Expired With Me

Chapter Twenty-Three

Colton

"Did you know about this?" I storm into the training room. Iris hits a punching bag in the corner. My life was so much easier when killing her was an option. "Iris!" I stop before her.

"Yes, Colton?" She continues to hit the bag.

"Look at me when I speak to you." She stops and turns to me slowly, plastering on a fake smile.

"How may I honor you with my presence?"

"Is everything okay here, Beta?" Bently. I turn to face him and Zeke, the two of them dripping in sweat. Must have been sparing. Great. Now I have to deal with these two.

"Peachy." I turn back to the girl.

"Hey, wha..." A hand is placed on my shoulder. I turn and throw a punch at the source. Zeke grabs my fist, while Bently grabs my arm. They have me restrained, facing Iris.

"Colton, what's going on?" She asks. I try to resist, but my cousins hold on. I take a deep breath. Zeke lets go. Bently keeps his hold on me but stops when he realizes I'm not going to lunge at Iris. I take a step closer to her.

"Your Preeminence drew the wrong card."

"What do you mean?" Iris takes a step back. I must be scaring her. Good. I take another step forward, closing the gap. Bently grabs my arm again, but I shove him away.

"He threatened my wife." Iris looks behind me, presumably at her makeshift bodyguards. Jonas wants to talk about loyalty? Maybe he should speak to these two.

"Colton, we should talk about this somewhere else." She doesn't wait for my reply and starts to walk past me, towards the door. Bently stops her.

"Are you sure?" He whispers. Iris nods, turning her head.

"The worst thing he can do is kill me."

***

I walk through the maze, the fresh air doing nothing to calm me down. How does he expect me to choose between the two most important things in the world? What hurts most is his power to do so; the power which should be mine. I take the final turn to the center of the maze. Iris sits on the edge of the fountain, her navy dress draped carefully under her. She stands while I approach.

"What do you mean he threatened her?"

"What does it sound like, Iris? He gave me a choice. Throw Vienna in a cell or step down as his Beta." The words taste wrong as I say them. I shouldn't be his Beta. I should be the one in charge. Iris sits back on the fountain, looking at the ground. After a deep breath, I sit down next to her, letting her head fall onto my shoulder. The maze is quiet, the sun just having set.

"I'm sorry." Her voice is quiet, cracked. I look down.

"I am too." I try to brush the memories away, but I can't stop them from flooding in. I gesture towards the fountain, closing my eyes. "This is where I met her," I say, finally. Iris sits up, faces me.

"Really?" I nod and look up at the stars.

"The Society was throwing a ball, I can't remember what for. I used to hate them. All the desperate woman trying to get a dance with the future Order." I look back down. "I decided to take a stroll through the maze. It was the best decision I ever made." Iris takes my hand. I look into her eyes, then away again, and continue. "I heard a scream, started running. She had fallen into the fountain."

"What did you say to her?" I smile, remembering Vienna's golden curls in the moonlight. At that point, she hadn't yet dyed it. Even sopping wet, she looked perfect.

"I offered to help her find a new dress." I nudge Iris' side with my elbow.

"I guess that runs in the family." She inches closer, resting her head back on my shoulder, our hands still intertwined.

"I guess. We talked for hours. Then, I invited her to be my date." I bend down, pick up a piece of grass. "And that was my worst decision." I rip it, then throw the blade back down. "I knew that day I wanted to marry her. It was love at first sight." I look at Iris, almost certain there are tears running down my face.

"How could it have been your worst decision if you truly love her?"

"She was a rebel, Iris. Even back then. The whole time I've known her. Jonas is right. I know he is, he always is, but I can't do it. I can't betray her like she did me. I love her." Iris looks down at the concrete, at my hand in hers.

"Are you going to step down as Beta?"

"I'm not supposed to be Beta."

"Would you rather Jonas dead?" She looks into my eyes. I can't tell what emotion goes through them right now. I choose the safe answer.

"I wish things had turned out differently." Iris is silent, but I can almost hear a piece of her heart breaking. "No," I finally say, stitching it back up. "Because then I wouldn't have you." I pull her close, my arms wrapping around her. "Iris Blackwood, my little sister."