Arranged love

ALEXA

JASMINE AND I sit on the end of Grave and April’s bed with her. Jasmine holds her hand while I rub her back, and Emilee paces back and forth. Haven stands over by the window with her back to us as she stares out over the city. She hasn’t said anything, which surprises me. She’s usually the first one to have an opinion on something. Maybe she understands how fragile April is right now after losing the baby.

“This was my biggest fear,” April cries softly.

“I don’t think he’d lie to you.” Jasmine jumps to Grave’s defense.

“Me either. But …” She shakes her head. “Who else could it be?”

“He’s hiding something.” Haven finally speaks, turning to face us.

“You don’t know that,” Jasmine snaps.

April sniffs. “I’ve shut him out to avoid this.”This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

I sigh at her confession.

“I didn’t want him to feel,” she admits with a sob. Pulling her hand free from Jasmine’s, she covers her face with her hands. “I didn’t want him to turn to drugs. I can’t lose him too.” Turning, she buries her face into my shirt.

I hug her tightly and start to rock us back and forth gently.

Haven opens her mouth, but Jasmine snaps her fingers at her, shaking her head. Haven rolls her eyes and spins back around, giving us her back.

“He’s not going anywhere,” I tell her, my chest tightening. This is why she’s kept everything in and why she refuses to open up to anyone. She was trying to take all the burden on herself to save Grave. “April …”

The sound of a door banging open from downstairs cuts me off. “Cross … what the fuck?” Luca, Haven’s husband, yells from the first floor.

We all jump to our feet and rush out to see what’s going on. Looking down over the banister, we see a guy lying on the floor in the middle of their foyer. Face bloody along with busted knuckles. His shirt is ripped, and his jeans are dirty. He looks up at April, making his way to a sitting position, and wipes the bloody drool off with the back of his hand.

We start our way down the stairs, not nearly as fast as we left the bedroom. Once we hit the landing, I look at Cross wide-eyed. It can’t be …

“Ethan.” April steps toward him, but I pull her back. He looks like a feral cat ready to attack. She’s been through enough shit already tonight. I feel the need to protect her from everyone at this point. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Tell her,” Cross demands, kicking him with his shoe.

“Fuck you!” he spits out at Cross.

“Dude? What are you …?” Luca starts, but Cross bends down, grips Ethan by his hair, and forces him to stand.

“Tell. Her,” he growls.

“Cross. Don’t.” Grave shakes his head, coming to join the commotion. Titan and Bones are right behind him.

When did he come back? Last I had heard, he left. Bones must have brought him back.

“I’m not going to let it go down this way,” Cross tells Grave. “Not to you. Not now.”

“What is he talking about?” April asks Grave, turning to face him.

“Nothing,” he dismisses her, unable to meet her eyes.

Cross gives an evil laugh, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I’ve never seen him like this-a Dark King. I’ve heard stories from the girls, and the town knows how Kingdom is run. But he seems different right now. Like he has nothing to lose.

“Don’t do this,” Cross says to Grave. He’s pleading with his best friend. “Don’t let her think you’re still the same guy.”

“This doesn’t concern you!” Grave shouts, stepping up to them.

Cross shoves Ethan to the side, and he trips, falling to the floor once again. Cross bumps his chest to Grave. Bones goes to intervene, but Titan pulls him back. What the fuck? Why isn’t anyone stopping this?

“It does!” Cross shouts. “You are my brother, and I won’t let her think that you haven’t changed.”

“Fuck you!” Grave shoves him.

Cross grabs his shirt and yanks Grave into him. “I won’t let her think any less of you.”

Grave’s bottom lip begins to tremble.

“Do you hear me? I know it. Titan and Bones know it. You are not the same man you once were. You’ve come too far for that, Kyle,” Cross says, softening his voice at his best friend.

Grave sniffs but shakes his head, whispering, “I won’t do it. I won’t do that to her.”

Silence covers the room. My hands are shaking, my heart pounding. What is going on? What does Cross know, and what has Grave done? What is he protecting April from?

Cross lets go of him and takes a step back, squaring his shoulders once again. “Fine, then I will.”

“No-”

“April, your brother here stole Grave’s pills from him months ago. He’s the one who’s using in your house,” Cross announces, interrupting his best friend.

April’s wide eyes go from Cross to Grave. He looks murderous as he stares at the back of Cross’s head. His chest rises and falls fast with his heavy breathing. His hands are fisted down by his sides. I see Bones step closer to them, expecting Grave to pounce on Cross.

“What?” April blinks, and fresh tears run down her face. She looks at her younger brother, who’s still on the floor but now sitting up. “Is this true? You’ve been using?”

He won’t meet her eyes. Instead, he stares at the blood spots on the floor in front of him.

“But …” She swallows. “You’ve been working. Doing better. Staying out of trouble. I’ve seen you-”

“Some addicts care what others think and hide it well,” Cross says matter-of-factly, interrupting her.

Her watery ice-blue eyes go from Cross to Grave, and when he doesn’t look at her, she looks at her brother once again. “Answer me!” she shouts, running to him. Grave grabs her but not before she gets a swing at his face, knocking him to his side on the floor. “How long?” she cries as her feet leave the ground from Grave’s hold.

Ethan bites his lip and continues to ignore her, pushing himself back up to a sitting position.

“How fucking long?” she screams this time, trying to get out of Grave’s hold.

“April?” Grave spins her around to face him. His hands cup her tear-streaked face. “April, look at me. Take a deep breath.”

“Oh, my God,” she cries, her body caving into his. “Grave … I-I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t. Don’t do that to yourself.” He shakes his head at her, pulling her into his chest and hugging her tightly. Her hands dig into his shirt while he kisses her head. Her legs give out, and he picks her up, carrying her away from the foyer.