Broken Pieces Read online

  “I just freaked when he threw you like that,” he says to her, and I pause.

  He means it.

  “I know.”

  But that doesn’t change anything. “Rebekah, he’s a monster.”

  Looking back to me, she says, “Osh, we’re all monsters, but I love this monster. I always have, and I need you to let me go.”

  Silences stretches between us, and I swear I can hear her heartbeat, or maybe it’s the wolf’s, I don’t know. I’m just freaking the hell out. This is insane. I’m still reeling from the fact that Ryland Kelley is not only alive but an amalgam—and that he also tried to literally bite my head off. I want to say she is stupid for trusting him, but I can’t get over the way he is looking at her. He’s looking at her the way he did when they were younger. When he was completely in love with her and wanted to marry her. But that was shut down quickly, and only a couple weeks later, he was dead.

  Did my father “kill” him?

  I wouldn’t put it past him.

  “Everyone is freaking out,” she gasps, her eyes going from mine to his. “We need to calm down because this is okay. I’m okay, you’re okay, and Ryland is okay. I just need you to understand that I love him, he loves me, and I want to be happy. I need to be happy. I’m begging you to let me go without a fight. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Swallowing hard, I shake my head. My body and mind are telling me to stop her; she can’t do this. But my heart is saying to let her go, and I really don’t know that means. Am I being smart, or am I wishing I were her? I’m supposed to be the older brother, I’m supposed to be smart and know what to do, to have a plan. But I feel lost. Scared.

  Clearing my throat, I say, “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Well, you have to,” she says, her eyes clouding as she holds my gaze. “’Cause I’m going.”

  “I’ll stop you,” I promise—because I have to.

  “You can try, but I’m going.”

  “So you’ll turn your back on us, for him?” I ask incredulously, and man, I wish I were her. She is so strong, so hardheaded, and I’m jealous. I’m green with envy of her.

  “Yes,” she answers automatically. “And don’t think that doesn’t pain me, but I have to follow my heart, and it leads to him.”

  As much as I admire her, I can’t let her do this. She isn’t thinking. “I don’t care if you say he is trying to protect you, I just see a dog that can’t control his temper and will hurt you. I love you, Rebekah. I won’t let you make a stupid decision that you’ll regret—or that will ultimately kill you.”

  “I love her. I would never let that happen,” Ryland says, coming around to her, but she stops him. “She will always be safe. Trust me.”

  “Trust you? You just tried to bite my head off!”

  Ryland waves me off. “I only snapped at you. Relax.”

  I shoot him a dry look as Rebekah comes between us, her eyes pleading with mine. “Osh, I love you, I do. You know that. But you have to trust me. Ryland wouldn’t hurt me. Just look the other way. You won’t even have to say you saw me. Just let me go. Please.” It would be that easy. I could play it off with no issue. I know I could, but should I? Can I let her go? “If this were you, and he were Taegan, wouldn’t you want this chance to be happy? I can’t stay here anymore. You know in your heart, you just know I’m screwed if I do. I’ll never be happy. Please, Osh, please.”

  Gasping, I look away, my eyes filling with tears. I want the chance, I do, but I gave it up. Can I allow her to do the same? But what if this is a trap and she dies? I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life. “I can protect you, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I know that, please don’t think I don’t. I know you’ll go to the ends of the earth to protect me, Oceanus, and I love you for it. But you can’t stop him.” Her voice breaks as I look down into her eyes. “I have a chance to leave, to be happy. Can you really stop me and subject me to our father? A father who will use me as a walking science experiment and marry me off to get ahead?”

  “I won’t let that happen,” I promise, but I don’t know if I can promise that. He’ll never stop.

  “You can’t stop him, you know that.”

  “I’ll be running the Patchwork soon, just be patient. I can’t let you leave with him.”

  “Then look the other way, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  “You don’t even know him,” I try, though it’s a lie. He was her best friend, her lover, and her heart.

  “I do know him. I’ve known him my whole life, except for the last three years when he’s been allegedly dead,” she says, closing the distance between us and reaching for my hand. My eyes meet hers, and while I see fear in her eyes, I know she has her mind set. She’s going, but she wants my approval. Can I give it to her?

  “Before he was sent away for not being what he is supposed to be in this society, he wrote Father a letter. He asked for the rules about mixing the clans to be abolished because he loved me and wanted to have a future with me. Oceanus, he went against the grain, he spoke up to Father because he loves me. That has to mean something, Osh. Please understand how bad I need to get out of here.”

  I know this, which is why I respected him so much when we were younger. Then he died. He was gone. But when I look over at him, he’s looking back at me. The same eyes I have known my whole life. How is this possible? Looking back to my baby sister, I squeeze her hand before kissing her knuckles, my gaze on hers. “Rebekah, I don’t doubt you think this guy loves you—”

  “I do love her,” Ryland says, coming to her side. He’s taller than me, bigger too, but that doesn’t mean I won’t fight him to the death. His death, not mine. “I want nothing more than to protect her and love her, Oceanus, I promise. Nothing will happen to her.”

  “Shut up…dog or shifter, whatever the hell you are,” I spit back, and for some reason, hate clouds my mind. “You don’t know her situation!”

  “He does,” she answers, and my eyes widen in shock. “I told him.”

  “Rebekah,” I gasp. “You aren’t to speak of that.”

  “I love him,” she says, as if it’s supposed to be the answer. “I’ve always loved him. And the thing is, I’m screwed no matter what. That new formula didn’t work, and I refuse to stay here and let Father marry me off for a formula that solved nothing, or whatever else they may have planned. Don’t subject me to that, brother, please. Let me go.”

  “It didn’t work?” I whisper, and I have to look away, swallowing hard. I am marrying some girl for a formula that doesn’t even work. That can’t even save my sister. I know if Rebekah stays, my father won’t stop. He’ll kill her, or she’ll kill herself. I can’t allow that to happen; I won’t allow that to happen.

  “No, Oceanus, and I don’t know how much more I can take of Father pumping me with formulas that don’t work. If I die, at least I die happy. Please, let me go. I can’t be a prisoner in here any longer,” she begs as one tear rolls down her cheek and then another. When Ryland reaches over, wiping her face, my shoulders go back as I watch them, my lips pressing together. Tearing her gaze from me, she turns to Ryland, smiling as he gives her a small smile back.

  “I won’t let that happen,” Ryland promises, his voice full of emotion, and even I believe him. But can I trust him?

  Do I have a choice?

  This isn’t about me. It’s about her.

  “Thank you.”

  Ryland then looks to me, his shoulders tense, still ready for a fight. “I know you don’t know me, and I wish you did. I wish you understood how much she means to me. How much I love her. I wish this were happening under different circumstances, that you could accept me. But it’s not, and I get that. I can promise you nothing will happen to her. I will keep her safe and protect her as well as, if not more than, you would. But one thing is for sure, we are going through that door, and I don’t want to hurt you to do it. I don’t even want to hate you, so please, let us go.”

  Looking down at m