Page 93 of Eternal

26

Who You Belong To

Declan

I scrub under myfingernails and watch the water change from red to pink as I wash the blood off my hands. It wasn’t my intention to get my hands dirty in the middle of a party, but sometimes it’s necessary. Like when the Council decides someone is colluding with Simon Blackthorn to funnel Sigma Sin funds into private business ventures.

Paul Donovan pointed the finger at the nearest target to keep his hands clean on the whole situation, which is fine. It’s not like the guy they sent us after was clean either. Joshua Raven was one of the doctors who consulted on Teal’s case when she was admitted to Montgomery, so if anything, they did me a favor.

Right before the party started, my father texted with an address to a motel, letting me know Joshua checkedin with plans of heading out of town tomorrow. He knew Sigma House had taken down Simon Blackthorn for his role in the experimental treatments at Montgomery Psychiatric Ward three years ago, and he didn’t want to go down with him.

We had a small window to deal with it, and the party was the perfect cover since people would see us here all night.

As much as I didn’t want to bail on Teal the second she arrived, it was necessary. And if anything, a nice way to let out a little bit of the pent-up aggression that’s been brewing lately. So even if I’d prefer to tell my lying, hypocritical father to fuck off and deal with it himself, I accepted the task.

Kole volunteered because he’s always down to cause chaos. He’s as much of a psychopath as I am a sadist, making us the perfect match made in hell for those who turn on the House. I was a little surprised he offered since Violet was here. But between her friends and the hundred cameras he’ll have on her all night, he isn’t worried.

So we disappeared under the cover of the party like it never happened.

No one needs to know Kole and I left for forty minutes and tracked Joshua down to his motel. No one needs to know Kole hacked all nearby security cameras so no one could tie us to it. No one needs to know we’re the ones who broke in and threw a pillowcase over his head before he had a chance to identify us.

By the time we were done, Joshua’s blood soaked the fabric, and I didn’t stick around to check for a pulse.

I don’t care if he is alive or dead.

He played a part in this game. He’s one more domino in a long line that are about to fall.

Besides, he hurt my girl. If anyone was going to teach him a lesson for that, it had to be me.

People in Bristal think they understand Teal, but they don’t.

She’s the type of beauty that’s so big and loud they can’t possibly wrap their minds around her. She spills out in every direction and fills the space. They say she’s a mess because they don’t take the time to step back and look at the full picture on the canvas.

I see her.

She has hurt laced so deep she doesn’t know what to do with it. She’s been numbed by sedatives and antidepressants but never actually treated.

Her family wants her quiet.

Her doctors want her numb.

The world wants her to be appropriate.

I want to break her the fuck open and show her it’s okay to feel it all.

She’s allowed to be herself, no matter how inconvenient it is for anyone else. She’s allowed to be broken inside. We all are.

I shut off the faucet and grab a towel, glancing at Kole. “Thanks for the help tonight.”

“You’re starting to act like me, Dec.” He almost looks proud.

I shrug. “Joshua stole from Sigma House, so he got what was comingto him.”

“You say that like that’s the reason you didn’t send an initiate to take care of it.”

Kole sees straight through me, partly because I’ve already been showing my hand but also because I’m being obvious. Usually, I would send initiates to take care of a menial task like beating the shit out of someone who crossed the House. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but I have better things to do—especially with my colorful little minx wandering around downstairs.

But Kole knows I’ve been targeting Council members after I asked him to dig up some of their dirty secrets. And he’s starting to see the threads that tie back to Teal.

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