Chapter 38
Rafe looks at me with a little grimace, slowly taking the envelope out of the box
and moving to tuck it into his back pocket for later, not wanting to make me
watch.
“No, read it!” I say, flapping my hands at him and working hard to tuck my
disappointment low in my stomach. Because, I mean, I know that if mom knew I
was here she would never have left me out would probably have written me the
longest letter of all. I can’t be hurt by this, and I don’t want him to have to wait.
“Are you sure?” he asks, hesitating, turning the envelope over in his hands.
Jesse rips his open, digging in, giving me a little shrug. I nod eagerly at Rafe,
encouraging him, as Ben gives me a soft pat on the shoulder, not saying
anything but…letting me know that he’s here for me.
Rafe sighs but can’t help it. He settles back into the couch cushions as he opens
and unfolds his letter, a smile already on his lips as he reads through the first
words.
“Did we miss anything?” Ben asks cheerfully, tipping the box towards the two of
us as we sit together on the rug, giving Rafe and Jesse their privacy.
“I don’t think so,” I say, peeking into the box again, willing to take up Ben’s offer
of a distraction so that I don’t get overwhelmed by my jealousy.
“Yes, we did,” Ben says, laughing and reaching into the bottom of the box.
“What?” I say, surprised, leaning closer. “What is it?”
And my heart absolutely falls to pieces when Ben pulls from the bottom of the
box a very, very pretty blue velvet hair ribbon, already tied into a bow with a silver
clip. at the back.
I give an unintentional little gasp when I see it, as my eyes rove over the soft
fabric, the little silver trim that runs along the edge-
Because I know, without even having to read the little tag attached to the clip,
that this is from my mom, and that she sent it for me.
But my stomach plummets as Ben picks up the tag, his eyes moving quickly over
my mom’s small, swirling handwriting.
Rafe-
I know that this box is to celebrate you, but I couldn’t help myself.
When you next see Ariel, will you please give this to her?
I know she would like it.
Tell my beautiful girl we miss her and that she is much loved.
-Mom
My eyes fill with tears as I read the note over Ben’s shoulder.
Very quietly, almost gently, Ben turns to me with the velvet hair ribbon flat on his
palm.
“Here,” he says, giving me a little smile. “You should have it.”
1 stare at Ben with wide eyes, all the blood draining from my face as I lean away
from him in shock, the heels of my hands hitting the ground behind me and
taking all of my weight.
Because he…
Why is he giving this to me?
What does he…
A snarl suddenly rips from Rafe’s throat and Ben goes very, very still, the ribbon
balanced on his hand. I whip my eyes to my brother and my cousin and sit up
very straight and very still as I realize that this…
This just got quite dangerous for Ben.
“Ben,” Rafe says, leaning forward on the couch, his eyes focused solemnly on
Ben’s face. “What are you doing with that?”
“Um,” Ben says, his eyes flicking to the blue velvet ribbon on his palm.
“Why,” Rafe continues, his voice rumbling low with menace now, “are you giving
that to Ari?”
My eyes flick back to Ben, whose gaze I’m surprised to find already on me, wide
and frantic, looking at me for answers. I stay very still for a second and then as
he tilts his head to the side with a little bit of irony, looking at me like this is all my
fault-
I realize that he definitely, definitely already knows.
“Oh god damn it. Ben!” I shout, lashing a foot out and giving him a good solid kick
in the thigh. “How long have you known!?”
His face suddenly bursts into a grin as he finches away from me, a relieved
laugh stumbling from him as he sees that I’m not going to kill him, just kick him.
“From like, the first time we did after—hours training, Ariel —”
Jesse gasps to hear my name coming from Ben’s mouth.
Ben turns when he hears it. “l mean, that’s it, right?” he says, looking between
my brother and my cousin before coming back to me. “She’s — she’s Ariel
Sinclair, right? The Princess?” he turns to Rafe now, who still has his teeth bared.
“Your sister, not your cousin?”
Jesse groans, covering his face with his hands and falling back in his chair, but
Rafe just leans forward, his tone still dangerous even if Jesse and I have given it
up.
“Who the f**k have you told, Ben?”
Ben is silent for a second, the picture of shock. But then he leans forward, staring
little angrily. “No one, Rafe! Obviously, I haven’t told anyone, or
into Rafe’s face, $
else she wouldn’t be here!”
“I think he’s telling the truth, Rafe,” I say, turning to my brother with a grimace.
“They wouldn’t have let me in if they knew who I am.”
Rafe glares at me for a second before turning his eyes back to Ben. “That
doesn’t. mean he didn’t tell any of the other cadets.”
“Who the hell else would I have told,” Ben says, leaning forward with his open
palms out, “I only hang out with you guys
Rafe sneers. “You could have told anyone for the leverage.”
“Oh my god,” Ben says, exhaling and shocking me because he actually has the
nerve to roll his eyes. “Whatever, Rafe — I mean, I get that you’re protective, but
honestly if you trust me this little after everything then maybe I should just go-
Ben starts to push himself to his knees.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Rafe shouts, leaping to his feet.
“Well, what the f**k am I supposed to do!” Ben shouts back at Rafe, genuinely
pissed. “Do you want me to just sit here all day so you can glare at me and
accuse me of selling your sister’s secrets for leverage? Honestly, like that’s
something I’d even do.”
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“ . » :
He has a point, Rafe,” Jesse says, his
voice tentative. I shift my eyes to him
« . )
now. “If Ben was going to tell..he’d
probably have done it by now. And
)
he’s met you, he knows that any
leverage he got from spilling the
secret is probably not going to
outweigh the risk of you ripping out
5 » P
his throat.” The content is on
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“Or,” Ben says, turning his anger on Jesse now, “one of you could just consider
that maybe I’m not holding Ariel’s secret because I’m scared, but because I like
you guys and we’re friends.”
“Aw, Ben.” I say, genuinely touched now. “That’s sweet! I believe you.”
“Thank you, Ari,” he says, sighing hard and relaxing a little bit. “Can we seriously
take the murderous tension in the room down a notch? I’m not going to tell
anyone. Nothing has changed. You guys just…know that I know now. Okay?”
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Rafe and Jesse look at each other for
a long moment, but then Rafe scowls
and sits back on the couch, folding
his arms over his chest, glaring at
: Po )
Ben even as he gives in. “You’re
” :
sworn to secrecy, Ben,” he snaps, still
« :
mad. “All right? You tell anyone, and
J iy 3 @ v
you’ll pay for it. Big time. Like, your
sons and heirs for generations will
sate 3
pay for it.” The content is on
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chapter there!
“I swear,” Ben says seriously, holding Rafe’s eyes and then mine, which I
appreciate. And then he turns, picking my little ribbon up off the floor and handing
it over to me. “Your ribbon, Princess. It’s pretty!”
“Thanks!” I say, taking it from him cheerfully and tracing my finger over the soft
velvet. “Itis, isn’t it?”
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I lean close to Ben, bumping his
shoulder with mine, letting him know
) )
that as far as I’m concerned, he’s
good. And I grin, because honestly — I
) R s
don’t mind Ben knowing. Over the
)
past two weeks I’ve really come to
trust him without, I think, even
realizing it. He gets my experience
here more than the others, after all
: ’
they didn’t have to worry about being
cut like the two of us did. The content
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chapter there!
“All right.” Rafe says, cutting through our buddy-buddy atmosphere. “Tell us how
you knew, Ben, so that we can prevent others from figuring it out.”
“And also.” Jesse adds, getting in on the interrogation now, “do you think anyone
else has guessed as well?”
“I really don’t.” Ben says, smiling now, I think glad to have his knowledge of our
secret out in the open. “You guys do a really good job of sticking together as a
trio, not really letting anyone else in. Though I can’t believe Luca hasn’t figured it
out yet.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Jesse says, shooting his eyes to me with a clever little smirk
that makes me want to punch him. God, he’s being so obvious — Rafe’s going to
figure it out if he keeps smirking at me like that.