Wreck Me (Corrupt Legacy Series #2)

His lips press together in a tight line. “Don’t disappoint me.”

His second favorite phrase. I shake my head while everything in me rebels.

Felix leans into me, lifting my chin with his index finger. I force my body not to tremble with sheer disgust and raw disdain. I swallow the rising bile.

I knew this day would come. There have been too many meetings between our fathers, and my name and Kaden’s mentioned together, to act surprised.

Yet, I hoped. That was quite foolish of me.

I nod, and he grips my chin tighter for another second before releasing me. I can finally exhale the breath I hold trapped. Then he stands, buttoning his jacket. After he shakes hands with my father and kisses my mother on her cheek, he departs.

The deal is done. The merger complete.

Standing up, I plaster on my mask. I am Abigail Voss. And no one will ever peer behind it and see there’s nothing inside of me but empty wishes, shattered dreams, and unrealistic desires.

I am a possession. I have to behave like one. There’s no other choice for me than to embrace my role.

But one day, I will be free. Until then, I can’t slip.

***

Kaden sits on the edge of the couch, face in his hands. His hair looks disheveled, as if he has raked his hand through it too many times.

“How are you?”

He casts a glance my way. Bags hang under his eyes. “I hoped it would be a nightmare. I kept running to the door, only to remind myself she’s no longer there.”

“You can’t show your emotions like that.”

“I just lost my soulmate. Fuck it if I care.”

Whether he’s in denial or a trance, he has to wake up, and fast.

I lost Celine too, and I can’t lose anyone else. I need him, my best friend. Shooting up from the couch, I shake him. A hiss parts his lips. I doubt I have the physical strength to injure him. My eyes slide over his body. “What did they do, Kaden?”

“Quite literally tortured the weakness out of me.”

My knees wobble under me.

“Don’t get yourself in the position of having a weakness. That’s what’s behind the initiation. If you have one, renounce it, or they will make you do it. At least I got her out.”

“She’s gone. But we’re here. Trapped. Be happy, Kaden, she wouldn’t have made it in this fucked up family anyway with her soft heart.”

“Never say that again.”

I throw my hands in the air, huffing. “We’re prisoners. Every weakness is a leash around our throats. They will strangle us with it, so we’ll emerge as soulless soldiers doing their bidding.”

“You kept this info from me. You can’t tell me you haven’t known for a while what they were planning for us.”

Accusation marks his tense posture, a bite evident in his tone. It was my way of showing them I love them, to give him and Celine more time.

“What would any of us have gained if you knew your father would have never accepted Celine for you, that Grandmother prefers me at your side?”

He paces around while I continue. “I have your friendship, but I need your loyalty as well, because this is war, and at the end, I will win my freedom.”

“Tell me everything.”

Maybe it’s for the best. Anger in this family is a better tool than sadness. Sadness means you miss, you covet, and you have a weakness. Anger by comparison, if you channel it right, it makes you a fighter. And in order to survive the Family, we have to have a clear mind and purpose.