Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Vox

I grit my teeth as a couple of bitches rush past me, carrying posters for Homecoming. Everyone at school has been acting like fucking idiots as they all hope and pray for a Homecoming proposal. I find Arch leaning against my locker with a disgusted look on his face.

“What’s up?” I ask him as I open my locker and shove my shit inside.

“All this Homecoming shit, they are all worried about the dance and not the football game on Friday.” I nod my head in agreement. Just as I turn around, I spot Nova, she has her books clutched against her chest and a smile on her face. My sister and a guy I have seen hanging around them are walking with her. He reaches out and wraps an arm around hers. As if she can sense my eyes on her, she flicks her gaze to me. I narrow my eyes. I see her cheeks flush with heat to find me staring at her. She shakes her head and quickly looks back to my sister as they walk past. “Why are we leaving her alone again?”

I push off my locker and head in the same direction as Nova with Archer falling into step beside me. “Because pushing her wasn’t working. Every night since the weekend I have seen her tearing her house apart looking for something. The second she stops searching means she found what she is looking for.”

“Then we go after her?” I grind my teeth and try to temper the urge to slam my best friend’s face into the lockers for daring to think that they could touch the witch—only I get to fuck with her.

“Yo.” I turn my head to see Hayze and Ezekiel rushing toward us. “We got something,” Hayze rasps out as Archer and I follow them outside to the parking lot where we climb inside Ez’s car.

“What is it?” I grit out. Hayze pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket and hands it to me. I read over it and frown. “What the fuck is it?” I snap angry that they wasted my time.

“It’s from one of the files. The only person who can overthrow a ruling of a former lord is their chosen heir,” Ez says.

“That’s it, you can just change it?—”

Ez cuts Archer off before he can continue. “It can only be overturned if I am the next lord heir. I can’t overturn it, Vox, your father was the last lord not mine. Vivian is the next in line to become the Lordess .”

“Fuck!” I roar as I punch the back of the seat.

“We need to find another way,” Archer grits out, I frown when I see Ezekiel and Hayze sharing a loaded look.

“What the fuck are you two hiding?” I force out. Hayze deflates and Ezekiel sighs.

“Don’t you dare fucking break my nose, okay?” Ez snaps, shooting me a glare. I bare my teeth and nod. “The only way I would have the power to take her place and overturn the law is?—”

Archer cuts in before Ez can finish. “Fuck you! She would never agree to that!” The anger that laces his tone surprises me.

“Fuck you, Archer. I’m trying to save her!” Ezekiel roars.

“Both of you shut the fuck up and finish saying what you were about to,” I shout.

“The only way to save your sister is for her to be a Tempest. Ezekiel needs to marry Vivian so then the power or lordship would transfer to him so he would have the power to overturn the female law and end The Brotherhood.” I stare at Hayze who is gasping for air having said all of that in a rush. The car is silent as the three of them wait to see how I will act.

Ezekiel needs to marry Vivian.

That shit keeps replaying over and over in my head. I sit back and take some deep breaths. The three of them seem to relax. Hayze smiles and nods his head like they have just solved the fucking Da Vinci Code, then I lose the battle. My restraint snaps and I am jumping forward trying to get to Ezekiel through the center. I manage to clip his cheek before he pushes his door open and falls out of the fucking car. Hayze tries to escape my wrath and manages to narrowly avoid my fist when he flops out of the car like a sack of shit.

“Both of you are fucking dead!” I roar as the two idiots are laughing their asses off on the ground. Archer even begins to laugh beside me but the second I snap my gaze to him he clamps his mouth shut and raises his hands.

“I was the one against the idea, remember that, okay?” I narrow my eyes at the bastard and shove him as I climb out of the car and kick Ezekiel in the side as I storm back toward the back of the school.

“It was a good fucking plan, asshole!” Hayze calls out through his laughter. I flip that bastard the bird over my shoulder and ignore all their laughter. In a sense, they did find a solution to all our problems but I won’t use my sister to achieve our goal. I scrub my hand down my face as I drop down on one of the benches, needing a minute before I go inside and face all those other assholes who can never see any of us as less than perfect as per the Haven Saints rules.

“You look like shit.” I snap my head to the side and scowl at Nova.

“What the fuck do you want?” I clip out, her brows raise.

“I was sitting here first, dick.” The fire in her eyes as she looks at me calls the darkest part of my psyche and I relish in the way she wants to burn me to ash with one look.

“Watch your mouth, you have had four days of peace, I can ruin that for you.” She smirks.

“Ah, and here I was thinking that you and your goon squad had found a better toy to torture.” She fake pouts. As of Monday I ordered the guys to leave her alone, to act like she didn’t exist but make sure no one fucked with her. I even had Nicole remove the photos of her from Instagram.

“Nah, just letting you settle in before we strike.”

She snorts and nods, fighting back a smile. “If you weren’t such a dick, I would ask if you were okay but given the fact you are a dick, I am just going to say that I hope whoever put you in a mood has a fabulous day, and if I ever find out who it is I’ll shake their hand.” I can’t stop the smirk from making its way to my face.

“Do me a favor.” Her features twitch.

“If this favor means I’m in your debt, then no thanks.” I fight the smile from blooming on my face and school my features.

“Don’t let Nexus get to you.” She reels back in surprise.

“Isn’t he your best friend?” I stab a hand through my hair and exhale, not sure why I even fucking said that shit but it’s too late to take it back now.

“What you see isn’t always what it seems. Nexus is a snake and will do whatever he has to so he comes out on top. Don’t let him get to you.”

“You gonna protect me from my big bad stepbrother?” The mocking tone of her voice isn’t lost on me.

“No. Protect yourself, I have enough people relying on me?—”

“Why do you do that?” she asks, cutting me off and earning a glare which she ignores.

“Do what?” I snap.

“Deflect. Your mouth says one thing but your eyes say another.”

“You think you know what guys go through?” I don’t give her a chance to answer. “Or is it just Waylen that you know?” Her brows draw together. Then she leaps to her feet and stares down at me with wide eyes.

“How do you know about Waylen?”

I climb to my feet and close the space between us, gripping the back of her neck. I bend down until my lips brush the shell of her ear. “Don’t let me catch anyone touching you again, little witch. I would hate to break your friend Lenny’s arm for touching what isn’t his.” When I draw back her face is pale and her eyes are wide.

“Two-horns,” she breathes out.

I keep my features schooled as I reply, “Who?” then turn and walk away, leaving her standing there lost in her own inner turmoil.