I know he said he understands and doesn’t blame me, but I know he’s still thinking about the reason I didn’t tell him. Knowing that my feelings were stupidly immature makes the guilt grip my chest every time I think about it. As much as we all want to move on, it’s difficult because there’s always going to be lingering memories.
“What are you doing here?” I focus my attention on Grecia.
“Oh, uhm, Tarian invited me.” Her hazel green gaze lands on him, and he shrugs nonchalantly, as if it doesn’t matter, but I can tell that she’s hoping he’ll introduce her as more than just a friend or fellow Sovereign baby.
“Figured the more heads we can put together to sort this shit out, the better,” he tells us, leaning back on the sofa as he regards us with a smirk. Something is going on with him.
“What happened with Thane?” I ask, hoping he’ll explain why he’s so calm and relaxed after seeing his uncle. But his gaze is solely on Rukaiya when he answers.
21
Rukaiya
“Well, he wants a seat at the table,” Tarian speaks. “Because his daughter is with you,”—Tarian looks at Etienne—“he believes he should be one of the Crowns of Tynewood.”
“No,” Ares speaks up before anyone else can answer. “That’s not going to happen, not while Philipe and I are sitting at the table. Four Crowns at a time, he should know that.”
Tarian’s gaze flits over all of us; there’s conviction in his expression, and I know he’s already made a deal. He hasn’t consulted the rest of the brothers, and they’re going to be pissed.
“Doesn’t matter, what’s done is done,” he tells us, pulling out a packet of cigarettes; he flicks one out and lights it with his silver lighter. “I couldn’t wait for permission to do shit; I spoke with Thane, and he’s agreed to be a good boy if we allow him up.”
“What don’t you understand by four?” Ares’s tone is filled with frustration. “There aren’t any—”
“Four, I step down, Thane steps up, it’s as easy as that,” Tarian shrugs, his blue eyes landing on each of us for a moment before he pushes off the sofa. The cigarette that’s slowly edging away is pressed between his full lips. “I’m done with the bullshit. My uncle wants the damn Sovereign; he can have it.”
“You do know once you’re inked you can never leave?” Etienne reminds him of the vow, the promise they make to each other.
“I’m walking out, Etienne, there’s nothing either of you can say or do to make me change my mind. The longer I stay, the more my uncle is going to fight us.”
“Then we fight together.” The insistence in Etienne’s tone is clear that he’s hurt. Ares sits quietly, watching the scene unfold, as if he’s not perturbed by his best friend’s admission. Even though we are only friends, it feels more like a family, and if one of your own walks out, it’s not easy. Ever.
“We tried that, man,” Tarian shakes his head. His mind is made up. Blue eyes land on me, and he watches me for a moment. “You need time with him, to learn who he is. Because even though he may want to make up for lost time, he can’t. I doubt he’ll ever be able to convince you that he’s a good man.”
“I don’t believe he is.” I nod, affirming what I learned about Thane Calvert when I was in his presence. He may have let me go, but the hold he has on us is far tighter than we ever imagined.
“I’m heading out,” Tarian says, waving his hand when the guys get up. “No goodbyes, I’m just taking a time out.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I need to think.” He offers us a mock salute and turns toward the exit. We watch him saunter away from the living room. None of the guys follow, but I’m frustrated that he’s giving everything up. Pushing off the sofa, I race to the door to catch him before he slips into the driver’s seat of his SUV.
“Don’t go. They need you,” I plead with him as he shuts the car door before making his way over to me. He’s close; I can smell the smoke on his leather jacket.
“Listen to me,” he smiles, there’s a gentle affection in his tone, something I never expected from him. He may have been friendly when Dahlia and I first arrived, but I never thought he’d care. “You need to spend time here, build yourself into the family.”
“What about you? You’re their brother.”
“Our bond is stronger than blood, life, or death,” he tells me, earnestly, and something in the way he says death has my heart catapulting wildly in my chest. “I’ll be back, whether it be tomorrow, next week, or even years from now. And I know one thing for sure, when I do return, they’ll still be here waiting for me.”