Page 153 of Monstrous Serpent

“I said no!”

He sighs and nods. “Promise you’ll stay calm.”

I glower at him. “That doesn’t sound ominous or anything.”

“Little J, promise me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Atlas looks at our joined hands and takes a deep breath. But it’s Hunter who starts talking, telling me about how he grew up with a serial killer for a father. How he had been forced into some sick, twisted hunting ritual with his brother since they were small children.

It’s a good thing I didn’t make that promise because I am anything but composed. Those scars all over his body. His family did that. His own fucking family. My muscles tense with rage when Atlas tells me about how they kidnapped him, how he got the scar on his leg.

I turn to Hunter. “I hope your father rots in jail.”

“Atlas killed him. To protect me.”

“Glad someone did. Saves me the trouble.”

Atlas chuckles. “Little J, that is not you.”

I huff and roll my eyes. “You don’t think I would hurt someone to protect you, to protect my family?”

“Perhaps.” Hunter’s jaw works. “But I—we—don’t want that for you.” Atlas nods in agreement. “There’s more.”

“Of course there is.”

“Little Titan, just listen.”

“Fine.”

Atlas blows out a breath. “Hunter’s uncle broke out of prison. Kidnapped me again. That’s why my wrists were zip-tied, and how I got this.” He traces the slash on his face.

My mouth opens, closes, opens again. “How? How’d he break out of prison? Isn’t that hard to do?”

Hunter’s dark eyes meet mine. “My uncle was in a low-security facility. He had a good lawyer who got the charges reduced. Might’ve been easier for him to get out. Don’t really know what happened yet.”

“But the police have him?”

Hunter shakes his head. “He’s dead. My brother too.”

I reach for his hand, ignoring the pain the movement causes. “Hunt.”

He takes my hand but says nothing.

Atlas swallows hard. “There’s still more. And you might think differently about us after you hear it.”

“You think I wouldn’t want you because of this? Because you were abused. And attacked. Seriously?”

He looks away for a second, then his eyes lock with mine. “Cody, we killed them. And they’re not the only people we’ve—”

My pulse beats wildly, setting off an alarm on the monitor. “Stop.”

“You have to hear it.”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”

Hunter grips my chin firmly and moves so he’s the only thing I can see. “We kill people. Bad people.”