Prologue
Matteo
Fifteen years earlier
“Fucking hell, Teo. This is going to scar.”
The light above the sink flickers on and off, casting shadows across Luna’s scowl. This isn’t the first time we’ve been here. Me, bloodied and battered, and her, cleaning up my mess. But it is the first time I’ve been worried about needing stitches.
“It’s not–” I hiss a breath as she pours nearly half the bottle of alcohol over the cut on my temple, “–that bad.”
She clicks her tongue at me as she crosses the bathroom, slamming cabinets in her search for more supplies. “You’re lucky you didn’t lose an eye.”
I don’t bother arguing. Mainly because she’s right.
I tilt my head at the bottle of vodka on the stained countertop. “Marcus is going to notice it's missing.” Our foster “father” monitors his liquor cabinet almost as closely as he does the check he receives every month for keeping the four of us alive.
Luna shrugs, tossing her moonlight blonde hair over her shoulder. “Let him. I’ll just convince him he drank it on one of his benders again.”
There’s a sharp knock before the door to the bathroom swings open. I grab the bottle, ready to take the blame if it’s Marcus coming to check on us, but pause when the gangly figure of my foster brother fills the doorway.
Declan strolls in, his dirty blonde hair mussed and wet from walking in the rain. He leans against the wall opposite me and folds his arms across his chest. “Again?”
“Fuck off.” I wince as Luna smears some antibacterial cream across my eyebrow. “Danny Morenzo was running his mouth.”
Dec shakes his head as his gaze drops to my bruised knuckles. “You let him in your head too easily. You gonna fight everyone that pisses you off?”
“He had it coming.”
“Who had it coming?”
The three of us jump as Akio appears in the hall like a goddamn wraith, hands gripping the doorframe. He’s been doing that a lot lately, sneaking around to see what he can hear before someone catches him.
“Danny Morenzo,” I tell him. “He’s a pussy who would rather fight with a shard of broken glass than face me like a man.”
Luna snorts and sticks a butterfly bandage across my brow. “You’re sixteen, Teo. Not sure you qualify as a man yet.”
“And you would know?”
Her cheeks flush a bright red as her eyes dart away. “Maybe I do.”
My brothers and I exchange horrified looks. The state has only had us fostered together for three years, but the four of us are as close as a familycan get. These boys are my brothers, and Luna is our sister in all the ways that count.
“Gross,” Declan says at the same time Akio makes a gagging noise.
My lip curls. “You better not be talking about that douche. What’s his name? Cyrus?”
“Caleb,” Akio supplies.
“Calvin,” Declan says.
Luna sighs, casting an annoyed look at each of us. “His name doesn’t matter because it’s none of your business.”
I push to my feet, gathering up the bloodied towels. “Fine. But don’t you think he’s a little…” I widen my eyes. “You know?”
She cocks a hip against the counter. “He’s what? Nice? Charming?”
“Full of himself.”
