If We Lasted Forever | BOOK 2 ✔️

8 | The Devil

Dominic Ryan Perez

Her eyes zoned out and turned cold. As if she had left this room. She stared into nothing which worried me.

Her breathing was uneven and I could tell she was having some sort of internal battle. It's actually really weird. Watching the most heartless person ever be nice and soft with me.

Usually she is mean and rude and feisty. With me she isn't herself. Or maybe she is I don't know. But she ain't Athena when she's with me. I'm just wondering how can a person not be herself.

Who else could she possibly be?

She starts mumbling through tears. Incoherent words. All I can make out is "I know" and "I should be".

Know what? Should be what?

I'm trying to talk to her, get her to calm down since she is barely breathing now. She keeps mumbling. Nothing is working. Her hands are glued to her ears as if to drown out a loud voice.

It kills me that I can't do anything. I want to do something to help her. I want her to be okay.

She isn't breathing at all now. As if the air couldn't go through. She is shaking so badly.

I try my best to break her out of it. Bring her back here. Save her.

Finally she gasps as she looks at me. I hug her telling her that she's okay. She doesn't touch me. Fair enough.

And just when I thought she was calm enough my fucking phone rang causing her to flinch against me.

The call was short. Just a guard. Athena gave me a worried look but I dismissed it. She fell asleep soon after still cuddled up in my arms.

"What time is it?" she finally speaks. "7:34 am" I respond. "The meeting is at 9" she mumbles getting up.

Still unable to stand up without getting lightheaded so I support her. She goes to take a shower as I make my way downstairs.

The boys have strict orders to be on standby and escort our guests. They will also be outside the office with Grey, Lorenzo and I inside with Athena.

She doesn't speak to me. And at exactly 9 the doorbell rings. I go to find Athena but she is already waiting in the hallway out of sight as always.

The men walk in and I watch as the three make their way to the office. Escorted by William. I pull miss mafia close to me. "We'll make it quick" I tell her knowing that that was a fucking lie.

She nods and we make our way towards the doors. Lorenzo waiting for us outside as Gray was already in the office. We walk in. Athena hides her face from the guests as she sit down with her back to them. Her hair covering anything that could be used to identify her. Gray and I go to stand next to her.

I lean down to her level. "If anything goes south let me know" she says to me and I nod. Gray and I turn to our guests.

"Is he joining us or will it be just his secretary?" Luke asks. That fucking kid. "She is right in front of you" Lorenzo speaks from the corner of the room.

"Yes and we appreciate it but we would like to talk to The Devil himself" Luke keeps running his stupid mouth.

"He won't be joining us" Athena speaks. Causing me and the others to be confused. "Because he doesn't exist" she finishes. "The Devil is not a man" she says turning around. The smirk she had on her face dropping as she takes in the three guys in front of her.

Elijah is looking down seemingly bored out of his mind as the two others stare at her with their mouth open in shock.

Elijah finally lifts his head to look at the girl. His expression indescribable. He just stares at the raven-haired women also known as his twin sister.

"Kiara" he whispers. She covers up her shock fast. "So the alliance. What exactly are you looking for here?" she starts talking seemingly pretending that she doesn't recognize her past lover and two brothers.

"You" Luke blurts out answering her question. "You can't make an alliance with somebody just because they look extraordinary" she laughs at him.

Is she for real? I'm starting to question if the not recognizing them is even fake. What if she seriously doesn't?

"Do you not recognize us?" Elijah speaks quietly. Athena's eyes jump to his but they aren't full of anger or annoyance. Sorrow. She looks at him with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before?" she responds to him surprisingly nicely. Hurt flashes through their eyes.

Grayson gives me a questioning look because even he recognized them and we know for a fact that so does Athena.

"I've known you all your fucking life minus the three years" Caleb speaks up. Athena deserves an Emmy for this.

She stands up about to walk out but I stop her. "I'm going" she says to me bitterly. "No you're not" I respond. "Your brothers are right in front of you. You need them and they need you. Don't leave them again. Besides, I don't trust you alone right now" I say glancing at her wrists slightly which doesn't go unnoticed.

"The only place you'll be going is home" Gray states. Her eyes darken.

Kiara Athena Carpenter

"The only place you'll be going is home"
Funny. Because I don't even fucking know what a home is.

I'm not going back there. I'm not wanted there.

They don't need you and you don't need them

She whispers so silently in my head. Every word cutting my heart. She knows my deepest darkest weaknesses because she created them.

Leave.

Walk out of that door and go to your bathroom. Lock the door and grab the pills from your mirror cabinet. Take as many as you can and-

"Athena" the voice gets interrupted by a male voice which isn't surprising considering everybody here is a man besides me.

I realize I have moved from my original spot. My hand is against the wall holding me up as my legs are shaking. And the other hand...

is holding a gun.

——————————————————————————
Could her dream have been a warning of the future?

I don't know 😏

Anyway

Stay safe

Eat FOOD and drink WATER (NOT FUCKING COFFEE)

love you <3