Page 36 of Rayne

"Not really," I mutter.

She pauses, eyebrows raising. "What do you mean?"

I don't know how to explain it. Hell—I still don't even understand it. "I didn't want it at first, but they didn't force anything. It's like my body just reacted on its own."

"Did they take advantage of you?" she presses again.

"I don't know," I mumble. "Maybe. But not like that. I could have stopped them, but I didn't want to in the moment."

Margot flags down the waiter, ordering more drinks. Turning to me, she frowns. "Are you certain? You don't have to protect them just because they are your foster brothers."

"I know," I tell her. "But it happened again."

She stares at me, startled. "Again?"

I swallow, looking around for the alcohol. "On Tuesday. They turned up at Mom and Dad's house."

Margot's mouth drops, but she quickly closes it, pondering her words. "And that was… more consensual?"

Not being chased by men in masks and having a gun pointed at me…

"It was," I answer weakly. "We still fought, but it was different this time. God, Margot. What's wrong with me?"

I put my head in my hands, looking away. Margot lets out a sigh, and I imagine her shrugging, trying to be the supportive friend she is but struggling to find words.

"Nothing is wrong with you," she finally says. "We all have urges. And you haven't done anything wrong. But are you sure they didn't force you? Stockholm Syndrome or anything?"

I laugh sarcastically, lifting my head. "It wasn't forced. If anything, it's just me being weak. Maybe I need to find a boyfriend. Apparently I don't know how to behave properly when I'm single."

She shakes her head, thanking the waiter as he puts our drinks down.

"I think we're going to need a lot more drinks tonight."

Chapter 13

Monday rolls around and I wake with a feeling of dread.

Much to everyone's surprise—my own included—I had called in sick to work on Friday. Margot was forced to spend the night at my apartment, holding my hair back as I threw up the contents of my stomach into the toilet every fifteen minutes until dawn.

I finally sent her home Saturday afternoon, convincing her I was fine and that I'd stay in the apartment all weekend. Reluctantly she left but continued to text me all Sunday, including links to various chastity belts.

I mean in theory it's a good idea—locking up my bits to stop them from doing stupid things—but realistically, if Hawk and Jett were around, I wouldn't put it past them to saw it off with a blowtorch.

Today our new attorney starts and I have no idea what I'm in for. I can just imagine how unbearable Nick is going to be, let alone the extra work coming my way.

I walk into the office at eight, greeting everyone casually. Immediately, I spot Jason in his office, talking to someone. I can only see the back of his head, jet black hair neatly styled, but I can easily guess that it's Elijah.

Surprisingly, Nick is nowhere to be seen, and I settle into my office, opening my emails. I manage to catch up on all of them by the time there's a knock at my door. I look up, smiling at Jason.

"Rayne, I'd like to introduce you to Elijah."

A tall man steps inside, and I'm a little shocked. He looks a little older than Nick—not carrying those boyish features that he still has. Dark blue eyes scan over me casually, a smile appearing on his face.

"Hi," he says warmly, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

I stand up at my desk, reaching to grab his outstretched hand. I shake it, introducing myself back.

Jason gestures to me, looking at Elijah. "Rayne will be helping you out. She'll help you get set up and anything you need in the interim, please let her know."

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