Page 85 of The Devil's Wrath

“Oh really?” I grinned, pulling her closer. “And what exactly were you thinking?”

She smiled mischievously as her fingers toyed with the lapel of my jacket. “I was thinking about how beautiful this rehearsal dinner is and how lucky I am to have you in my life. Thank you for bringing me here, for sharing this part of your life with me.”

“There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side,” I replied softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

“Wrenly?”

Fuck.

I knew that voice.

Things were about to get really awkward.

She turned, and the shock on her face told me her brother, Gage, was the last person she had expected to see here—which also told me she didn’t know he worked for us.

“Gage? What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I work here.”

“Work here? You mean you’re the doctor forThe Brotherhood?”

His eyes widened as he realized the implications of his sister’s presence at the rehearsal dinner with me. “Theo, care to explain why you are here with my sister?”

The tension in the air was palpable as Gage’s question hung between us. Wrenly’s grip on my arm tightened, and I could feel the confusion and worry radiating from her. I took a deep breath, knowing this moment had been inevitable, considering I hadn’t talked to him about her.

“Gage, let’s talk about this in private,” I suggested calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

He crossed his arms. “I think I deserve an explanation right here, right now. What the fuck are you doing with my sister, Theo?”

Wrenly stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hand. “Gage, Theo and I are together. What’s going on with you?”

His expression shifted from shock to anger. “Together? How could you not tell me about this, Wrenly? And you.” He turned to me, his finger pointing accusingly. “How dare you involve my sister in this life?”

“Gage—” Wrenly began, but Gage cut her off with a raised hand.

“I don’t want to hear it from you, Wren. I want to hear it from him,” he said, his furious gaze locking onto mine. “Who the fuck do you think you are, involving her in this fucking corrupt life of yours?”

“This life ofmine? You mean the life she was born into?” I felt my anger bubbling to the surface.

Wrenly’s head shot in my direction as her eyes darted between us, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, the life I was born into?”

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my temper in check. “About where you really come from.”

Her gaze settled on me. “I don’t understand . . . Speak plainly, Theo.”

I took a deep breath, hating that, in my anger, I’d blurted out a secret that would change her life forever. I stared at her, willing time to go back, but Pandora was out of the box now. “It’s not my place to tell you.”

She scoffed, “Oh, it’s not your place to tell me?” She looked over at Gage, her eyes accusing.

Gage’s face paled. He cleared his throat, his voice strained as he spoke. “Wrenly . . .” But instead of explaining, he looked back at me, pure malice combined with hurt in his eyes.

I did not doubt that what I’d said had hurt him. It meant he had to come to terms with his bloodline while simultaneously bringing Wrenly into this world—a world he despised for the loss of their parents, and now a world where he couldn’t protect her anymore.

“Do you have any idea what you’re getting her into? The danger you’re putting her in just by being with her?” he hissed.

I stood my ground, meeting Gage’s furious gaze. “She deserves to know the truth, Gage. You can’t keep her in the dark forever.”

“You mean in the dark you’ve dragged her into? But somehow I’m the asshole?”

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