Burn (Virtues & Lies 1)

“Move.” I grit one more time. If he makes me put her down to move him, I’ll fucking kill him too.

Pulling herself straight, like she knows my thoughts, Cassandra says, “Get out of the way, Christopher.”

The hard and unwavering tone of her words takes him aback, because to her family she’s a pampered princess. To me, she’s a queen—Cassandra Sinclair is a beautiful storm. You don’t see her coming until she hits, and then you’re ruined. I know this first hand. It’s the reason I’m standing in the middle of a goddamn rave. A scene I couldn’t give two fucks to be a part of.

“Now,” she grits, dropping the arm that’s across the front of my shoulders, she pushes him away and I start for the stairs.

Wayne’s guys refuse to move, until Francis reaches us.

“You need to put that back on.” Speaking to me, he lays his long wool coat over her, he strokes Cassie’s cheek with a softness that I’ve never seen from him.

And as her eyes fill with burgeoning tears, my black heart bleeds for her. The smudged blood on her face from my hands is completely dry, it cracks and flakes with the rake of his fingertips on her pale peachy skin.

“I let you down,” he says more to himself than to her. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

Our eyes meet and his are just as shiny as hers, only hard set. I want to hate him so fucking much, but I can’t. And I despise myself for it because he’s the devil and all the angels in one fucking being. His sins are sacred like the word of God itself.

“Take her home.” He tells me, it’s a request not an order. “Wayne will take you.” Leaning closer, he continues in a hushed tone as he lifts my T-shirt and tucks his own gun into my belt, “Use it if you need to. No one touches her again, understand?”

Good. He’s finally seeing things my way.

Gripping Cassie tighter as she tries to get down, I take the first step towards the exit.

“I want to walk,” she says with pride lacing her voice. “I walked in and I am going to walk out.”

That’s my girl. But, in the state she’s in, there’s no way that’s going to happen either. She’s in shock and her body is still trembling, her thigh needs to be seen to…

“I’m not letting you go again, Buttercup.”

* * *

Cassie’s settled into the seat with her feet on my lap as Wayne drives us towards my apartment. She was adamant she didn’t want to go back to her house tonight. Quite frankly, I couldn’t bear to drop her off and leave.

It’s quiet and her eyes are closed, her breathing is even. I think she’s asleep. The shock has wiped her out.

Working off her boots, I take in the grazes on her knee, the faint bruise on her ankle and anger turns over inside me again, like a powerful engine. My heart is beating so hard and so fast that I can barely hear Wayne.

“Son, you need to rein yourself in. You’re going to get the pair of you killed.” His voice is low, but the grit behind his words is enough to tell me he’s pissed with me.

“I had to do it.” I say, rubbing Cassie’s legs. They’re so smooth, her skin is so fucking soft.

I wonder if it’s this soft everywhere. I push the coat she’s tucked under higher up her legs until I can see the cut on the inside of her thigh. It’s stopped bleeding, already crusting over nicely.

Her lacy black underwear peeks from beneath the hem of her short dress and I have to pry my eyes away.

I want this girl so fucking bad that my need aches inside me.

“You made a choice, like I did.” Wayne sighs.

“There is no choice when it comes to her!” My voice is louder than I intended with my frustration, because he should know how impossible it is choosing anything other than Cassie, her safety, her life.

There’s a heavy, sighing pause and then he says, “I understand that, Leo, but…once you take a life there’s no going back. I swore to Rosie I wouldn’t let you get into anything.”

“I’m not your responsibility and Mum needs

to accept the choice I’ve made; I’ve waited so long for this.”

“You think I haven’t?” His eyes flash to mine in the rear-view mirror, anger burning bright in them. “I’ve waited longer than you know. But I’ve never put your mother in danger because I couldn’t control myself. If you can’t do that, then you’re no better than Lucian.”