I roll my eyes. “She shot her husband. Her husband, who she knew cheated at the vow ceremony to make her his in order to protect her, putting his own life in danger. Then she ran. When all she had to do was go to him, and he would have done anything for her.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“No. It’s not. She created a hostile situation and then cried victim.”
“You’re only saying that because it’s her life. Not yours.”
I give him my back, done with his conversation, and punch the button, waiting for it to open.
“Kash is doing the same for you.”
I stiffen but refuse to look back at him. Of course Adam knows what Kashton has done. He’s probably encouraging it because he knows who I really am. I wonder how his brother would feel if he knew what Adam knows about me.
“Kashton’s trying to save you from this life you hate so much. The life the Lords decided they want you to have. He’s willing to give his life for yours. Just because you don’t pull the trigger doesn’t mean your actions won’t kill him.”
I spin around. “What do you mean give his life for mine?”
“The Lords know if you fail, you can’t be sentenced to be a breeder, so Kashton has agreed to take your punishment.”
My stomach drops. It just keeps getting worse. How can he do this? Risk his life for mine?
“Give yourself more credit, Eve. He may be willing to protect you, but we all know you’ll pass.” With that, he turns and enters Bill’s office just when the elevator dings behind me.
Numbly, I turn around and enter the elevator. I slump against the wall and hang my head.
FUCK.
KASHTON
It’s a quarter to noon when I pull up to Eve’s house. I find the front door unlocked and enter like I own the place. “Everything in My Mind” by Nevertel blares inside.
I check my watch to make sure I’m not too early. Stepping into her kitchen, I find her sitting on the floor, her back resting against the cabinet doors and a bottle of whiskey next to her. She’s dressed in an oversized T-shirt and nothing else.
“Angel?” I crouch down in front of her and place my hands on either side of her face, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “Are you okay?” I glance at the bottle that has her red lipstick wrapped around the tip. It’s half empty. I’m not sure how full it was before she started drinking, but it’s the middle of the day.
I’ve known she’s had a drinking problem since I started following her, but with a past like hers, she’s bound to need some sort of outlet. A crutch that she leans on.
I want to be that for her.
“Why?” she whispers, her bloodshot eyes searching mine.
“Why what?” I frown.
Her eyes narrow the slightest bit, and I almost smile at her anger slipping through. “Bill told me, Kash. Why did you go to him?”
I lower myself to the floor in front of her and place my legs on either side, closing her between them, bending them at the knees. “I told you, Eve, I love you.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “No one can love someone like me.”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” I ask, reaching out and tucking a lock of her silky smooth hair behind her ear.
Looking away from me, she stares up at the ceiling. I hate how brainwashed she is. My mother was the same. My father made her think she was nothing. Therefore, she expected nothing. “You’re not broken, Eve.”
She licks her lips. “If I fail…”
“You won’t.”
Her eyes find mine once again. “What if I freeze up?”
