Page 72 of Thorns of Deceit

Clearly she couldn’t see us from where she was standing. Or she was possibly still in whatever bliss she experienced last night.

“Yes, her too,” Reina grumbled. “I was worried sick.”

I winced. It was the last thing any of us wanted to do. Reina had endured a lot already, and the last thing she needed was more worry. As the youngest member of our group, we were all protective of her, yet somehow she managed to be the most responsible one.

“Now I feel like shit,” Athena mumbled under her breath.

“Ditto,” I whispered. “Guilty conscience, I suppose.”

Isla, still unable to see us, let out a strangled laugh before asking, “Sorry. Is everyone sleeping, then?”

If only, but Reina had called a family meeting, so here we were, waiting for the scolding.

“Okay, we have to establish some rules,” Reina announced, signing as she spoke for Phoenix’s sake. She sat on the round ottoman by the window, her back to it. Sunrays flickered against her hair, casting hues of gold and making her appear like an angry angel.

“I was up all fucking night worried about you four. I messaged you, attempted to track your phones. I almost called the police.”

“Gosh, you are taking this mother hen thing too far,” I muttered around a yawn, then signed lazily, meeting Phoenix’s eyes and giving her a commiserating eye-roll. “We promise, next time—if there is one—we shall send a message mid-sex to ensure you know we’re safe.”

Everyone but Reina choked out a strangled laugh.

“Can you imagine?” Athena muttered, stifling a yawn. “Please pause your ejaculation, I’ve got to send a message to my friend to let her know that if I die, it’s from an orgasm. Not a slit throat.”

Another round of snickers followed.

“Stop it, all of you,” Reina scolded, using her sternest voice. “I’m not asking for anything so drastic. But a text letting me know you’re hooking up would have been nice. You left me all alone, and then seeing?—”

She cut herself off, her eyes widening a bit. Whatever had her upset must have happened last night.

“I’m sorry, Reina.” Isla sat up straight, and we all studied our friend. “Tell us what happened. You’re clearly upset. We want to help.”

Her shoulders slumped.

“Dad arranged a marriage between me and Dante.” Her voice was barely a whisper as her shaking hands came up to follow her words. “Amon was there too.”

“Did he… Amon… did he say anything?” Isla asked while my heart ached for Reina. If she married Dante, she’d be forced to see his brother at every turn.

A thick silence gripped our throats, engulfing us.

“Are you going to go through with it?” I asked. “Considering what happened?”

“I don’t have a choice,” she stated.

“Isn’t that going a bit too far?” Phoenix signed, her rosy cheeks a telltale sign that she’d been crying.

“Want to kill him?” Reina challenged her sister. “Because that’s the only alternative.”

“No more killing.” Thank fucking God because nightmares from the last body we’d been forced to get rid of still plagued me.

Reina sighed. “I’m not killing him, Phoenix. I’ll marry Dante. I told you, I agreed to it.”

Reina was more tense than a rubber band. Her face was pale, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say her swollen eyes had to do with more than her late night.

“What’s really going on?” Isla asked, voicing my suspicion. “There’s something more at stake here. One of you is holding something back. And you’d both better tell me what, or I swear to God, I’ll drag it out of you.”

“It’s nothing,” Phoenix ended up answering.

“No, don’t give me that. We’re friends. A family. We’ve killed together, and dammit, we’ll cry together too.”