“That’s a lie,” claimed Demi, her voice shaky.
Ignoring that, Maddox went on, “When she started to suspect that that might change—which was sometime after I had the alarm system installed at your house—she considered coming to me and advising me not to bond with you. She even considered seducing me. She wanted to be able to look you in the eye and announce that she’d fucked your anchor. It was only Dwain’s sudden appearance in Vegas that made her decide to postpone her plans—she’d intended to pick them up again after he left.”
Evangeline sighed. “Oh, Demi.”
Raini shook her head at her sister. “If you’re intent on hating me—”
“She doesn’t really hate you, baby,” Maddox cut in. “She tells herself that she does. But the person she’s really so angry with is Dwain for not feeling for her what she feels for him; for leaving her and going to live elsewhere. She blames you for that because it’s too painful to accept that she doesn’t matter enough to Dwain for him to stay close.”
Demi’s eyes welled up again. She looked at Raini. “Imagine if Maddox left Vegas. Imagine if he wouldn’t let you go with him, claiming he needed ‘distance’ from you because you reminded him of the person he ‘loved.’ Do you think you’d have taken it well?”
“Not at all,” replied Raini. “I understand why it hurt you so much. But I don’t find it an excuse for the things you’ve done. You could have warned me about Dwain’s plans. Or told Mom. Or Dad. Or Jolene. You could have told someone.”
“But I didn’t, and karma paid me back for that, didn’t it?” Demi said, her voice hoarse. “I ended up a fucking prisoner. I don’t know who took me. I don’t know where Dwain could be. He said he was going home.”
“Dwain said a lot of things that turned out to be bullshit,” Raini pointed out. “He seriously came at me this way just because of the snare?”
“You don’t see what it did to him. He felt so many things when the truth sank into his brain—hurt, embarrassed, weak, unmanned, bitter that someone had overtaken his will and fucked with his thoughts, making him believe something that wasn’t real; making him obsessed with someone against his will. He didn’t plan to fuck with your life until recently, though.”
“What happened recently? Redeem yourself a little here, Demi, and help us.”
Letting out a shuddering breath, Demi shrugged. “In short order, he lost his job and his girlfriend—she dumped him for his best friend, who he essentially also then lost. More, his ex said the same thing to him that you did; that he only thought he loved her. Feeling alone and jobless and heartsore just threw him back to what happened years ago. It was like he was mentally flailing. Feeling afloat and powerless and that he had no control over his world. I guess he … ”
“Wanted to feel strong and in control again,” Jolene finished. “He needed to work off the pain and sense of loss he felt. It’s much like an abuser finding themselves a human punchbag— beating another person up is not only a way to vent, it makes them feel powerful. But why did Dwain go after Raini? I would have thought he’d have vented his anger on his ex.”
“In his mind, it all came back to Raini—if she hadn’t snared him, he’d never have left Vegas in the first place. The way he sees it, everything that happened is on her.” Demi turned back to Raini. “When he heard from his dad that you’d found your anchor, Dwain was so pissed. He knew you’d always looked forward to finding your psi-mate. He wanted to ruin it for you. He wanted to mess with your head the way your preternatural allure messed with his.”
Raini swallowed. “And you didn’t care.”
Demi closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” said Maddox, unwilling to let her play the innocent card and manipulate those around her. He was infuriated with this bitch. She could have tried talking Dwain down. She could have helped him straighten his thoughts. She could have saved her sister from further upset. But she simply hadn’t bothered. “I’ve been in your mind. You regret what you did, but not because of how it’s affected Raini. No, your true regret comes from the fact that everyone will now know what you did—and what you failed to do. It is all about you and how you feel, not Raini. At least admit that much.”
Demi’s eyes blazed at him. “Would you have betrayed Raini?”
“Never,” Maddox answered without hesitation. “But, if she had been Dwain, I would have discouraged her from making the mess she was making. I would have pointed out that her thoughts were all tangled and twisted. I would have saved her from herself. You were happy to let Dwain make his mess because you wanted Raini to hurt.”