Safer This Way

Chapter 29

Merry Chrismahanukwanzakahmas to everyone celebrating holidays, and Happy Tuesday to everyone else :) I'm so sorry that this is so late but apparently the last few weeks were keep-Riley-away-from-her-laptop weeks and I just couldn't get writing time. But anyways, here is the next chapter, it's not where I want it so I hope you can enjoy it despite that...Happy Reading!!!

*Silas*

    She fell asleep.

    She told possibly the most horrifying story I've ever heard–no, not a story, because I learned that word years ago meant imaginary people, told to entertain and that is not what this was. She brought up her worst memories, her entire life's worth of terrible truths because we wanted to know. Our curiosity made her re-live everything and as much as I regret bringing up such painful things for her, we needed to know just how bad things have gotten to understand how to help her.

So, being the big-hearted aggele she is, she told us everything and more before the pain medication took hold and she was out. Though to be perfectly truthful, it is probably best that she is fast asleep for the complete break down of nine men, including myself. I am man enough to admit that my heart is racing and my eyes are full as I stare down at the sweet aggele resting in the bed, golden hair just brushing the pillow and face finally peaceful.

A loud crack from the other side of the roomg my eyes and glancing over to see Luke pull his fist from a decently sized dent in the wall. Did not expect that from him.

"Luke..."

"Not now, Sean."

Doctor mode activated, Sean strides over to Luke's side to examine the damage he just did to himself with frustration clear in his features. "Yes, now, Luke. One of us in the hospital is enough, I can't be worried about all of you beating down the walls too."

Luke rolls his eyes before glaring, but the effect is ruined by the tears he's not even trying to hide. "Are you seriously going to sit there and lecture me about something stupid after what we just heard?" He turns his glare on the rest of us. "How are any of you okay right now? You should be angry! You should be devastated! Do you not fucking care that while we were all busy falling in love these past few months, Sang was fighting to survive?"

I wince at the harsh truth of his words, and see several of my brothers do the same, all except for North, who is unusually still. Some of the others immediately chime in that they are angry, sad, guilty, or any mixture of the three, but North is quiet. This new calm he's shown does not escape his brother's notice, and Luke's eyes narrow in his direction. It's eerie how they've switched places, flipped personalities or some witchcraft keeping North's from exploding and sending Luke off the rails.

"What about you, North? You've been searching for from the beginning, before anyone else, shouting the roof down about helping her, and now you're quiet? I feel like I'm going fucking crazy here, how the fuck are you so calm?" By the end of his rant, he's yelling quite loudly, pulling at his hair the way he does when he's stressed and I feel awful, but I am not sure how to fix this.

"You think I'm calm?" North's voice is lower than I have ever heard it, sounding borderline hostile.

"Well, you're not yelling or punching things..." It's like the wind has been taken from his sails, Luke deflates as he answers, almost as if hearing North's dangerous tone validates his own feelings.

Like one of those creepy dolls in the movies Nathan likes, North twists his head to glare at his brother. "If I stand up, I'm going to commit a felony. The mental hospital is only an hour from here, so I was reminding myself that I can't protect Sang if I go to jail for murdering her stepmother," his faces flushes with a deep seated rage, but instead of flying off the handle, he breathes deeply and reaches for Aggele Mou's hand before speaking again, his eyes never leaving her. "So excuse me for being quiet, but I was a little preoccupied."