Broken Wings (Cruel and Beautiful World, Book One 1) (43 page)

Luka breathed heavily as he stared at them with fiery eyes.

"Remove the tape, will you?"

Deryn went to Luka and ripped it off.

The first words out of his mouth, after a small yelp of pain, were, "You fucking bastard!"

"You Guardians really do have the worst potty mouths," said Bronson, slumping down on his couch. He tried to get Quigley to take a seat with him, but his friend was too busy fidgeting nervously to sit.

"Why were you trying to arrest Bronson?" Xander asked Luka.

"I wasn't going to actually fucking do it," he spat. "I was just trying to get him to talk!"

"Ah! You see, Deryn? I told you he was bluffing!" said Bronson proudly.

"Talk about what?" asked Xander.

"About
her
!" said Luka, motioning his head towards Deryn. "I heard you two fuckers talking about her the night we all went out and I've been trying to ask you about it, but you keep avoiding me!"

Xander crinkled his forehead. "I haven't been avoiding you."

"Then where have you been? I tried talking to you after the meeting the other day
and
today but -"

"I'm harboring a fugitive in my home. Forgive me for wanting to get back here in a timely manner. And today the president sent me on a mission outside. You knew that."

"Yeah, but what took you so long?" demanded Luka. "It should've been routine. Go to their destination and come back once you confirm they're not there. Simple."

"I never reached their destination. I found their bodies before I got there," said Xander.

"Then it really shouldn't've taken you so long. Where. Were. You?"

Xander grunted. He took off his rucksack and pulled out the photo of Deryn with her family. He handed it to her and put his rucksack down.

Deryn stared at the photo, her mouth falling open. "You went to my house?"

Xander nodded.

As Deryn looked at the photo, she brought her hand up to her mouth and tried to hold in a whimper. "And did it look alright? Still in one piece?"

Xander smiled. "Yes, Deryn. It was essentially untouched."

She reached out and touched her father's figure. Then her mother's. And, finally, Talon's. He was so young then, and she was just a baby, laughing in her mother's arms.

"I can't believe you, Xander! I can't believe you're risking your fucking life for Leon!" shouted Luka, bringing all eyes back to him. "You know they've been talking spy recently? I heard my father and the president talking about it in his study, and of course the fucking Tash brothers were there. Veli and them already have it out for you! No toxic trash is worth -"

Deryn's eyes shot up. Her hand curved into a fist and she lunged forward, punching Luka hard in the cheek. "How dare you! How dare you speak that way about me!" She punched him again.

Xander tried to grab her wrists, but she pulled away.

"You asshole! I bet you plan to tell them about me, don't you?"

"Deryn, calm down," said Xander, grabbing her again. "He won't -"

"No! No, I will not calm down!" she shouted, swinging to punch Luka again, but Xander hugged his arms around her before she could, causing her to drop the picture frame. He picked her up and carried her kicking and screaming to the kitchen. "Fuck you, Luka Voclain!"

Luka smirked. "Never thought I'd hear such language coming from the Outsider princess's mouth."

"Oh, she gets very passionate at times," said Bronson, picking up the frame and propping it on a table.

"Deryn, please calm down," said Xander just out of view in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," said Deryn while sobbing. "I still have trouble controlling my anger."

"I know," he said. "At least you didn't think to take out your Element this time, like you did with me."

They both chuckled halfheartedly. And then they went very quiet.

"Th'fuck ..." muttered Luka while listening.

He whipped his head towards Bronson, who simply shrugged before taking out a cigarette and lighting it in the middle of his living room. Quigley had finally calmed a little and was leaning against the back of the couch. He stole Bronson's cigarette and smoked it anxiously.

"Hey!" complained Bronson, rolling his eyes before taking out another.

Luka looked back at the kitchen. He couldn't see Xander and Deryn from where he was, so he leaned sideways in his chair, just making out Deryn's long hair. He leaned a little more. There were two hands cupping her face while she continued to cry silently. Then the hands were stroking her cheeks, calming her. And finally Luka saw Xander's face, leaning forward until his lips met hers.

Luka's eyes bulged as he leaned a little too far and fell over. "Whoa!"

Bronson laughed. He went over to Luka and put him and his chair upright, then glanced into the kitchen where Deryn and Xander were still going at it.

"Th'fuck?" said Luka.

"Yeah, I had a similar reaction when I found out," said Bronson. "So you remember me almost saying her name, but you don't remember what we were talking about?"

"I was drunk! I'm a little vague on the details! Wait." He paused and sat up straight. "Weren't you talking about sex? Holy fuck, are they fucking?"

"It's Ruby. What do you think?" asked Bronson, holding his cigarette down so Luka could take a drag.

Xander and Deryn walked out of the kitchen.

Luka blew out his puff of smoke and shouted, "You're fucking Leon?"

Xander went white and stared accusingly at Bronson, who held up his hands defensively.

"Don't look at me. He caught sight of your saliva exchange just now."

"If you wanted to fuck her then you should've just taken her as your slave like everybody else!"

The entire room went silent.

Deryn's face dropped.

Bronson burned himself while trying to catch his cigarette as it fell from his slackened jaw.

Quigley didn't fully understand what was going on, but he knew better than to open his mouth in that moment.

And Xander ... his entire body burned red while his face distorted. His fists clenched and he swung his arm, hitting Luka so hard his chair fell backwards.

"How dare you!" spat Xander. "How fucking dare you!" He grabbed Luka by his shirt collar and pulled him up, chair included, towards his raging face until their foreheads were practically touching. "Don't you ever,
ever
speak like that again!"

"Ruby, cool it," said Bronson, grabbing his shoulder, but Xander shook him off.

"Xander, stop!" shouted Deryn, grabbing his other shoulder.

"Did he ever touch you?" demanded Xander.

"No!" she said quickly. "No, I never even saw him! Just once my first time at his house, and then never again!"

"You wouldn't lie to -"

"Of course not! When Finley came over I told you exactly how I felt about her! And you go out with Luka all the time! Don't you think I would've said something if I had any negative feelings towards him?"

Xander huffed. "Fine." He put the chair back on its legs. "But if he says one more thing out of line -"

"So is she the one who wrote Finley that email then?" asked Luka, spitting some blood out of his mouth. "I knew it. I knew that didn't sound like you!"

Deryn frowned. "Yes, I admit, in my anger I failed to grasp Xander's proper essence."

"I want to talk to Leon," said Luka.

Xander huffed. "Go right ahea -"

"
Alone
."

"Fuck no -"

"Xander, it's fine," said Deryn. "We have his weapon and those binds are strong. What could he possibly do?"

"Don't underestimate -"

"I won't," she said. "But we're not exactly resolving anything here. Why don't the three of you go wait on the balcony, and I'll get you when we're finished."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on!" Quigley suddenly shouted. "Before I go anywhere, there is something very
important I think we all need to discuss."

"And what's that?" asked Bronson.

They all waited.

Quigley looked at Deryn and asked, "Are you the cupcake girl?"

Bronson laughed.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Why are you both so obsessed with that fucking cupcake?"

"Is that a yes?"

No one answered and Bronson dragged Quigley outside. Xander looked hesitantly at Deryn before following. "Don't you try anything, Luka."

"Yeah, I'm tied to a chair!" he called after him. "Th'fuck you think I'm gonna do?"

As soon as they were all gone and the door to the balcony was closed, Deryn grabbed another chair from around the kitchen table and put it in front of Luka. She sat down and crossed her arms. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Let's start with how you ended up here."

Deryn thought. "Well, it wasn't planned, if that's what you mean. I was out on the streets and Xander recognized me, so he brought me here."

"And you just willingly walked into a Guardian's apartment?"

"No. I didn't want his help, but there were guards and Guardians everywhere. I was out of options, so I took a chance." She smirked. "You almost caught me, you know. On the tram."

Luka's eyes widened. "You were the girl he told Veli not to wake?"

"That's right."

"Well, damn. But that was over three months ago. How long have you two been fucking?"

Deryn's jaw clenched. "I'm not answering that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's personal and absolutely none of your business."

"And is it none of Xander's business that his father took your virginity?"

Deryn's heart stopped. Every part of her fell limp from her jaw to her arms, and she was unable to hold her body or spirit together as she looked sadly at Luka.

"He doesn't know, does he?"

Deryn cast her eyes downward and slowly shook her head.

"That's what I thought. Xander would never be with you if he knew."

"H-how ..."

"Do I know?" finished Luka.

She nodded.

"I was there, Leon. Forced to watch that disgusting display before the president upgraded me from guard to Guardian. I was just lucky I wasn't one yet, or else my father probably would've made me take my turn with you."

Tears dripped slowly from Deryn's eyes as she remembered that horrible night. The roaring thunder, the smile on Saevus's face, the shameful look in Atticus Ruby's eyes as his president pushed him forward, forcing him to steal her innocence only hours after losing his wife. And he did it. Even though he had no desire for her, he still did it.

"Leon!"

The sound of Deryn's name brought her back to reality. She looked at Luka and said in a cracked voice, "Please, don't tell him. I do plan to but ... there's no good way to tell someone that."

"You should've told him before."

"I know. And I meant to, but I didn't want him to look at me differently. For the most part, Xander is really good about holding back those pitiful looks I hate so much. But if he knows about -" She gulped. "- his father, then it won't be the same."

"Obviously," he scoffed.

Deryn sighed. "Please."

Luka gazed back at her for a moment, the desperation in her eyes making even him want to give her that pitiful look she apparently hated so much. To get her to stop, he nodded.

"Thank you."

"But for my silence we're going to have to come up with some sort of compromise," he said. "Even you have to admit you're an idiot if you really think clonking me on the head will make me forget about this."

Deryn shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not letting you out of here without doing something. I have no reason to trust you."

"Other than agreeing to keep your disgusting secret?"

Deryn's jaw clenched.

Luka sighed. "I didn't mean that," he said. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. About everything, but especially my father and his treatment of you. He can be a bit ... well, he's mental."

"Yes, I know," said Deryn. "Xander told me about what he had Saevus do to you."

Luka nodded solemnly. "I'm going to tell you something," he said after a moment. "To prove that you can trust me."

"How will I know what you're telling me is real?"

"You'll know," he said, his tone serious.

Deryn leaned back in her chair and waited.

It took Luka a moment, but then he began to tell her a story. A secret he had never shared with anyone before.

"My father has been taking in slaves from the slave trade for as long as I can remember, but it never affected me. Not really. It was just part of everyday life at my house. And then, five years ago, you came."

Luka stared deep into Deryn's eyes. As much as she wanted to, she didn't turn away, and she stared straight back at him. It was while looking into those dark eyes that she realized he was not challenging her. There was nothing but sincerity in those almost black eyes. Sincerity and regret.