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Blood rushed from my face. “I’m not pretending,” I snapped. “And I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
The two of them stepped closer. I silently pleaded for anyone to walk into the kitchen, but I could hear the talking and laughter over the booming music outside.
Nobody would hear us.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You might be new here, but we’re not. The Night Ravens are our family, and we protect our families from intruders. From outcasts.” I took another drink of my beer.Hurry up, Alek. Kylar leaned forward and placed his elbows on the kitchen counter next to me. “So I’m going to ask you this one more time,” he said. “Why are you here?”
A feral instinct washed over me. I wanted to run. I wanted to escape. I wanted to sink away into the shadows and hide.
But none of those things were options here. I straightened my spine and attempted to look strong. “I’m here because Alek invited me,” I managed to say.
Kylar’s mouth tightened. Before I could process what was happening, he grabbed my upper arm and shook me roughly. “Tell me the truth,” he pushed, his lips curling back over his teeth, “or you’ll regret ever being born.”
I tried to yank my arm from his grasp, but it was no use. His grip tightened, and a yelp of pain escaped me.
A glass bottle flew across the room and shattered on the wall behind us, making me flinch.
Kylar immediately let go of me and backed up.
When I opened my eyes again, Alek stalked in our direction. His hands were in tight fists as he approached. “What did I tell you?” he hissed. Kylar put his hands up in surrender, but it was no use. Alek shoved him in the chest and pressed him against the wall. “I told you to leave her alone, did I not?”
“We’re just getting to know her, that’s all,” Kylar replied. His words sounded genuine, but I knew better. And that hint of mischief in his eyes remained there, even as Alek held him.
Alek shoved him harder against the wall and bared his teeth. He was feral, animalistic. “Not anymore, you’re not,” he said. “Don’t let me catch you two near her again.” He released Kylar and stepped backward.
If Alek noticed the arrogant smirk on Kylar’s face, he didn’t show it. He ran a now-shaking hand through his hair. Part of me wondered if it was merely from adrenaline of the encounter, or if he was hiding how angry he truly felt. “Come on,” Alek said to me as he took my hand. “I want to show you something.”
Adrenaline still pulsed through my body, but I followed after him as he led me out of the kitchen.
“I shouldn't have left you alone,” he half-growled. I gave his hand a light squeeze.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, although I wasn’t sure who needed the assurance more. Him or me. My heart still raced in my chest, and with each second that passed I began to realize how much worse that situation could have been. “Nothing happened.”
“No, but it could have.” His voice was so low that I barely heard it.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he dragged me through the house and into one of the back rooms. He closed the door behind us, and as soon as he turned the lights on, my jaw dropped.
The room was entirely different than the rest of the house. Massive antique chandeliers and old frames covered the entire room, with one large leather couch in the center. This room reminded me of his home.
“What is this?” I asked. Distracted by the scene around me, my heart finally began to slow.
Alek began circling the room, looking at the photographs that hung on the walls. I did the same.
“Just a bit of history,” he explained. “We like to keep a few memories here to remind us of what’s important.”
“You don’t strike me as the sentimental type.”
I studied the wall, taking in all the photographs. Some were group photos from long ago. Some were photos of the bar. Most were in black and white, but as we walked further, the photos became more recent.
Alek smiled. “Maybe not,” he admitted, “but knowing I’m not the only one who has to live through this shit helps sometimes.”
I came across a recent photo of Alek standing with another demon, a demon who looked shockingly similar to him. “Who’s this?” I asked.
Alek cleared his throat. “My brother.”
My head snapped towards him. “Your brother? I thought your father said you were his only son?”
“Yeah, well. Things change.” He looked anywhere but the photo of his brother and slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he shrugged.
