15

My gaze locks onto Ebony, curled up against the headboard, her naked body shaking, her bright blue eyes drowning in fear and tears. The Christmas lights are still bind her wrists, cutting into her pale skin, a cruel misrepresentation of innocence. She’s trapped, helpless. A fragile bird in the jaws of a captor. Me.

“You think you can just fuck my daughter? Your SISTER! In MY house?” Ryker’s roar splits the suffocating silence, his voice a feral snarl that reverberates through the room.

His body tenses, a fighter ready to pounce, every tendon of his frame screaming violence. But I don’t back down, I never do. I meet his rage with a cold stare, raising an eyebrow as if he’s nothing more than an irritation. Because he fucking is.

“I didn’t just fuck her,” I growl. “I destroyed her—for any other pathetic excuse of a fucking man you’d try to sell her off to.”

His fists clench, his face twisting with fury and he takes a step toward me, but then he freezes when he hears her.

“Daddy don’t!” Ebony screams, her voice breaking like glass.

His chest heaves, but his anger doesn’t ease. Instead, he spins on his heel, his eyes locking onto her naked form.

“You’re a fucking disgrace!” he bellows, the harshness in his words enough to make her shrink into herself. She cowers under his disgust, her fear filling the room and it pisses me the fuck off.

But when he raises his hand, his intention to hit her obvious, something inside me snaps. I don’t think—I just act. I lunge forward, my fist flying, and I drive a hard blow into his ribs from behind. The satisfying crunch of impact makes him groan, his body buckling.

But it’s not enough. As I pull back to strike again, he recovers, spinning and his fist collides with my jaw, pain exploding through my skull. I stagger back, spitting blood, but before I can regain my footing, he charges, slamming his shoulder into my stomach. The impact drives me into the cupboard, the power shattering glass and wood, sending shards raining around us.

Pain flares, but the wrath and resentment only fuel me. I slam my elbow down, once, twice, again and again, smashing into the back of his head and neck with bone-crunching force. The world narrows, everything reduced to the raw heat of violence and hate I have for him. Ebony’s screams pierce the haze, but they feel distant. All I see is red and murder. I can’t—and won’t—fucking stop.

He lunges for my throat, fingers outstretched like claws, but I move back just in time. My fist swings again, colliding with his nose with a crack. Blood spurts, but Ryker doesn’t waver. The bastard is like steel—ruthless even when he’s calm, and now, his fucking rage makes him unstoppable.

We tear into each other, fists flying, bodies colliding in a chaos of violence and every punch lands like a thunderclap. The room is a mess, smashed to pieces, the sound of hard blows and ragged grunts filling the air.

“Stop it! Both of you, stop!” My mom’s scream cuts through the noise as she frantically rushes into the room.

She tries to wedge herself between us, but we’re past the point of reason. The anger is too raw, all too consuming, too much hatred between us and we keep ripping chunks out of one another like animals in a fucking cage fight.

Then Ryker does what he always does—escalates. His hand shoots to the back of his jeans, and he yanks out his gun.

The air freezes. Time itself seems to stop.

As he levels the barrel at my forehead, my mom’s shaky breath hitches, and Ebony whimpers, curling tighter into herself like she could disappear. I meet his gaze head on with an expression as calm as death, my chin raised.

“Please, Ryker…” My mom begs in a whisper.

Blood pours from his broken nose, his eyes wild, barely human. I’ve always known it would end like this, with a gun in his hand because that’s the type of coward he is.

“I love her,” I say, my tone even, unshaken. “I always have and I always fucking will.”

Ryker laughs—a cold sound that’s more disbelief than humour. He cocks the gun with a click, the metallic sound making Ebony scream. She buries her face in her thighs again, shaking, unable to bear the sight of what’s coming.

“Fucking love her?” he spits, his teeth stained red, his fury boiling over. He takes a step closer, pressing the barrel harder against my skull. “You know she’s your little sister, right?”

His voice is full of disgust as he continues. “No,” he snarls, his lips curling in a sneer. “You didn’t love her, Rook. You fucking used her. Used her to get to me. One last shot from your cunt father to worm under my skin.”

My jaw tightens at his accusation. Of course, Ryker would twist this into something like that—it’s all he knows. His history with my dad has poisoned his every thought, and how he treats me has always shown that, but he couldn’t be more wrong with this one. I didn’t fucking choose this.

I didn’t want to fall for the enemy’s daughter, my stepsister. But here I am—weakly, irreversibly, utterly in love with her.

I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the hatred between our dads. It doesn’t even cross my mind when it comes to her. She’s not her father’s shadow, nor the reflection of what he is. She's his opposite, a flicker of warmth in a winter that seeks to freeze me whole.

And maybe that’s why she means so much to me. She’s the one thing in my life that feels steady, even when everything else is shaking. As long as I have Ebony, I have a fucking reason—something to hold on to when the rest of the world slips through my fingers.

“No, he wouldn’t,” my mom tries to protest.

“Shut the fuck up, Cindy!” he growls, and his tone with her ignites something primal in me and I see lose it.

“Don’t talk to my fucking mom like that, you cunt!” I snarl, stepping forward, my fists curling.

His response is immediate and brutal. The gun lifts, and before I can react, the butt slams into my face. Pain explodes as blood gushes from my nose. I groan, my hand flying to my face in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“Fucking pussy, as always,” I sneer. “Weapons. Weapons. Weapons. That’s all you’ve got.” I lower my hand, my glare deathly. “Fight me like a fucking man!” I bark, my body vibrating with fury.

He steps closer, so close our bodies brush, and his eyes are harsh, unblinking, searching mine with a manic intensity.

“You’re way over your head, kid,” he says and his teeth clench so hard I can hear them grind. “You leave tonight.”

My brows furrow and I feel Ebony’s gaze from across the room, but Ryker continues, his words hitting like bullets.

“You’re not being around my daughter. You’re done here.” His tone is final.

He gestures with the barrel of the gun, a commanding motion toward the door. “Go get your shit. Don’t make me put a bullet between your eyes.”

I glance at Ebony, and the sight of her guts me. She’s staring at me, wide-eyed as tears stream down her face, and she mouths the words I don’t want to hear.

Just do it.

My teeth clench so hard my jaw aches, and the fire in my chest burns out, leaving only ashes and defeat. Slowly, I turn around while hearing my mom rushing toward Ebony, her voice shaky as she works to untie her, whispering something too low for me to hear.

Ryker’s heavy steps follow me like a shadow as I make my way to the guest room where my bags are and when I enter, I reach for one, collecting my stuff. For a moment, Ryker stands in the doorway, watching me like a killer sizing up his target.

Then, without warning, he steps back, slamming the door shut behind him. The click of the lock echoes through the room, sealing me in.

I rush toward it, my heart racing, dread tightening around my chest. The thought of him hurting Ebony hits me and I grab the handle, yanking it repeatedly, but the door doesn’t budge. My breathing grows shallow as I slam my fist against the wood in frustration. Finally, I press my ear to it, listening for any sound.

Muffled voices reach my ear from down the hallway. Nothing clear, but there’s no sign of a struggle, no screams from my mom. She would be screaming by now if he was hurting her. I exhale a deep breath before moving to the bed and sit on the edge, lowering my head into my hands.

My mind races and minutes crawl to what feels like hours until finally, the lock clicks. I shoot to my feet as the door opens slowly, but it’s Ebony who steps inside, her head down, her frame small and defeated in the oversized shirt she’s wearing. Relief floods through me while she closes the door softly behind her and lifts her head, her red eyes meeting mine.

No emotion. Just hollow.

I step forward but stop when I notice the way she holds herself, stiff and wary. She pauses, and for a moment, we’re both frozen. Then I move again, gently grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward me. My hands find her face, tilting her chin up, and her watery eyes meet mine. Her body is limp in my hands, like the fight has drained out of her completely.

“Leave with me,” I whisper, searching her gaze, desperate for the spark I know is still in there somewhere. “Just me and you. We can get out of here. Start over somewhere else—somewhere where none of this fucking bullshit can touch us.”

She blinks at me, her expression unreadable, and I tighten my grip on her face, wanting her to listen. “You’re the only thing that matters to me,” I say, my voice breaking as I lean closer.

Her lips tremble, and tears begin to fall again, her hands wrapping around my wrists.

“Please…” she whispers, shaking her head slightly and her eyes close, more tears streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I shake her gently, forcing her eyes back to mine. “Yes, you fucking can,” I snap, my voice rising. “Don’t you fucking love me?”

A sob escapes her, loud and raw, but she doesn’t answer. For a long moment, her silence cuts deeper than anything she could say. Then, she shakes her head once—just once—and my world shatters.

“No. Not like that.”

The words are quiet but final, and they tear through me causing my hands drop away. I step back, turning away from her as my vision blurs. My chest aches, and I rub my hand across my mouth, closing my eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears stinging my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Rook,” she croaks.

I shake my head. She’s fucking lying. She has to be lying. I feel it every second I’m with her. It’s not fake. I turn back to her, my steps quick and my hands slamming against the door on either side of her, caging her in.

“You’re fucking lying, Bunny,” I growl, a tear slipping down my cheek. “Why do you keep fucking lying about it?”

Her head snaps up, and her blue eyes blaze with anger—real, burning anger.

“I’m not fucking lying, Rook!” she shouts, her voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve been telling you for months to leave me the fuck alone. And now look at what we’ve done! My dad saw me naked! He caught me being fucked by my own brother on Christmas Eve, and all you can think about is this—about whisking me off like some fairytale ending that doesn’t fucking exist!”

“I feel it, Bunny. I see it every damn day. You can pretend all you want to everyone else, like a little fucking coward, but at least I have the guts to admit what I want. YOU.”

She sucks in a sharp breath, but her glare doesn’t waver, then she explodes.

“Why do you always have to do this? Huh?! Why can’t you just fucking accept it? I don’t want you! I’ve told you over and over, Rook—I DON’T FUCKING WANT YOU!”

Her words slice sharper than a knife and my teeth grind, my whole-body trembling violently as more tears stream down my face. Everything she says is poison, seeping into me, eating me the fuck alive.

“You’re like the plague,” she hisses, her eyes blazing with fury and disgust. “You infect everything you touch—even my fucking soul. You can’t take no for an answer, can you? You had to tear our family apart. You’re always smothering me. Corrupting me. Breaking down every part of me. Touching me. Pushing me. I can’t fucking breathe around you, Rook! Why the fuck would I want to be with you?”

I press my fists against the door, my knuckles white, my breaths coming fast and sharp as her words slice through me, but I don’t stop her. I take every hit, every stab to the heart like a fool.

“You wanted to fuck me?!” she hisses. “Well, you got what you wanted! Mission fucking accomplished. You broke me down! You fucking won!”

My bruised face twists, the pain of her accusation too much to hold back. “You think that’s all it was? A fucking game?” I ask, every word spiked with confusion and anger. “Why the fuck would I put myself through this—through all this… suffering—just for a fucking body? Yeah, I say fucked-up shit. I do fucked-up shit. A brother shouldn’t say or do half the things I’ve done to you. But one thing has been real through all of it is, I fucking love you, Ebony. You could’ve had that pussy sewn up, locked away, and I’d still choose you. I chase and continue to chase like a weak ass little bitch because I still cling to hope that one day maybe, just maybe, you’d fucking choose me!”

Her scoff cuts through me like a whip and she looks away, disdain written all over her face. “Well, get over it,” she says coldly. “I’m not interested in having a relationship with my brother.”

Something in me snaps and I slam my palms against the hard door by either side of her head, the sound echoing like a gunshot. My body shakes as a roar rips from my chest, so real and pained filled, it rattles through the room, every ounce of misery I’ve kept hidden, unleashed, right in front of her face.

Her body jerks in shock, stiffening, her wide eyes staring into mine as tears flood down my cheeks. My breathing is uneven, my chest heaving as I stagger back.

“YOU’RE FUCKING EVERYTHING TO ME! YOU’RE ALL I THINK ABOUT... ALL I FUCKING WANT!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

“AND YOU CAN’T FUCKING HAVE ME!” she yells back, her body vibrating, her wet eyes blazing, then she points her finger at me, dropping her tone. “You need to leave me the fuck alone!”

My face suddenly falls. “Fuck you, Ebony,” I whisper, the words flat and lifeless.

My emotions now feel dead as I search her gaze one last time, desperately looking for something, anything—but when I finally see there’s nothing left, I turn my back on her.

The silence between us is deafening until I hear her take a careful step toward me and her hand brushes against mine.

“Rook…” she whispers, her voice soft, almost pleading.

I pull away, jerking my hand from hers like her touch burns.

“Don’t,” I mutter, shaking my head from side to side, my voice hoarse and broken. I sniff, my chest tightening with downfall as I wipe my tear-streaked face with my hand. I’m just fucking done.

“Just get the fuck out,” I rasp, low and final, hardly able to breath.