Deception. Betrayal. Mistrust.
It seems the closer Rayne gets to the truth, the more she finds herself wanting to run away from it. It's complex and terrifying-more than she ever fathomed.
New family members, good and bad, pop out at her like a br...
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𝗥ueben put a hand to an adjacent brick wall, trying to catch himself and his breath at the same time. But with his hands still densely coated in his blood, he was able to lean for a moment before his body gave out, and he fell forward, landing harshly on his knees.
Rainwater plagued his mouth, his eyes, and his nose, suffocating him in combination with the already difficult task of inhaling enough oxygen to function. His fingers shook as they rose to his freshly sealed wound—the handiwork of a man who'd done nothing but ruin his life alongside his friends.
He winced as his fingertips came in contact with the shabby fabric. He grimaced under taunt eyebrows as he understood that an injury and fix like this was going to make him look like a fucking freak in the future if he was to survive this place and get back to the safety of American soil.
"Hey," his sister's palms latched to his back, "What's wrong?"
Rueben breathed raggedly, shrugging her hands off him.
Anger radiated off him in dangerous waves, and while some of it was partially because of her, he knew that he didn't want to aim them in her direction. He just got her back, and even if it was partially her fault that he was going to look horrible for the rest of his life—even if she'd allowed that sociopathic psycho to operate on him like a damn cadaver—he wasn't going to put a strain on their relationship.
Though, even with that knowledge, he wasn't keen on being touched.
He didn't know if he'd ever be touched again.
Would Rayne love him anymore?
"I'm fine, Lil," he huffed, "I just can't fucking breathe."
"It's my fault," she said sadly, joining him on her knees, "It's my fault this happened to you."
"It's no one's," he shook his head, disagreeing, "If anyone is going to be blamed, it will be me and me alone. I was the one who let my guard down. If I had been paying attention to more than just the people around me, I would have noticed Carson sneaking up," he scoffed at his name, "A man as gravely predictable as him should have never had the chance."
Lilliana's brown hair was stringy and borderline stroking the dirt and gravel from its length as she shook her head. Rueben watched large clumps of pain begin to descend and round her cheeks as she amped up her speed. It wasn't until she was about to hurt herself that Rueben reached over and cupped half of her face, stopping her.
"It wasn't your fault," he whispered.
"You were looking at me. I was your distraction."
"I don't want you apologizing because I love you."
Lilliana's bottom lip quivered as a hiccup escaped past them.
Tears began to fall harder than the rain, so Rueben did the only thing he could think of. He hooked his fingers around the back of her neck and pulled her in, shoving her jaw into the crook of his collarbone.
