Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 89

Izzy schooled her features until she was able to hide what she was feeling. She shrugged and looked nonchalant, not even afraid as she had been, but I could tell that her mind was racing, especially since I had looked at her so afraid. "I don't know what you mean," she said and moved a hand through her hair, fixing it. "So what do you mean?"

"Why did you show Ethan where we lived?" I asked, stunned that my voice didn't shake like I thought it would. "Better yet, why were you even talking to him?"

"Because I want to," she replied. "It's not my fault that he got tired of you." She shrugged and started to walk to the kitchen, and I followed behind her with my heart still pounding hard in my chest.

"What are you even talking about?" I asked, confused and shocked about the statement that came out of her mouth. "I broke up with him. Remember? He didn't break up with me."

Izzy shrugged and started to look through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat. "That's not how he said it," she replied, defending him. "He said that you changed into a cold, bitter old person, and he didn't want to be with you anymore. He wants to be with someone new, someone fresh." She moved a hand through her hair, and her meaning was clear.

"He wanted someone like me."

Anger boiled in the pit of my stomach, chasing away the fear. I had no idea why she thought he would want her, and even if he did want her, then why would she still want him?

She had seen some of the stuff that happened to me, even though she had no idea how deep or to what extent the abuse was. She had to know that this was some type of trick, to know that he didn't really want her but wanted to get back at me.

He wanted to control me again through her.

"He doesn't want to be with someone new or someone fresh," I said, voicing my thoughts out loud, "and even if he did, then why would he choose someone related to the person that he had dated before unless he wants to "hurt" the other person that is now his ex?"

Bang! Izzy closed the cupboard with so much force that she almost broke it while she twisted around and looked at me. Anger and tears filled her eyes, and I had a feeling that she thought I was talking about something different.

"Are you saying that I am not good enough for a boy?" she seethed. "Is that it? Is that why you have to "steal" my man, even though I had claimed them in the first place?"

I looked at her, stunned. "They're human beings. You can't claim them," I said. "They have their own feelings and whatever. I'm not even saying that you aren't good enough for a boy, but you can do so much better than Ethan. Trust me; I know."

Izzy scoffed and rolled her eyes while she shook her head. "Ya, right," she said. "You are just saying that so that you c-"

"HE FUCKING RAPED AND ABUSED ME!" I exclaimed and slammed my hand against the table. "THAT IS WHY I SAID THAT YOU CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER THAN HIM! I don't want to see you get hurt like he had hurt me, Iz."

Izzy and I stared at each other in shock when those words left my mouth. Both of our eyes and mouths were wide open, and I had a feeling that neither of us thought that those words would leave my mouth.

"What?" she asked, her voice soft. She studied me, trying to see if what I had said was the truth. "What did you just say?"

I closed my mouth and licked my lips before I slowly nodded, my heart pounding hard in my chest. "He had raped and abused me," I said, my voice levelled and firm, something that I hadn't expected.

I had expected myself to be crying, begging her not to tell anyone about what I had said, but instead, I was there, more worried about what would happen to her than to me. I didn't care what would happen to me as long as she stayed safe.

Izzy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Ya, right," she said, quickly composing herself, and I blinked, shocked. "You are lying. He didn't do that to you. You are just making things up."

"And why would I make that up? How stupid do you think I'd have to be to make up shit like that when it happens to other people on a daily basis?" I asked, livid that she would think so poorly of me. "I did not make that up. I would never do that."

"Then you're lying," Izzy said and shrugged, "or you asked for it."

I looked at her, my mouth wide open, and shook my head. I couldn't believe what I heard coming from her mouth.

No one asked to be raped, to be abused, and for her to say that I had asked for it was absurd and hurtful.

"I didn't," I said, my voice soft. "Why would I ask for that stuff?"

She shrugged. "You think it's kinky," she replied.

"And you have blinders on," I said. "That's the only thing I can come up with that makes sense with your reasoning." I shook my head and scoffed. "Ethan raped and abused me. He drugged me and took away my innocence, and I can never get that back."

"Ya, right," Iz scoffed and rolled her eyes, but I could tell that her mind was reeling. "Why would he rape you? You aren't that special."

"Because he is a monster," I replied. "That is why he did it. He is a monster and used me like he will use you if you continue to see him. He'll try to hurt you and, in the process, hurt me. He doesn't want you, Iz. I'm sorry, but he doesn't."

"Oh, and you think that he wants you?" Izzy spat while she glared at me. "And what does he want to do with you? What makes you so special that you get all of the guys that I want? Why do you have to fall in love with them? Why do y-"

"BECAUSE HE WANTS TO KILL ME!" I snapped and slammed my hand on the counter hard enough to leave a dent that neither one of us paid attention to. "He wants to kill me or to use me for his gain. There is nothing he wants to do with you besides get me under his control again."

Izzy didn't say a word and stared at me with tears of anger and pain in her eyes. She didn't know if what I said was true or not, but I had a feeling that she didn't want it to be. "So he did?" she asked while she studied me, making sure that I was telling her the truth. "Or are you making things up so that I wouldn't date him?"

"I wouldn't do that," I said. "My intentions are pure. He had raped and abused me more than once. He poisoned me, took my innocence away, and I don't want that to happen to you."

"WHAT?" an angry voice asked from behind me, and we instantly turned to look behind us to see my father was standing there, angry.

The room grew darker while his magic grew, and I had a feeling that he heard what I said. He heard that I was raped by Ethan, and now, he was in king mode, which was something that I did not want.

Shit.