Page 58 of Splintered Desire

Well, that explains why they were back so fast.

I’d thought he left like that because he was upset about her clearly having a ‘study buddy’; turns out he was just happy to have a reason to get her. Or maybe he didn't like the idea of her being around him.

Either way, it turned out a lot less bloody than I imagined it would have been.

Zela doesn’t speak as she looks up into his eyes, but she doesn’t back down, and that’s answer enough.

One second, he’s holding Zela close; the next, he’s gone so quickly that she stumbles back a step before catching herself.

I don’t miss the way Kolson shifted as if he’d intended to catch her before playing it off as if he’d simply been adjusting.

“Where are you going?” Zela calls to Jace as he stalks toward the door, a new mission in mind now.

“Going back to kill him,” Jace calls back without missing a beat, and I’m not the least bit surprised.

Zela looks first at me, then at Kolson, as if she expects us to stop him, before she groans and runs after Jace.

“You can’t just kill him, Jace.” She runs around him, pressing her back to the door to stand between him and the exit as if there aren’t a dozen other options on this floor alone.

“Why not?”

“What is going on?” Patrick asks, coming down the hall with Mother hot on his heels, and Bella, of course.

“Zela is sneaking out to see a boy,” I answer before anyone else can and feel her glare as she all but burns a hole in the side of my head.

“Zela,” Patrick starts, but she isn’t hearing it.

“Don’t Zela me, Dad. First, I didn’t sneak out. I left out the front door to study with Josh! You know Josh.” Now it’s Patrick’s turn to frown. If I had to guess, I’d say he isn’t so fond of Josh either.

Noted.

“And besides all of that, I am an adult. If I want to go out at two in the morning and fuck Josh, I’m well within my rights to do so.”

The room falls quiet after her outburst, and I see the hint of a blush that colors her cheeks. I don’t think she’d intended to shout about who she’s sleeping with like that, but we’d pushed her a little too far, and she’s fraying around the edges.

“Zela, dear,” Mother says in that gentle tone of hers that has a way of disarming you, and I see Zela’s shoulders sag.

“I’m sure the boys are just looking out for you. They want what’s best for you. They don’t want to see you get hurt or taken advantage of. You're a beautiful young woman with a very good head on your shoulders, and while I know you’ve spent years with just the two of you, you're not alone anymore. We’re a family, and like it or not, having brothers isn’t easy. They can be suffocating, trust me, I know. But they're only trying to look out for you.”

Most of what she said was spot on, except for that bit about us looking out for her. If that were true, we would stay away, but that doesn’t seem like something any of us is willing to do. No, we're too far in now.

“Regardless of their worries, I need to study. I have finals coming up, and I can’t afford to retake a class.”

Wrong again.

“You can take that class ten fucking times if you want.” Kolson waves a hand in the air like it's no big deal, and Zela whips around to face him, shocked.

“I’m sure Isaac can help you if you have anything that’s giving you an issue, dear. He graduated from high school early and just earned his master's degree in technology management.” It’s impossible to miss the pride in her words and the smile on her face.

Zela looks at her, and I see some of her fight give way. If nothing else, she at least seems to respect Mother and like her well enough.

“I’m sure Isaac is plenty smart, Diane, but I have my own friends, and I’m not going to have them scaring them all away. I’ve done just fine this long on my own—”

“Fine? Really? That’s why you often come home with bruises and cuts.”

Zela’s eyes go wide as her attention snaps to Kol, who stands with his arms crossed, looking smug as fuck.

And why shouldn’t he? He’s just won this argument—unless she’s willing to out herself.