Chapter Thirty-One

J axon blindfolds me when we get to what I assume is his car. I don't know when he got an Impala, but it's giving Supernatural vibes and fits my brother perfectly. The ride is quiet except for the music he turns on. I'm not sure how long the trip is, and the anticipation is slowly killing me. Jaxon always keeps me on my toes, and I'm unsure if I'm excited or nervous.

Both. It's probably both.

The car stops, and he throws it into park. His door opens then shuts, and a few seconds later, mine opens, letting in the cool air.

"Come here, flower," he says.

I blindly reach for him as I slip out of the vehicle. Jaxon helps me and slides his palm to my lower back to steady me.

"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" I ask.

"No."

He ignores my pout and guides me. We walk on a hard surface that feels like stones. Wind rustles through the tree limbs. In the distance, someone screams, and I tense. Jaxon tucks me against his side, his palm sliding down my backside and squeezing my bottom.

"It's okay. You're safe," he murmurs.

"I never doubted that."

"The Reckoning is happening. No one comes out this way. So all the...excitement happens in the more populated areas." He helps me up two stairs, and wood creaks beneath our weight.

"Are you going to wreak havoc too?"

A door squeaks on its hinges, and he grabs my hand as he leads me into a building. "Watch your step."

I awkwardly raise my feet higher so I'm not tumbling face first and embarrassing myself in front of him. The room smells like sweet-pea perfume and stale paint. Music plays through speakers, low enough that I can still hear Jaxon.

"I have a question," he murmurs. "It's something that I've been dying to know for a long time."

"What's that?" I face him and reach out, wanting to touch him. He laces his fingers through mine and holds our hands to his chest, right above his heart.

He's quiet for a moment as he brushes his thumb over my skin. "Do you remember when we were kids and you asked me for help with your homework?"

"Yeah." I remember it clearly. He was so annoyed with me and didn't want to be near me. I begged him for help, and he gave in after I said I would be a good girl.

"Why did you flinch?"

Everything in me stills as I'm thrown into the past and the horrible things that were done to me.

"Flower," he coaxes.

I take a deep breath and step closer to him until my chest brushes against his. He loops his arm around my lower back, holding me in place.

"Before Mom married our dad, she dated a man for two years. I must have some bullseye on me where everyone wants to pick on me. Her boyfriend was awful to me. When she wasn't in the room, he always told me how worthless I am. He made fun of my weight and even mentioned how no one would ever want to be with someone like me."

Jaxon's heart beats faster, and his chest rises and falls in quick breaths.

"I won't give all the details, because I don't want you blacking out." I cup his cheek with my free hand. He leans into my touch, and I smile softly. "There were times he slapped me. I used to ask him for help with my homework, and when I didn't understand and answered the questions wrong, he'd hit me and call me stupid."

I won't tell Jaxon about Mom seeing it happen. She walked in a handful of times and didn't say a word. Sometimes, she joined in.

He grinds his teeth, and I wince at the sound. "And when you said that you'd be a good girl...?"

"Because I firmly believed he hit me because I was bad," I say. I realize now how wrong it was and that none of what happened was my fault. Sadly, I'm a magnet for horrible people who let out their anger on me. It's only by a miracle that Jaxon stood up after he witnessed how I'm treated.

Jaxon swallows audibly, and he crushes me to him, leaving no space between us. I rest my cheek against his chest and squeeze my eyes shut.

He cups the back of my head and kisses the crown. "I'm so sorry for every terrible thing I said to you. I was an angry kid and took it out on the wrong person."

I smile. "You're still angry."

He chuckles and tightens his arm, then loosens it to let me breathe. "For all the right reasons."

I think about my next question, but I'm nervous about asking. The last thing I want is to upset him. The tiny voice in the back of my mind reminds me that we're close and there isn't any question he won't answer.

"Why do you hate being touched?" I finally ask.

He doesn't hesitate. It's like he's been dying to tell me and has been waiting for me to ask. "My mother and her friend violated me at a young age." He pauses for a moment. "They didn't rape me. Just...touching."

My stomach sinks like a stone in the ocean. I wish I could see his face and let him know through my gaze that I'm here for him. Perhaps he finds it easier to tell me his story without fear of judgment because I'm blindfolded.

"That's one reason why I was so angry. I'm still angry about it. I swore I wouldn't date or have anyone touch me. But there you were. Waltzing into my life like a ball of sunshine and ribbons, eager to talk to me. I was already pissed about my mother, then learning that our father had a mistress. It confused me, and the only outlet I had was you."

He unwinds his arms from me and unties the blindfold. The scrap of silk falls from my face, but I keep my gaze on him as he looks down at me with regret and sadness in his dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dahlia. For every unkind thing I said to you and for not being there for you in the beginning."

I push onto the tips of my toes, ease his mask up, and press my lips against his. "All is forgiven, big brother."

He groans and deepens the kiss. His arm loops around my lower back and pins me against him. His erection presses against my lower stomach and grinds into me as he takes control of the kiss.

I lean into him with a sigh that ends on a soft moan. He drags his gloved hand under my crop top and cups my breast. His touch starts off gentle and becomes rougher. He's close to losing control of his inhibitions, and I don't mind it at all. Knowing my brother, he won't let me get a wink of sleep tonight.

"Is the Reckoning the reason you didn't have sex with me?"

Jaxon pauses. "We've had sex, Dahlia. Is all that time really that forgettable?"

I shake my head. "That's not what I meant." Craning my neck, I nuzzle against his throat. "I meant you fucking my pussy. I didn't understand why you never wanted to and always preferred my ass."

Jaxon's hand squeezes my tit harder. He slips his other palm down my stomach and into my shorts to cup my pussy. We both groan at the same time as his fingers spread my lips apart.

"Oh, believe me, I wanted to fuck you here so bad. I had to wait for tonight. Otherwise, I would've had to think of something different for you to sacrifice."

I kiss his throat and smirk at his shudder. He dips his finger inside me, stretching me. It feels odd to have his gloved digit in my pussy. It's definitely a new sensation, though I can't complain about it.

"Am I really part of the cult?" I ask softly.

"You're full of questions tonight." He sinks deeper inside me and removes his hand from my breast. He pulls his mask all the way off and lets it drop to the floor.

I nip the sensitive spot on his neck, knowing full well how it affects him. I squeak when his mouth slams against mine, full of desperation and need.

"I can't fuck you right now," he murmurs huskily. "But just know that later, I'll punish you for being a tease."

I grin. "Don't threaten me with a good time."

He growls and devours my mouth, leaving little room for me to breathe. Making out with Jaxon is a losing battle. I can try all I want to gain power over him, but in the end, he's the one who's in control. He's the one who decides if I can breathe, think, or move.

He parts his lips from mine, and a string of saliva attaches our mouths. He doesn't pull away or make a disgusted sound, so I refuse to be grossed out by it.

"You're very much a part of Exodus, but I plan on protecting you from those people. You won't be anyone's pawn."

"I don't have to kill or anything?"

"No. The only thing you'll have to do is attend the party and bring a gift."

"Do I have to fuck them?"

Jaxon stiffens. His hand shoots to my throat and squeezes. His fingers fuck me harder, drawing breathless whimpers from me. "If another man touches you, so help me god, Dahlia, I'll do much, much worse to him than what I did to Michael."

I suck in a sharp breath that's cut short as he tightens his grip, closing off my airway. I completely trust my brother to let me live. He's not the type to end my life out of jealousy, or for any reason, for that matter. If I died, he'd join me in the grave.

"When I'm done with him," he says coldly, "I'll string you up in front of everyone, torture you with denied orgasms until you're begging me for mercy, and then I'll fill all of your slutty holes right there at the party so everyone can see that you belong to me. No one touches you. Got it?"

I jerk my head in a small nod.

Jaxon crushes his lips against mine as he flicks my clit with his thumb. I open my mouth on a soundless scream as an orgasm hits me. He lets go of my neck, allowing blood to rush to my head. Waves of intense euphoria roll through me, and I lose my balance. Jaxon catches me, still pumping his fingers in my spasming core as he works me through it until I go limp in his arms.

I pant and shift my legs to stabilize myself. Jaxon slips his fingers out and brings them to his mouth. He groans deep in his chest as he savors the taste.

"You said you'll do worse than what you did to Michael," I say breathlessly.

Jaxon brushes his mouth against my ear. "I did. Ready for your surprises?"

"There's more than one?"

He ignores my question and steps away from me to let me take in the room. My heart gallops in my chest, and I crane my neck, taking in the details. I don't recognize this place.

We're standing in a kitchen with pristine marble countertops and new appliances. Large plants sit on the floor by the large windows that overlook the trees in the backyard and the mountain in the distance. The forest-green walls and white trim look freshly painted. A cozy table with chairs sits near the windows, giving the space an exotic look among the plants. Everything about this feels so comfortable. It feels like...

"Welcome home, baby," Jaxon says.

My lips part in surprise. "You bought a house?"

A secretive smile curves across his lips. "Something like that."

My eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean?"

"This neighborhood is abandoned. No one has lived here for ten years, since the last reckoning. I figured starting fresh would be best for us."

I swallow hard past the lump forming in my throat. "What about our parents?" I've been too afraid to ask him about Dad and how he got away. I can still see the deadly look on Jaxon's face and his dead voice as he said, "Cry, little sister."

Jaxon steps closer to me and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. "Taken care of."

I wince. "I'm too afraid to ask, but...what do you mean, ‘taken care of'? "

Jaxon leans down until our noses brush. "You really wanna know?"

I hesitate for a moment, unsure. It'll bug me the rest of my life if I don't discover the truth, though. Fuck it.

I nod.

His eyes fill with deadly amusement, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "I killed them," he says, pleased and on the verge of laughing. "They're dead, baby. I warned you that I'd kill them."

Gravity pops like a balloon, and my body becomes weightless. Receding into my mind as I process this news, I can't look away from him.

Sadness takes root in me. Our parents were terrible to us and especially to me, but they were still our parents. There are memories with them, and some of them are good. There were moments when my mom was kind to me.

But the bad memories stand out the most. Too many times I went to bed crying and feeling lonely.

"Shh." Jaxon swipes my tears away and folds me into his arms. I didn't realize I started crying, and now that I know, the tears fall faster. "Tell me what's going through your head."

I swallow back the sobs, then clutch him, my nails digging into his back. I clear my throat and quiet my crying before I speak. "They were our parents. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here."

Jaxon listens, letting me talk through this. He strokes my hair and massages my scalp every few seconds. I melt into him until I'm a puddle of goo in his hands. I love having my hair played with. It's something I do for Jaxon often when he's upset, so it's nice that he's returning the favor.

"I guess I'm mourning what could have been. We could have developed a better relationship with them if they hadn't been so awful," I whisper, leaning my forehead against his chest. "Am I a terrible person for not being upset with you? "

Jaxon strokes his fingers through my locks and kisses the crown of my head. "No, flower. Their deaths are on my hands. They put themselves in that situation and backed us into a corner. They would have done anything to keep us apart, and I couldn't let that happen." He gently eases me back and cups my cheeks. Love shines in his dark eyes, and if I wasn't already in love with him, I would fall for him right here. "They made you cry, little sister."

I hold on to his sides and sniffle. "What will you do when you make me cry?"

He doesn't blink when he says, "I'll rip my heart out for you. If I ever make you cry and feel unloved, like everyone else did to you, then I don't deserve you."

"I don't want you to leave me. Even if you make me cry, I'll always forgive you. You're my everything, big brother."

His pupils blow and eat up his irises. I have to bite back my smile. I always enjoy seeing his reactions when I call him that.

Jaxon's nostrils flare. He fists my locks and yanks my head at an angle. "Don't do that."

I shiver at his grating voice that deepens with desire. Looking into his eyes, they're the same dark shade as when he's blacked out. I now know the difference. It's getting easier to read him and know when he's thinking dirty thoughts about me.

I fist his hair and tug at the strands, smiling when he grunts. He walks me backward until my bottom meets the counter.

"Let go, Dahlia," he growls.

"No."

His jaw tenses, a muscle fluttering as he clenches his teeth. "Let go, or I'll mark your pretty skin."

I yank his hair and yelp as he moves like lightning. He manhandles me as he lifts me, forcing me to wrap my legs around his hips. He shoves my crop top up and pulls my nipple into his warm mouth. I scream as he bites down until it feels like his teeth sink beneath the surface.

"Fuck!" I rock against him, needing more from him. More friction. More touches. More guttural confessions about how I'm his dirty slut.

Jaxon unlatches from my nipple and bites near the bottom of my breast with the same pressure. I tug his hair and clench my thighs, squeezing him closer to me.

"Goddammit, Dahlia," he snarls into my flesh.

"I'm not sorry!" I yell.

He rips off my clothes, then his. My back slams against the fridge as he slides into me and devours my mouth.

As Jaxon spends the rest of the night fucking me on every surface in the house, the other surprises he mentioned are momentarily forgotten. Whatever other terrible thing he has in store can wait until morning.