Exodus (The Ravenhood)

“I was going to tell you, tonight.”

“How convenient,” I whisper hoarsely, feeling every bit the fool I am.

Dominic speaks up. “You are no brother to me. Everything you stand for is a lie.”

Tobias scrubs his face, clear offense in his tone when he speaks. “I’ve done this one thing, for me, which doesn’t change the fucking thousand other things I did before it, for you. I’ve spent most of my life paying my dues, paving the way while you two had your fucking fun.” He steps forward, his eyes pleading. “Tout ce que j’ai toujours fait, c’est prendre soin de toi.” All I have ever done is take care of you.

“Je te décharge de ça maintenant et pour de bon.” I relieve you of that now, for good. Dominic smashes his palms together as he speaks and separates them as Tobias flinches with the blow of his words.

“Tu es en colère. Je comprends. Mais cela ne signifiera jamais que nous ne sommes pas frères.” You’re angry. I understand. But that will never mean we are not brothers.

“It means nothing to you. You proved that.” Dominic eyes me, and I can feel the onslaught of his words before he speaks them.

“Quand tu la baises, frère, sache que c’est moi que tu goûtes. Tu peux la garder.” When you fuck her, brother, just know it’s me you’re tasting. You can keep her.”

“Elle parle français.” Tobias snaps. She speaks French.

Dominic smiles at me, his eyes void of the soul I know and love. “I know she does.”

“Of course you would go there, Dom. Of course, you would. That’s your go-to, isn’t it? Say it in English. You. Fucking. Coward. Call me a whore in a way I fully understand. That’s me, isn’t it? Nothing but a whore. Not the woman who loved you unconditionally despite the way you treated me in the beginning and deceived me before you left me in the street crying for you. I was faithful to you until I had no choice but to let go and move on. But that doesn’t matter, does it? Because all that matters is that I’m not yours to fuck anymore.”

Dominic lowers his eyes as Tobias and Sean stare off. Sean’s eyes glisten when he speaks. “I didn’t think you were capable of this. Not you.”

“I’m no more guilty than you are,” Tobias defends weakly. But he’s got no defense. He sent them away. He sent them away purposefully expecting to break us. He and I are the only ones who know he had no intentions of us happening, at least at first, and they will never believe him.

But he did send them away. He sent them away to break our hearts because of his anger, his jealousy, and his agenda.

It’s then I realize Tobias has been admitting this betrayal to me for some time now. The guilt he’s displayed, his words about his actions all have to do with this inevitable fall out. It brings me not an ounce of comfort. I’m still reeling as Sean’s eyes scour me, and I feel the need to cover myself. I’ve never been so ashamed to be in my skin.

“Stop looking at me that way!” I say as tears glide down my cheeks. “Go ahead, call me a whore too, or better yet, don’t bother, I see it clearly in your eyes.” I clench my fists. “I was left dangling in the dark for damn near a year for you.” I lift my chin, “Fucking hypocrites, both of you. I played by your rules, Sean. No apologies, remember?” I look between them both. “And the fact that you can’t stand by what you preach doesn’t make me less of a woman. It makes you both less of a man. You are the ones who told me to take what I want when I want it. I guess the rule only applies if what I want is you!”

Sean bites his lip, a lone tear falling straight from his eyes to the hand that now holds his ball cap, and I die at the sight of it.

“I waited for you. I made myself sick. I cried for you both every night for months. I waited and waited, and you never came for me. And I didn’t know,” I glance at Tobias, who looks like he’s about to explode, but he keeps his eyes focused on his brother.

“I didn’t know. Sean,” I plead with him, “you know me.”

“I thought I did,” he replies hoarsely.

/> “You couldn’t even trust me enough to tell me where you were going.”

“That wasn’t the deal we made,” he swallows, eyeing Tobias, who’s deathly still as he darts his gaze between the three of us, swallowing repeatedly.

This is what selfish does, Cecelia. This is the mess selfish creates.

“Sean, I didn’t know,” I step toward him, and Tobias intercepts me, unwilling to let me past his barrier as he addresses Sean.

“She was your toy.”

Sean cocks his head. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. And what is she to you? A means to an end? The ultimate revenge against Roman? And there we were feeling guilty, carrying out your fucking orders and you go and gut us like this? What was this meant to be? A taste of our own medicine? Nah,” he says, nothing but contempt in his eyes, “for you, it was misery loves company, right?”

Tobias steps toward him, his face riddled in a mix of jealousy and guilt. “I didn’t overstep. The punishment goes for anyone who fucks up. You know that,” he exhales. “It wasn’t my intention—”

“That’s a lie. You wanted her the minute you saw her. Don’t forget, brother, I know you. You saw what we saw. Except you knew how we felt about her because we fucking told you.” Sean snaps out his arm, pointing at him to stay back. “You asked me if she was worth it, and I told you she was. If you take one more step toward me, I’ll forget our past, and I’ll fucking end you.”

“Remember your place,” Tobias snaps, his tone molten.

“You made this personal, and you lost my loyalty in the process.” Sean shakes his head. “This is on you.” I can physically feel the break between the three of them as Sean addresses me.