My deep, powerful voice reverberates off the walls of the foyer as I stride further inside, but all I am met with is an eerie silence. Panic grips my chest, causing my breath to become shallow, knowing something is not right and my mind races with all kinds of fucked-up thoughts. Just as I am about to call out again, the door behind me creaks open, and I spin around. Charley steps through, her head lowered, her mascara blackening her eyes and her body drenched in blood, sending a shockwave of fear coursing through me.
Tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision, as we stand a distance away from one another, our watery gazes locked in an unsettling silence. A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach, a dreadful anxiety of the words she is about to say.
I want to speak, to ask her why she is in such a state, but an instinct holds me back, as if I already know the answer, yet I am so afraid to hear it. Slowly, she takes a trembling step toward me, tears streaming down her cheeks with each blink. I shake my head slightly, as if trying to ward off the inevitable, but before I can utter a single word, she whispers through choked sobs.
“I’m so sorry, Reign.”
A lump forms in my throat, and a single tear escapes my wide eyes, tracing a path down my cheek. The weight of her words hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest, crushing me with their unbearable truth.
My legs give way beneath me, and I collapse to my knees, overcome by the sheer agony of my heart. Every part of my being feels as though it has been torn apart, my soul shattered into a million irreparable pieces. In the blur, I see she sinks to her knees before me, and I sob as her trembling hands find their way to my neck, my forehead pressed against her chest.
“Not my brother.”
I am startled awake when I hear a loud bang coming from downstairs. It is the middle of the night, and when I glance beside me, I notice Reign still hasn't come to bed.
As I listen out, I can hear his angry voice in the distance, most likely on the phone again. It has been three days since Chaos's death and I feel numb, as if I am stuck in another nightmare with no escape, but this one is somehow so much worse than anything I have ever experienced.
I cannot stop seeing Chaos’s life leaving his body behind my closed eyes and how I heard his last breath escape him. Despite the torture in my soul, I am trying to remain emotionally detached of my own feelings to support Reign, but I amstruggling. He is drinking a lot. He isn't eating or sleeping. He is suffering over the loss of his brother.
Today I was supposed to depart New York as planned, but I couldn't bring myself to leave him in this state. Although he is rejecting any form of affection from me, leaving him now would be heartless. With a heavy heart, I throw the duvet off and sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I stand, heading toward the door and when it is within reach, I pull it open before stepping into the hallway.
I slowly stride, my eyes stinging with tears as I glance at Chaos’s closed door, my heart breaking. I swallow down the sob building in my throat as I get to the stairs, attempting to act stronger than I feel.
I tiptoe down the stairs, Reign’s deep voice getting louder with each step, and I follow it to the kitchen. I pause as soon as I see him in the distance, pouring whiskey down his throat with his phone to his ear, pacing up and down.
“I swear to god, if you don’t fucking find him by the time I am burying my brother next week, I’ll take your head from your fucking shoulders!”
He slams the bottle of whiskey down onto the counter, tossing his phone beside it. My body jolts, and my heart comes to a complete stop as I watch him. With his back to me, he leans over the counter, hands laid flat as he lowers his head. Tears well up in my eyes as I take in the sight of his tattooed body, feeling the pain radiating from him like an unbearable force.
All I want to do is comfort him, but he has made it clear that right now, it is impossible. He will either shrug me off or turn away, leaving me feeling partly to blame for what's happened.The feeling eats away at me, but I cannot blame him for it. He is going through so much, having lost a huge part of his life. It was no secret that the bond and love Chaos and Reign had for one another were unmatched.
Witnessing them together every day for months was a true blessing. Sharing them was even more of a blessing that I hold close to my heart. They brought out the best in each other and despite not being related by blood, their friendship was so strong that they were undeniably brothers by soul.
As Reign suddenly erupts in a fit of rage, his roar reverberating through the room, he sweeps his massive arm across the counter, sending everything crashing to the floor. The loud clatter startles me, and my body tenses with panic and for a moment, I consider fleeing from the beast, but I quickly come to my senses and draw a deep breath. I gather my courage and cautiously step forward, desperate to offer some calm in his moment of madness.
Once I close the distance between us, I approach him from behind and place my palms gently on his warm back. He instantly stiffens under my touch, but I continue, sliding my hands over his tattooed skin until they reach his broad shoulders. With a firm yet soothing squeeze, I attempt to alleviate some of the tension coiled within him. I lean in and gently press my lips against his back, hoping to offer my silent support. I sense him turning his head and acknowledging my presence.
As he side-eyes me, I persist in kissing his skin until he suddenly stands tall, swiftly turning around and before I can process what is happening, his lips crash against mine, leaving me stunned. His big hand snatches my throat, steadying me and I try tosquash the panic rising within me, reminding myself that this is Reign and no one else.
I try to focus as he devours my mouth. The strong taste of whiskey on his tongue overwhelms me as his fingers tighten on my throat. I struggle to keep up with his ferocious movements; my senses are ablaze with conflicting emotions.
He hastily wraps his palms around the back of my thighs, lifting me around him before slamming my back against a wall. I groan against his lips, but he only intensifies the kiss, his tongue delving deeper into my mouth. With his hands all over me, biting into my flesh, I struggle to suppress the tension building within me. I am in no state of mind to have sex, yet I find myself yielding to what he wants to do—anything to make him relieve some of his distress.
When he starts to attack the side of my neck with his tongue, with light bites of his teeth, I feel my eyes burn with tears, almost tempted to tell him to stop. Without him realizing my growing panic, he hastily rips my panties from my body before pulling his cock free.
With his face still buried in my neck, he slides his dick into me with one forceful stretching, and I squeeze my eyes shut. The tears that were building in my eyes now stream down my cheeks. I do not make a noise; every muscle in my body is coiled as he starts to fuck me against the wall.
He pounds himself into me at full force, driving into the deepest depths of me and I throw my head back, closing my tearful eyes, hoping I can find some pleasure within my turmoil. Suddenly, he slows down, his lips peeling away from my neck. When he comes to a complete stop inside of me, he gradually lifts his head.
I open my wet eyes, instantly connecting with his and he takes in my features, noticing the tears that streak down my cheeks. His eyes expand before he removes his hands from my body, taking a step back. As his cock slips out me, I land on my feet and he continues to take slow steps away from me, his hands stretched out as realizations sets in. I shake my head, wiping my tears away with my palms.
“Reign it’s okay.”
He stares at me with wide eyes before he spins around, turning his back to me. He rubs his palms over his face, but I take another shaky step forward, attempting to speak.
“You didn’t do anything—”
He suddenly slams his hand down hard on the marble island beside him, causing my entire body to jerk. I flinch, my heart racing as he whirls around to face me, his finger pointing in my direction with visible wrath showing as he bites on his words.