Page 24 of His Last Will

“I’ve never been kissed before…”

“I know. I believe I should be your first kiss.”

“But Brodie…”

“It could be me.”

“You know I had plans too…” He doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t have to. Aiden knows what my plans were: marrying his brother, living our lives together… dying together.

Except he decided to leave this earth without me and leave me alone.

“I know.” Aiden swears and reaches for another cigarette.

“Do they know who is behind the shooting yet?” I ask, hoping that they have found something, anything I can cling to.

Aiden shakes his head. “No.” His tone cold and detached, clearly wanting an end to this conversation.

We don’t say anything else as he lights his smoke.

We are in this marriage ’til death.

Let’s just hope we don’t kill each other before our time comes.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

ARI

PRESENT DAY

Aiden seems fine. Actually fine. He doesn’t walk around like he is constantly being tortured by his dead brother’s memory. I don’t understand how he is handling everything. He goes to practice, tortures his ‘patients’, comes home, eats dinner, absolutely does not study, and lives his life. It is actually starting to piss me off.

Every single day it feels like a struggle just to get out of bed. I barely register going to any of my classes. What’s the point? My finance pathway was to help Brodie, but I highly doubt that Aiden is going to have any interest in my helping him.

The grief is drowning me, and I have no way to release the pressure. I have gotten into a pattern of only leaving my room for things that I absolutely must. Sitting through that dinner cemented it for me.

I am a pawn, not a queen. No matter how many times Brodie promised I would be his.

So I cannot be blamed for the scream that I unleash when I see Bosco lounging on my pillow, another spider sprawled on top of him. Clearly post fuck? Is that a thing for spiders? I didn’t know that they cuddled postcoitus. Fuck him. Fuck Aiden. Fuck everyone.

The rage is burning through me like a fire lit by gasoline. This whole goddamn family can go to hell, including their sexed out spider.

Picking up Bosco and his lover in my hand, I storm to Aiden’s room. Bosco has the nerve to give me a look as if I have interrupted him.

“You were already done, buddy. You’re lucky I took a long shower.”

Great, now I’m talking to Aiden’s godforsaken spider.

Approaching Aiden’s door, I slam it open. Aiden stands there with his gun drawn, ready for a fight.

“What the hell, Ari. What is your problem?” Clearly on his way out, Aiden stands there looking like the true son of Lucifer, dark jeans, black t-shirt, tattoos exposed, hair wet from a shower falling in front of his eyes. His eyebrow piercing adding to his whole spawn of satan vibe.

“Keep your spider on a leash. The horny bastard can fuck anywhere he wants in the house except my room.” I set Bos and his slut on the floor and watch as they scurry over to the bed, clearly not done, parking themselves on Aiden’s pillow. How can he lay his head on that thing after Bosco violates it?

Aiden eyes me and then does the last thing I expect. He chuckles. Actually chuckles to himself. I don’t think I have ever heard that sound come from him, ever. It’s a husky sound, almost soft from under-use. And it takes everything in me not to crack the smile that threatens.

“You want me to keep Bosco on a leash?”