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CHAPTERONE
DIABLO
“Don’t cry,” I hiss, feeling so fucking angry at myself for making my brother so upset. I mean, he could do with a little less emotion right about now, but he’s always been so fucking sensitive. I don’t know why I’m surprised that he’s blubbering.
“I can’t help it,” he says softly, shaking his head. His bright blond hair sits on his head like a halo, and I wonder for just a second how we ended up so different from one another. Perhaps my mother already knew something no one else did when she named us.
Diablo and Angelo. Literally polar opposites. I know we’re not identical twins, but you’d think we’d be at least a little similar since we shared a womb together. But nope.
I do adore my brother, though. Absolutely cherish his soft, squishy heart.
He makes me ridiculously weak.
“I’m so mad at you,” Angel whispers as he swipes at his eyes, the blue of his irises swimming with tears.
“Yes, well, you know how protective I am over you. Elio should have never done that shit. He was just asking for me to hack his shit. It was basically a dare.”
He sniffs and pulls me into a hug. “Oh god, Diablo. Please don’t die. I’m not worth it.”
“Yes, you are. And if I do end up eaten by vultures, then you know that what I did was with the best intentions,” I say as he pulls me into a hug. He clings on tightly as I awkwardly pat his back. He’s always so touchy, so nice. It makes me squirm.
I prefer…less of that. I prefer less touching. Not that I really have much experience with affection. The only person who touches me is my brother. Everyone else keeps a wide berth.
“Alright, you know I have my limit,” I say and pull away from Angelo…well, Angel is what I usually call him because that’s what he is. A certified angel straight from heaven, and I’m the brat straight from hell.
“Come on, Diablo. Time to go,” Skylar says from the hallway outside Angelo’s bedroom, and I roll my eyes, taking in his large lumbering form. He has clean-cut, dirty-blond hair, a short beard, and green eyes. Not to mention he’s disgustingly huge. Like a giant. I hate how much smaller I am than him. Sometimes it just makes me so mad. I just want to saw him in half so he’s my size, so I can look him in the eyes for once in my goddamn life.
“Shut up,” I mutter, and yet despite it all, Skylar doesn’t even blink. He takes my verbal abuse far too well. No matter how hard I push, he never reacts, and it makes me furious. It makes my entire body light up with…something I can’t quite name.
“Be kind. He’s here to protect you,” Angel says.
“He’s in my way,” I hiss and then move away from Angel to grab my duffle bag from Skylar’s large, calloused hand. I know they’re calloused because I felt them on my bare shoulders once. It did all sorts of things to my unruly dick.
“I can carry my own things.”
Skylar, however, does not let the duffle bag go. He holds on for dear life. His mouth quirks up at the corners ever so slightly when I struggle to pry his fingers off one by one.
Makes me even angrier. I am so done with him. So fuckingdone.
“You give up?” he asks when I’m huffing and puffing before him.
“No,” I hiss and then attack his hand once more. I’m debating biting down on his wrist when Angelo appears at my side.
“Here. Take this,” he says softly, handing me a worn-out white bunny, it’s the stuffie he’s had since he was born.
I burned mine outside in the backyard years ago, didn’t even shed a tear. But he’s held on to his. The sentimental boob.
“I’m not taking that,” I say with a shake of my head. “Nope. No.”
His lips tremble, and I grab on to it, tucking it under my arm.
“Fine. Just no more crying. No more,” I hiss and Angel swipes at his eyes again, a smile breaking out across his face.
“You can return it when you come back. I need that back, Diablo.”
“I will,” I say and then let him hug me again, squeezing the life out of me until I’m squirming.
When he finally lets go, I follow a smug-looking Skylar down the hall toward the waiting car.
