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“I think you’re mistaking me for someone else.”
I jumped, turned. That wasn’t Calvin. It wasn’t Calvin at all.
I both recognized and didn’t recognize the man staring at me. He was tall, bigger than Noah, with broad shoulders and an easy smile. His hair was longer, pulled back in a tight bun, and a scraggly beard covered his face. He looked like his father, but softer, with touches of his mother.
“You’re Raymond.”
He nodded. He was ten paces away, hands shoved in a big, black jacket. “What are you doing out here?”
“I needed some air.” I looked around. I could run, but he’d catch me. He knew these woods, and besides, he was bigger, faster. I might be able to escape if I climbed a tree, or if I hit him with a log, or if I got insanely lucky—
But none of that would happen.
No, I was trapped.
“Lucky for me.” He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “I saw you and Matthias talking. Then you ran off, and I thought, maybe I could share. You want one?”
I shook my head. “Bad habit.”
He shrugged, lit a cigarette, took a drag. “Nasty. I totally agree. My father hates it. This is my one rebellion.”
“You’ll show him. Shave a few decades off your life.”
He laughed and blew out a thick plume. “You wouldn’t understand. I’d cut myself to the bone if it meant hurting my father.”
“I thought you and Noah worshiped him.”
“Worship, despise, all of the above.” Raymond shrugged, flicked ash onto the ground. “I take it you didn’t listen to my warning, and you definitely ignored my brother’s.”
My hand drifted to my throat, to the bruises still healing. “Calvin convinced me.”
“Did he? Doesn’t sound like him.”
“We’re getting married.”
His smile dropped. “Really.” Flat tone. Affect dead.
I sensed danger. He took another drag.
“Tomorrow. That’s what we spoke to your father about. Can’t get rid of me now. I’m family.”
“Oh, sweetie. Family doesn’t matter to the Solars, haven’t you figured that out yet?” He sucked on the cigarette and walked toward me.
I backed away. “Calvin’s coming. You can’t hurt me.”
“I can and I will.” He lunged. I tried to dodge, but he was fast and his arms were long. His free hand caught my wrist and yanked me off balance. I stumbled, dropped to my knees.
He jammed the lit cigarette onto the back of my hand.
I screamed in pain. It was shockingly intense, the cherry sizzling on my skin. Raymond’s lips pulled back, showing teeth as he held my hand while I writhed, sobbing in pain, trying to get it away. He only yanked the cigarette back once the burning had mostly stopped.
The welt was round and bright and smelled like burned hair.
He released me then kicked my stomach. I groaned, fell over. I clutched my burned hand and cradled it against my chest.
“God, you’re pathetic. My father burned me for the first time when I was six. I didn’t cry half as much as you are.” He yanked a sleeve up and showed me an arm covered in scars. “Knives, lighters. Oh, this one’s from a glass he broke. My father was so creative when we were kids. Really made things fun.” He chuckled as I tried to slither away.
He stomped his boot down on my ankle. I screamed again as the pain hit me.
“Father was brutal to me and Noah. He kicked, punched, cut, burned. But for some reason, Calvin was spared all that. Most of it, anyway. He got his beatings, some worse than what we were given, but Father never marked him like we were marked. I always wondered about that.”
“You’re all sick.”
“That’s right, sweetie. Fucked up. Broken. Did you think you could come here and still go home? God, what a fucking idiot.” He lit another cigarette and kicked me in the stomach. “I think I’ll put this out in your eye. Really mess you up. I doubt Calvin will marry you then. All scarred and gross. Your depth perception will be ruined, toast. You’ll miss his cock every time you try to suck him off.” He laughed, manic and sick, as he knelt down and grabbed my hair. I struggled, slapping at his face, trying to dig my fingernails into his cheeks but he punched me hard in the mouth and the world swam.
“Stupid girl,” he said, and the bright cherry glowed in front of my face, coming closer, closer, getting huge, getting so big, and I felt it burning my eyelashes, burning the skin, and I started to scream in fear and pain until something big and blurred slammed into Raymond, knocking him away.
I fell back gasping. I groaned in pain but got to my knees, staring as Calvin rained blows down on his brother, hitting him hard, slamming fists into flesh. Raymond laughed at first, but his laughter turned to moans, until his face was smashed pulp and blood covered Calvin’s fists.
