Page 96 of Tell Me Why
I swallow and drop my gaze to the sand, watching the water creep toward my toes. “I don’t know why you’re telling me all this…”
“Because I can’t let that happen,” he says simply.
“So, what, you’re going to buy me a ticket to Iceland or something?” I laugh. “I’m supposed to uproot my whole life because Christian can’t stay away? That sounds like a him problem.”
Lucas doesn’t say anything initially, but after a few awkward seconds, he turns to me. “I don’t like doing this,” he says with a heavy sigh, his features softening. “But sometimes we have to do the hard thing, so the person we love doesn’t destroy themselves…”
Thehard thing? What the fuck?—?
Before I can even finish the thought, Lucas’s hands are on me, and he’s dragging me out into the ocean. Ice-cold water splashes against my shins, my knees, my thighs as he drags me in deeper.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I scream, burying my nails in his arm, trying to get him to release me. He doesn’t even flinch, his face a mask of cold, sinister determination.
“I’m sorry, Eve. Seriously,” he says, grappling with me, trying to push me under the cresting waves. My mind scrambles as the salty water rises up to claim me, enveloping me, snatching the air from my lungs.
This is it. I know it is. There’s a cold certainty that comes with dying. My body’s still fighting—kicking, clawing, gasping every time my face breaks the surface—but my mind has already accepted my fate. I’m about to become another faceless victim of the Burning Crown.
Just like my mother…
CHAPTERFORTY
Eve
Out of nowhere,Lucas lets go of me—I don’t know how or why, but the second he releases me, I claw my way to the surface and pull in several violent gulps of air, my chest heaving.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I struggle to stand up, but my legs buckle under me. I fall back into the shallow water, saltwater burning my throat as I crawl toward the sand.
With my vision blurred, eyes stinging, I see why Lucas let go—Christian has Lucas in a headlock, dragging him backward out of the water before hurling him onto the sand.
“Whatthe fuck,Lucas?” Christian roars, fists clenching and unclenching. “You were going to fucking kill her.”
Lucas staggers to his feet and spits out a mouthful of blood, fury sparking in his eyes. “I was doing what needed to be done,” he snarls, jabbing a finger in my direction. “That bitch has her claws buried so deep in you that you can’t even see straight anymore.”
Christian steps in front of me protectively. “So your solution is to fucking drown her? Jesus Christ, Lucas.”
Something dangerous flashes across Lucas’ face, his features twisting with rage. “I told you we were letting a viper into our den.” Blood drips down his nose, his chin. “She found the decoder. She knows enough about the Burning Crown to fucking bury us all, and you’re just going to—” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder “—ship her back to her brother and hand him the knife he needs to cut our throats?”
Christian stalks forward, each step intentional, measured. I can’t see his face, but if I could, I know what I’d see in his eyes—a flash of savage anger concealed beneath a thin mask of control. I’ve seen it before, and it’s terrifying.
“Touch her again,” Christian says, his voice deathly calm, “and I swear to God, brother or not, it’ll be the last thing you do.”
Lucas narrows his eyes. “Listen to yourself. I’m your fucking blood. Yourtwin.” He takes a step back, shaking his head in disgust. “This is exactly what I’ve been saying—your obsession with this bitch is warping your reality.”
Christian’s fingers flex, the tendons in his forearms strain, bulging. “Stay away from her, Lucas. I’m warning you.”
“You know I can’t just let her walk away,” Lucas says, jaw clenched. “There’s too much at stake. Too many people rely on us.”
Christian’s long legs eat up the sand as he closes the short distance between them. “And what if I were to drag Wyn out into the fucking ocean,huh?Hold her under the water until the life drains from her body?”
“Wyn isn’t the enemy’sfucking sister.” Lucas shoves a finger into his brother’s chest. “There’s only one way to deal with this kind of problem, and you know it. Like it or not, it has to be done.” His lip curls into a cruel snarl. “We’ll get you another mouthy brunette to fuck, if that’s what you’re so worked up about.”
Christian lunges, fist swinging, landing a violent punch that Lucas doesn’t even see coming. As Lucas staggers back from the momentum, Christian delivers a brutal uppercut to his ribs. The sickeningthudand Lucas’ guttural groan carries over the crashing waves, making me flinch.
“You had no right to touch her,” Christian says, watching as Lucas heaves, hands braced on his knees. “No fucking right.”
Lucas straightens, his gaze deadly. “The Burning Crown comes before your feelings, Christian. Always has, always will.”
Christian stands over him, his voice terrifyingly calm. “We’re done, Lucas. Walk away while you still can.”
