TWISTED FATE (Twisted Path Book 1)

Chapter 44

Becca

My fingers still, the story washing over me in a way I hadn't anticipated.

Shane's voice softens even further. "Pegasus carried Perseus into the fight. Made sure he got there. Made sure Andromeda was saved and that all three made it out in one piece."

I blink slowly, my heart climbing into my throat.

He squeezes my knee. "That's why Nick is here. Because he wants to stand beside me. To protect you. To fight with us—for all of us."

Across the table, Nick shifts. His jaw clenches like he's not used to this kind of conversation. Like letting people see the rawness underneath is still foreign to him, maybe even terrifying.

But when he speaks, there's no hesitation. "I know I can't erase the past. And that I can't undo what he did to your mom. To you. To Miranda and me. But I can promise you this—I will give whatever is left of my life to keep that bastard from ever coming near you. From this point forward, everything I do will be to keep both my sisters safe."

His words pull me back to earlier in the evening, when Shane warned, "We can't let anger or revenge dictate the plan. That's not how we protect her. That's not how we save them both."

Oh god.

That's what Shane meant. This isn't just about me. I'm not the only one they're trying to save. They're doing this for Amanda too. And after the way she humiliated me and Shane today, after the horrible ways she's treated me in the past? I know it's an awful thing to say, but... I don't know how to feel about that.

"She hates me..." I whisper in a shaky breath, the weight of how she made me feel today threatening to drown me all over again. The phantom sting of her words, as she outed us in that hallway, fills my eyes with tears. I don't know why it disappoints me to hear they're protecting her too, but it does. Maybe because with Shane and Amanda's history, and Nick and Amanda being full siblings raised together under that monster's roof, I can't help but wonder: when push comes to shove, would either of them truly choose me over her?

No, Becca. Why would they? You're no one. You'll never be one of them.

The harshness of my inner voice shatters something inside me. But under the circumstances, I refuse to fall apart right now. I refuse to let that thought take root, not until tomorrow, when Shane is gone and I can cry and grieve in private.

"She's scared," Nick says gently—like he can tell I'm hanging on by a very fragile thread. "Terrified of my father and his threats, but even I can admit there's no excuse for what she did today. I promise you, I'll handle her. I'll make it clear she's to stay away from you."

My eyes snap to his, then to Shane, as a wave of crushing desperation crashes over me. "You can't tell her about me. She can't know. If she does, she'll tell Charles, and then he'll know I opened my mouth and..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Shane coos softly, turning in his chair. His hands cup my face, gently guiding my gaze to his. "We're not telling her. I swear it. Nick too. Given everything that's happened, we both agree, she shouldn't know."

"But what happens when she finds out Nick spent the holidays here? She'll think it's suspicious. It will only incite her. Make things worse. Make her angrier."

"She won't know." Nick rushes in, his tone firm. "No one will. I'll pack my things tonight. Let them think I went back to school. They'll be none the wiser. I'll be here tomorrow. Shane gave me the code to get in, and with Cedric's help, I'll sneak in while you're at school"

"You would do this? Go against your own father? Your sister? All to protect me?"

"Against my father? Yes. No question. Against Amanda? In this case? Yes. Because by doing this, I'm protecting both of you. You're the one who needs me the most right now. Amanda's still safe. She's still okay. Once we handle your situation, Shane, Cedric and I will take the necessary steps to get her out from under the hell she's in—even if we have to do it with her kicking and screaming."