Page 103 of Devour

I manage to get out of the house without running into anyone and can only hope that no one saw me. My car is where I left it weeks ago. It takes me a second to remember what it feels like to sit behind the wheel. Everything in my life has revolved around Axl and the fucking Ravens for so long. Driving myself somewhere feels like a foreign luxury.

I pull out of the lot and head toward my parents’ house. I put on my sunglasses and roll down the windows, blasting music to drown out the anxiety that builds every mile I get closer to that house.

The house where Justin raped me.

I park in the driveway and sit in the car for a minute. It looks the same, but I see everything differently now. I’d be happy to never set foot in this house ever again.

I walk through the front door without knocking. My father is in the living room. He stands when he sees me, and his face looks different. It’s bruised, and there’s a bandage on his nose.

“Saylor.” He crosses the room and pulls me into a hug.

I hug him back. “Daddy, what happened? Are you alright?”

He pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. His eyes move over my face like he’s searching for something. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“You don’t look fine. Were you in a fight?”

He ignores that and guides me to the couch. He sits across from me in the armchair and leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

“Axl came to see me a few days ago.” He says it carefully, watching my reaction.

My stomach drops. He never told me he saw my father. “What? Why? Did he do that to you?”

“He had some concerns about you. About some nightmares you’re having.” My father’s hands clasp together, and his knuckles are white. “I want to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth, Saylor.”

I don’t say anything. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my ears. I knew what Axl suspected, but I didn’t think he’d actually ask my father that. I shift on the couch, feeling uneasy about what he’s going to ask.

“Has anyone hurt you?” His voice cracks on the last word. I’ve never witnessed my father become emotional before. I can feel the dam starting to break inside of me, and I’m not sure I can fucking stop it. “I know this is uncomfortable coming from your father, but I need to know. I can fix it, sweetheart, if you just tell me what has Axl concerned enough to come to me.”

I try to hold it together. I press my nails into my palms and clench my jaw. I make it about three seconds before the first tear falls.

“Saylor.” My father moves from the armchair to the couch beside me. He doesn’t touch me. He just sits there and waits. “You can tell me. Or just tell me what you know. Have men forced themselves on you?”

“I can’t tell Axl.” The words come out broken, and I hate how small my voice sounds. “He’ll kill him. And that can’t happen, Daddy.”

“Kill who, sweetheart?” My father doesn’t move, but there’s a sharp edge to his words.

I look at him, and I watch his face because I need to know if he already knows what’s coming next. I need to see it when I say the name.

“Justin.”

The color drains from my father’s face. His mouth opens and then closes. He stares at me, and I can see his brain fighting to understand what I just said.

“What are you talking about? What did Justin do to you?”

I don’t understand what is going on. “Did you think someone else raped me?”

He waves off my question. “I didn’t know what was going on. But you’re telling me that your brother, my son—Justin—did something to you?”

“He’s been drugging and raping me, Dad.” I wipe my face with the back of my hand, but the tears won’t stop.

My father’s face changes. He works through a series of reactions, and I can’t tell which one is winning.

“No.” He shakes his head. “Saylor, that’s—”

“Don’t.” I cut him off before he can try to explain anything away. “He admitted it. He fucking told me to my face that he’s in love with me and that I’ve always been his. He’s fucking proud of what he’s done. He thinks I’m going to fall in love with him too.”

My father puts his hand over his mouth. His chest is heaving, and he looks like I’ve just punched him in the stomach.