop me and subject me to our father? A father who will use me as a walking science experiment and marry me off to get ahead?”

  “I won’t let that happen,” I promise, but I don’t know if I can promise that. He’ll never stop.

  “You can’t stop him, you know that.”

  “I’ll be running the Patchwork soon, just be patient. I can’t let you leave with him.”

  “Then look the other way, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  “You don’t even know him,” I try, though it’s a lie. He was her best friend, her lover, and her heart.

  “I do know him. I’ve known him my whole life, except for the last three years when he’s been allegedly dead,” she says, closing the distance between us and reaching for my hand. My eyes meet hers, and while I see fear in her eyes, I know she has her mind set. She’s going, but she wants my approval. Can I give it to her?

  “Before he was sent away for not being what he is supposed to be in this society, he wrote Father a letter. He asked for the rules about mixing the clans to be abolished because he loved me and wanted to have a future with me. Oceanus, he went against the grain, he spoke up to Father because he loves me. That has to mean something, Osh. Please understand how bad I need to get out of here.”

  I know this, which is why I respected him so much when we were younger. Then he died. He was gone. But when I look over at him, he’s looking back at me. The same eyes I have known my whole life. How is this possible? Looking back to my baby sister, I squeeze her hand before kissing her knuckles, my gaze on hers. “Rebekah, I don’t doubt you think this guy loves you—”

  “I do love her,” Ryland says, coming to her side. He’s taller than me, bigger too, but that doesn’t mean I won’t fight him to the death. His death, not mine. “I want nothing more than to protect her and love her, Oceanus, I promise. Nothing will happen to her.”

  “Shut up…dog or shifter, whatever the hell you are,” I spit back, and for some reason, hate clouds my mind. “You don’t know her situation!”

  “He does,” she answers, and my eyes widen in shock. “I told him.”

  “Rebekah,” I gasp. “You aren’t to speak of that.”

  “I love him,” she says, as if it’s supposed to be the answer. “I’ve always loved him. And the thing is, I’m screwed no matter what. That new formula didn’t work, and I refuse to stay here and let Father marry me off for a formula that solved nothing, or whatever else they may have planned. Don’t subject me to that, brother, please. Let me go.”

  “It didn’t work?” I whisper, and I have to look away, swallowing hard. I am marrying some girl for a formula that doesn’t even work. That can’t even save my sister. I know if Rebekah stays, my father won’t stop. He’ll kill her, or she’ll kill herself. I can’t allow that to happen; I won’t allow that to happen.

  “No, Oceanus, and I don’t know how much more I can take of Father pumping me with formulas that don’t work. If I die, at least I die happy. Please, let me go. I can’t be a prisoner in here any longer,” she begs as one tear rolls down her cheek and then another. When Ryland reaches over, wiping her face, my shoulders go back as I watch them, my lips pressing together. Tearing her gaze from me, she turns to Ryland, smiling as he gives her a small smile back.

  “I won’t let that happen,” Ryland promises, his voice full of emotion, and even I believe him. But can I trust him?

  Do I have a choice?

  This isn’t about me. It’s about her.

  “Thank you.”

  Ryland then looks to me, his shoulders tense, still ready for a fight. “I know you don’t know me, and I wish you did. I wish you understood how much she means to me. How much I love her. I wish this were happening under different circumstances, that you could accept me. But it’s not, and I get that. I can promise you nothing will happen to her. I will keep her safe and protect her as well as, if not more than, you would. But one thing is for sure, we are going through that door, and I don’t want to hurt you to do it. I don’t even want to hate you, so please, let us go.”

  Looking down at m
y baby sister, I don’t know what I am thinking. I don’t want to trust this guy, I don’t, but I feel like I can. I feel it in my gut. And if this were me, I’d want her to let me go, to let me live my life for as long as I had. Because if she stays here, she won’t have a life. She’ll be ruined. As much as I don’t want to do it, I know I have to. Holding her gaze, I whisper, “Go.”

  “Really?” she balks. “You’re not going to stop us?”

  “No. Go. I won’t let Father hurt you any longer. You’re right, I can’t stop him, no matter how much I wish I could.”

  “Thank you, Osh.”

  “Don’t thank me. I don’t want to let you go, and if you get caught, it isn’t on me. I never saw anything.”

  “Of course,” she says before planting a soft kiss to my cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  I scoff as she leans back, looking up into my face. “I’ll worry, more so than you’ll ever realize, but I know you. I know if he can’t protect you, you’ll protect yourself.”

  “You’re right.”

  “So you’re sure?”

  “Yes,” she says immediately.

  I look over her head to Ryland, my gaze heated as I start, “If anything happens to her—”

  “I’m dead. Yeah, I’ve got it,” Ryland says, saluting me, and I know he means it. That he trusts I mean my words. I don’t know if she’ll be safe, but at least she’ll be happy.

  Glancing back down to her, I smile. “Good. Go before someone finds you,” I say before leaning down and kissing her cheek. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I have to. “I’m trusting you, and you may be what you are, but I’ll die trying to kill you if anything happens to her.”

  “It won’t,” Ryland promises, his hand coming into hers. “’Cause I’ll die before it does.”

  “Or we’ll all stay alive,” she suggests with a grin, but I can’t laugh. I’m saying good-bye to my baby sister, to the girl I have loved since she was a newborn.

  Cupping her face, I kiss her temple and say, “Stay safe, sister.”

  “I will.”

  I see him move, pulling her hand as he says, “We need to go.”

  “Yeah, you do,” I say, slowly backing away to give them space to leave. “I love you, Rebekah. Stay safe.”

  “I love you, Osh. Tell Cyrus the same.”

  “I will,” I promise.

  Ryland then reaches out for her, a grin on his face as he asks, “Ready, princess?”

  And I can’t believe she is doing this, she is leaving. But before I can say anything, the door bursts open, nearly hitting me, and my father, Samuel, and Cyrus are standing there. Everyone’s eyes are wide with their mouths hanging open. I almost duck farther behind the door to try to hide, but I’m not a coward. I will face the repercussions from this; I will say it’s my fault. I won’t let Rebekah go down for this.

  “Rebekah?” my father yells and Rebekah freezes. For once, I’m not the one with the plan.

  But Ryland is.

  He pulls her onto his back, and I’m stunned as Samuel yells, “Who is that?”

  When I look over at Ryland, he is instructing Rebekah, “Hold on, don’t let go.”

  And then I’m met with the ripping sound along with a roar before Ryland is gone, replaced by the beast. Everyone takes a step back, except me. I watch my sister clutch the beast tightly as Father yells, “Rebekah! What the hell? What is that creature?”

  Rebekah doesn’t answer, though. Her face is deep in the beast’s fur as it takes off, my sister holding on for dear life. My father, Samuel, and Cyrus fall back as the wolf breaks the door down, and then they’re gone.

  I let my baby sister leave.

  And I don’t know if that was the right thing to do.

  It’s chaos.

  The search for Rebekah goes on through the night and most of the morning, but I know she’s gone. I just pray she isn’t found. As much as I want her home—safe—I know she wouldn’t be happy, and I can’t stand to watch it happen. No reason for both of us to be miserable. Sitting at the kitchen bar with Cyrus, I take a long pull of my beer as I look at the wall, wondering how my father didn’t see me in the lab. I’d thought he had, but when he rushed out after Rebekah and Ryland, I followed. And when he saw me outside, he retold the story of what had happened, and I knew I hadn’t been seen behind the door.

  I feel like I’m cheating, like I’m not owning up to my part. But at least, this way, no one is subjected to his wrath. Plus, I can’t explain what happened or why I let her go. I just did, and I don’t regret it. I wish she had taken me with her.

  “So Ryland Kelley isn’t dead?”

  “Apparently not,” I answer, looking over to my brother.

  “How?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t know how he was made, but he was for sure an amalgam.”

  Cyrus shakes his head in shock. “Are you going to tell Father?”

  “No, I don’t want him to know I know or that I saw her leave.”

  “Or that you let her,” he supplies, and I nod.

  “That too.”

  He smiles. “I would have done the same.”

  “I wasn’t going to, but she said the formula didn’t work.” Cyrus looks to me, and I shrug as I say, “Then, I had no choice. I couldn’t let her be a science experiment, and she loved the guy.”

  “No, I agree.”

  At least, he agrees. I’m sure my father, JJ, and Samuel would not. Leaning on my hand, I look to my brother and ask, “How is JJ?”

  They had found JJ with his head completely turned around, body broken in many places. I can only assume it was Ryland because Rebekah couldn’t do that kind of damage. It was gruesome, and just the mention of it has Cyrus grimacing. “His whole head was snapped around. It was crazy, dude,” he says, shaking his head. “He won’t be right for a couple months, I’m sure.”

  “Wow.” I know that’s the only way Ryland could have posed as JJ, though. It made sense, but damn, he did a number on the guy. “At least he’s fixable.”

  “Yeah,” Cyrus agrees, and then he laughs. “Aren’t we all?”

  I pause. “All but Rebekah.”

  His smile falls. “I’m worried for her.”

  “Me too,” I agree as the back door opens and Samuel comes through.

  “Oh, good. Oceanus, your father wants to see you in his office,” he says, and I stand before he even finishes his sentence.

  “Cool, I just wait here,” Cyrus says, and I smile back at him before glancing back to Samuel, who looks worn-out.

  “How is JJ?”

  “Out of surgery. William had to replace his windpipe and a part of his spine with titanium, but he’ll be fine in a couple months,” he says as I follow him through the kitchen. “We are planning a meeting with the Conners and Kelleys. We need to know how Ryland Kelley is not dead, but alive.”

  “Oh,” I say, falling into step with him. “So you’re sure it was him?”

  “Yeah,” he says simply. “And I hate to see what your father will do to them due to the fact they had all agreed to kill the boy since he was a hybrid.”

  I hadn’t even thought about that. About the families Ryland left behind. Would my father kill them or punish them? I’m not sure what will happen, but I pray Rebekah and Ryland are far, far away and are never found. Because as I suspected, they will be hunted. Swallowing hard, I follow Samuel into my father’s office where he is waiting at the desk, his face in his hands. When Father looks up, he looks so damn tired that I almost feel bad for him.

  Almost.

  But then I remember he is making me marry some girl I don’t love and refused to allow me to marry the one I do.

  “Son,” he says on a breath as I fall into the seat in front of his desk. “I want to ask you something.”

  I pause, my body starting to tremble. Had he seen me? “Yes?”

  “If you were leader of this clan,” he starts, his eyes meeting mine, “and you ordered someone to be killed, but
it wasn’t done… What would you do to the people who didn’t carry out the act?”

  I draw in a deep breath, letting it out of my nose. He had ordered to have Ryland killed. His daughter’s best friend, the boy who loved her. How could he do that? Clearing my throat, I hold his gaze as I say, “Well, Father, I would do nothing.”

  His eyes widen. “Nothing?”

  “No, because like you kept Rebekah alive when you really shouldn’t have, they did what they did because they loved their son. I wouldn’t punish them, I wouldn’t even bring them into this because no one needs to know Rebekah is missing.”

  Samuel leans against the desk, nodding his head. “Very smart, Oceanus.”

  I nod. “Thank you.”

  Father slowly nods too, his eyes keeping hold of mine. “I want you to find her.”

  I pause, my body going taut. How can I find the person I let leave? “How?”

  “I don’t know,” he explodes, standing up quickly, his chair falling behind him. “She administered the formula on herself! I don’t know why, but she did.”

  Watching him, I shrug. “How is this a bad thing? At least she’ll be immortal—”

  “You don’t understand,” he growls, whipping around to look at me, his eyes wild. “It’s a three-dose set. She needs all three doses within two weeks of each other. If the second dose is not administered in two weeks’ time, at the right time, it will kill her.”

  My eyes widen. That’s why it didn’t work. Holy shit. She’s going to die. Looking away, I swallow hard. I basically sent my sister off to her death.

  What the fuck have I done?

  “You have to find her, Oceanus. You have to. JJ can’t do it. You are the only one who can.”

  “I don’t even know how,” I say, looking up at him, feeling desperate. “I have no clue where they could have gone.”

  Desperate, my father holds my gaze, his body shaking with fear.

  “You can, I know you can.”

  Shaking my head, I say, “And even if I did, how would I convince her to come back? I can’t force her.”

  His eyes widen more as he bites out, “I’ll give you your rightful spot. I’ll give you the Works.”