The Supremacy (19 page)

My sister
. It was all too much. Much too much to take in. 
“You might want to stand behind her, Declan” John’s amused voice filled the air, “That’s her ‘I’m going to pass out’ look.”
And I was gone.
***
Declan’s voice crooned in my ear, begging me to come back to him when I wanted nothing more than to run. Nothing made sense.
“Erin,
please
wake up. We will tell you everything, I promise.” But his promises meant nothing to me. From the moment we met, he never stopped lying. He trapped me in his web, and I remained there willingly. Who was to blame when you allowed your sorrows to come to you. Who was to blame when you fell in love with the one that brought you heartache at every turn. I didn’t fight the feelings I had for Declan because I wanted so much to be loved that I was blinded by the fact that I was nothing more than a pawn. I had a role, and that role was to be played by the hands of those that were supposed to love me. My own father being the ringleader.
“You are safe here.” Declan’s voice sounded again, “I think she’s coming around.”
“Go to hell.” I croaked as I pulled away from him.
“Yep,” John laughed, “That’s the old Erin all right.”
“Honey, please listen to us.”
“Max,” I felt Declan’s breath rush over me, “maybe we need to take it slow. I’m not sure she can handle any more.”
“She’s my daughter.” My father’s voice was commanding. “She can handle anything.”
“I
was
your daughter.” My eyes shot open just to glare at the man that was once my father, a man that was supposed to love and protect me, only to have abandoned me to a life of a prisoner, “I don’t know who the hell you are now.”
He staggered back into his chair, his hand flying to his mouth on an abrupt inhale. “
Oh
, did I hurt your feelings?” I laughed without emotion, “Did I catch you off guard?” I pulled to my feet, slowly making my way over to him, “The man who abandoned his daughter with his troll bitch expected his little girl to come running into his arms?”
“
Erin
.” Declan tried to stop me with a hand at my elbow.
“Oh, and
you!
” I spun to face him, coming nose to nose with the Keeper that somehow, even as he ripped it apart, still held my heart, “Manipulating me into falling in love with you, to trust you, just so you could completely rip my world apart
again
.
You
think I should be reacting differently?”
“This has all happened for a reason, Erin.” Faith’s tiny melodic voice filtered through the tension thick air, “This is where it all starts.”
“And
her
!” I turned to face the man that was still sitting in his chair, watching in shock, “You left me to suffer while you came down here and started a whole new perfect little family!”
John came to stand in front of me, his hands at my shoulders, “You were never alone.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed, pulling free from his hold, “I had a Keeper for a babysitter.”
“Can you all give me a minute alone with Erin?” Declan turned to the five that still remained in the room.
“Alright,” My dad nodded as he stood from his chair, motioning for the rest to follow him, “Take as long as needed.”
“
Erin
,” Declan stepped closer to me the moment the others left the room.
I stepped away from him until I felt the cold steel door at my back, “Don’t come near me!”
“
Please
don’t do this.”
“Do what?” I spat at him, venom pulling in my mouth, “For
once
react appropriately?”
“I know you are hurt--”
“You know nothing of how I feel!”
“Your father left so he could create a safe place for you to live. None of this,” His waved his arms around, “existed when he ran. He
created
it.”
“Nothing that comes out of your mouth is ever the truth!” I bit down on my lip, trying in vain to stop the torrent of venom that spilled from my mouth.
“Everything I have told you has been the truth! I am the first one that has
ever
told you the truth. From the moment we met, you began to learn what you really were. You can’t deny that.”
“Was that your role, Declan?” I pushed from the door, “To get me to fall in love with you, to trust you, to follow you blindly so you could lead me here?”
“My feelings for you have never changed. I
love
you. I love you more than my own life, and I know whatever you say right now is not how you really feel. I know you love me.”
“I am actually trying
extremely
hard not to kill you right now.”
“Because you love me.” He professed, slowly stepping closer to me, “I trust your love enough to know that you won’t hurt me.”
I slid to the ground, allowing the steel door to anchor my weight as I pulled my knees to my chest. What more did they want from me, because there was nothing else I could give, nothing else they could take. I was broken.
I felt Declan’s arms wrapping around me, pulling me to his chest as I cried, “What do we do now?” I sobbed in his arms.
“We overthrow Th
e Supremacy.”