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"He's going to tear the world to shreds. He's going to find out you all knew about Lucian, and then he'll hate me even more for turning his family against him."
I swallow an empty swirl of air and fold my arms across my chest. I feel cold. There's no way to relieve the anxious thoughts fogging my brain.
But I feel relieved too. He finally knows. It's now time to deal with the repercussions. Six years too late.
Knox looks away from me, staring into the neatly landscaped grounds surrounding Xander's home. "He already knows I knew about Lucian."
Shit.
"What did he say?"
Knox winces and runs a restless hand through his hair. It's already styled to look windblown and in no particular direction. Now he's sporting the sexy look of an angry man who's just stepped out of bed.
And I still don't react to him with the blinding hunger that had swept over me, resonating like the hum of a hummingbird's wings in the quiet.
Even with his pores practically releasing anger fumes, I'd wanted to cup the back of his head in my hand and to take those tight lips with mine. I'd known he would've responded too.
Then he probably would've killed me in my sleep later.
"He looked hurt. For the first time. He looked like I'd kicked him in the balls."
A gentle breeze ruffles my hair, and I wonder how I'll survive the next week. The sound of his footsteps tearing towards us has us turning towards the door.
His face is blank when the door crashes against the wall, and he comes thundering out like a herd of buffalo.
His eyes avoid mine, and my stomach sinks. His jaw is bunched so hard I know it has to hurt. "Alec knew? Father knew? Declan too? Did mother too?"
Knox refuses to hold his eyes. "Yes." He states simply.
Xander nods. Just a simple nod that says more than an entire essay would have.
"Xander..."
He cuts his hand through the air at me. "You're not a part of this conversation. There is not an apology you can provide that will make this better. You stay out of it."
He swings his head to Knox and takes a steadying breath, his chest expanding and releasing under the fabric of his harsh white shirt.
His muscles bunch, and I jerk my eyes away, refusing to undress him. Refusing to recognize the flare of something in my chest.
"And when did you all think it would be a great idea to let me in on this secret?"
Knox turns to glare in turn at his brother. "Whenever we were certain you wouldn't react this way. Guess we were right, huh?"
I curl a hand into his arm and squeeze. Xander's eyes land with a crushing intensity on my grip on his brother. His eyes glint dangerously, and he looks away, the strong profile of his jaw hard like diamonds.
His fists curl once and open. A hard smile glides across his face like water off a rock. "So I'm to blame for not knowing him? It's my fucking fault he doesn't know me either." He turns to me. "Does he?"
My throat constricts, and I can't bring in enough air to say no. I shake my head instead.
His eyes glaze over. And finally, it's like a heavy veil drops over his being. He stills, only the sharp rise and fall of his chest an indication that he is human and not, in fact, a bronze statue.
"Get out of my house, Knox. I do not want to find you here when I get home. I do not want to see you here, ever!"
He doesn't wait for an answer or confirmation. He just turns around and leaves. A tense silence settles in between Knox and me until the sound of his car rolling out of the gate out front filters into my ears.
"We're fucked. I can't be here to protect you." Knox sounds pained. Tottering between staying and leaving.
I place a hand on his arms like I've always done and lean my head against his shoulder.
