AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Santiago rolls his eyes and comes closer, slapping me hard across the face.
“The fuck, Santiago!” Florian roars, but Santiago pushes him back too, holding my gaze, and his blue eyes flash with a dangerous light, alarming me that we might be the same age.
But he has seen and experienced some horrible things that shaped him into a man we don’t recognize on most days.
“No one is going to prison because of your irresponsible ass. Our futures are on the line. Now, snap out of your fucking shock. We need to take care of your mess, and we have no time to console you.” I blink at his harsh approach, but oddly enough, his no-bullshit tone finally pulls me out of my self-loathing while my mind swirls with all the possibilities. Santiago takes a deep breath, internally contemplating something, judging by the expression on his face.
He thought this assignment that required us all to be together would end our friendship once and for all, destroying our bond.
However, now the assignment forces us to work together as we cover up my mess, creating a good diversion as if the Church Killer arrived at our house and killed off Wayne with some of his signature moves.
We burn all my bloody clothes, and the guys wash me with a hose in the garden near the gravesite so if the police have questions, they won’t search for me.
Then we all go to Remi’s fight that night to create the perfect alibi, and he performs despite his injured arm.
He wins the fight, and later, we all stay over in Florian’s apartment in the city. Santiago finally shares what happened to him, breaking our hearts all over again.
Although I hate it, his confession fills me with a sense of relief because I might have killed Wayne, but Santiago…he was forced to kill people way earlier than me.
We ask him to teach us how to torture people the right way, so we can punish those who deserve it.
So no other child goes through what we did.
Our best friend is reluctant, but he does as we ask, and that’s how we become invincible.
Slowly, not instantly, we become an unbreakable unit, destroying anything standing in our way.
Our name alone inspires fear and awe alike in those around us.
The Four Dark Horsemen gave me clarity, purpose, and the drive I needed to survive and push myself to be better and ascend the throne that became mine by default.
I found solace in my darkness that accepted me as I am.
Until I saw a gray-eyed beauty that awakened my soul and heart that I thought were long dead.
My Isla is not my salvation.
She’s my reward.
As life had no colors or emotions before she became mine.
Isla
“And they lived happily ever after.” I finish reading yet another fairy tale as Braiden claps, resting his cheek on my chest, and I put the book away. “Have you picked the next one?” Ever since Florian bought him a whole collection of old fairy tales and myths that must’ve cost him a fortune, Braiden has been obsessed with me reading them to him every afternoon.
He leans back and blinks at me, only to run to the nearby bookshelf and snags another story, giving it to me. I read it out loud. “Trojan War.” A chuckle slips past my lips. “Have you been talking to Grandpa Atlas again?” I tease him, and he grins, nodding.
Atlas Price made it his mission to announce to everyone and anyone who’d listen that he had a new great-grandson, and as such, the kid deserved two things.
The best of the best this world has to offer, hence the expensive gifts and daily phone calls with him where Atlas spoke about his day and promised to show Braiden how to make jewels. In fact, I think he planned a whole-ass trip behind our back and just informed Octavius that our kid needed a passport to travel.
My husband laughed and hung up, and that was met with the silent treatment from the patriarch for two weeks. His silence didn’t extend to our son, though.
Braiden just puts him on the loudspeaker and goes around the house, occasionally smiling or nodding to whatever he says, letting me know he enjoys these monologues that the old man calls dialogues.
Jacob and Calliope aren’t much better either. They smother the kid with attention and always invite him over to bake cookies and cakes. At this rate, he’ll be a pro in baking in no time, not to mention how he always comes back carrying gifts and various new photos to add to their never-ending collections.
According to Florian, his parents became sentimental over the years. Even Florian’s little brother accepted Braiden, taking him out to the park when he came back to visit from boarding school, and the whole family actively learns sign language so they can communicate with him.
