“Isn’t that true? It’s been years, and you’re still there. I assumed after Joey died you would come back to reality. To the world we thought—” I stop mid-sentence. There’s no point in rehashing old wounds.He chose this life.
He closes his eyes tightly, and when he opens them again, his eyes burn with a mix of want and regret, the kind that never fully fades. “You think I don’t want that life too, Ro? If I could go back in time and never walk out the doors after graduation, I would do it in a heartbeat. But that isn’t the hand we were dealt. This is.” He motions around the room. “I understand you’re blinded by Joey’s death, and I feel it too, even though you don’t like to believe it. I loved your fucking brother like my own. I watched him die.” His voice cracks. “His death is hard on me, but I don’t let anyone see.” He glances at the wall.
“It doesn’t seem like it has been difficult for you at all, Ryven. Even though part of me wants to believe it. You’re still working your way through the ranks. You take their orders. How am I supposed to think that his death was hard for you? You thrive because of his death. But me? No, I’ve been doing right by him.” I pound my chest.
He shakes his head. “I hate that you think I’m a monster. Honestly, I do. But I have a goal in mind, and it isn’t just killing a few cult members and calling it a day. If I wanted revenge for just your brother’s death, it would’ve happened a long time ago. But then where would I be? Where would the cult and the district be? They would’ve killed me like your brother, and nothing would’ve changed.”
“What is the game you’re playing?”
He leans his head back again. “I’m playing the long game, Ro. Always have been. You know this. I told you once before. You have the revenge you wish to get, and you fight for it every day.But while you are only doing a little change here and there, I’m preparing to turn our district upside down.”
We sit there, breathing and not speaking.
The only thing between us now is everything we never said—and everything we never will.
Chapter 21
Ryven
I need to simmer my anger toward Rory. I understand why she is so upset over everything, but I never claimed to be a good person. Children are children. But when we become adults, we forge our own paths.
Unfortunately for me, the death of my best friend at the hands of my supposed brothers is what forged mine. While I might look like a cult member on the outside, I do what I have to do. Now, I’ve worked my way up the ranks. I have the power. And I know exactly where to aim it. If I don’t miss.
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
She lets out a huff. “I’m sorry.” Her words hit harder than I’m sure she means them to. “I know you struggle with his death, too. But, I just can’t fathom killing people and living like my life is normal.”
I raise my brow. “You literally just killed Thomas, and it seems like you are doing fine.”
She rolls her eyes. “That was self-defense. It was him or me. You and your cult torture innocent people for a God that doesn’t exist.”
I sigh. “There is no point in arguing with you over this. Not when neither of us is going to change. You have what you believe, and I’m doing what I need to survive. Now, can we talk about why I’m really here?”
She squints her eyes as if she is going to tell me to fuck off. But then she says, “Fine.”
I take in a deep breath. “We both have spent years making the cult members’ lives hell every chance we get. I have used my time wisely, learning the ins and outs of the cult and gaining their trust.” I retrieve a small seal from my pocket and hold it out to her. “This is what changes everything. I know who the targets are now—who, when, and where.”
She takes the metal from my hand and inspects each side. “Why does this give you power?”
“Because that is the seal of the council.”
She drops it to the ground like it’s burning her and scoots away from it. Like it might kill her too.
I pick it up and return it to my pocket. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “That seal signed my brother’s death.”
She’s right.I didn’t even think about that. I nod. “Now, it’ll be the one getting his revenge.”
She gazes from the floor with curiosity. Does she trust I’ll use this new power for the better? I open my mouth to speak, but she stops me.
“Tell me what I can do to help.” She hesitates.
“We need to get the rebellion on the same page as us, or this will never work.”
She scoffs. “You think the rebellion’s going to help you?”
I raise my brow. “You.”
