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“Oh, right, so here’s the thing about your sister…” I lean into her so only she can hear me. “She’s a fucking traitor, and whatever game she’s playing is going to get her killed.”
Perse scoffs. “Cartier, you are a child who thinks you’re better than everyone else just because your last name is Nero and you have The Brothers to back you. You don’t know shit about pain or loss, so come back to me when you’ve unwrapped the bubble around your precious little head.”
Surprise wasn’t the first emotion I felt from her words. Not even anger. Just… disappointment.
“Oh, Persephone. How you don’t know shit about shit.” I stand from my spot and lean back into her, resting my hands on her knees. “And for the record…” I search her eyes. I don’t want to fight with her, and since this is our first one, it will be a test of our friendship in the long run. “You don’t know anything about me. I don’t know why you have decided to dislike me so strongly in such a short space of time, but just a reminder, you will not extend that hate to Lilith or my niece, or I will gut you open and hang your body parts as Christmas decorations on the Kiznitch tree.” I straighten, eyeing her up and down. Her mouth hangs open slightly, her face paler than usual. “And I will be taking the RV, and Persephone, I’m the fucking boss around here, so the next time you want to open your trap, maybe make sure you also know how to close it.”
I turn before she can answer, ignoring Keaton and Candi and shoving past King and Killian. Guilt starts to suffocate me, but I can’t show weakness to anyone who knows my position or she will test me forever. I know Perse and I will eventually get over whatever it is that we feel about each other because I don’t believe King’s taste in women could be that bad, but for right now, I want to punch her. Right in the face.
“Hey! What was that about?” King asks, his hand on my upper arm.
I look between his grip and his eyes before shoving him off me. “That was what I needed to realize that Eli is wrong, and you’re all about to find out just who the fuck I am now.” I swing my leg over my bike and roar her to life, not bothering with my jacket and launching forward, making a direct line for the manor. The four families have their houses built in a Kiznitch triangle. Each of them obnoxiously big and in your face but all designed for the needs of every family. For me right now, I need to either burn, run, or fuck off some steam. Perse wasn’t like this when she first came in, but it’s like the longer she’s here the worse she’s becoming. I know it’s not personal, that it has a lot to do with Dove and her bad drama, and now that I know her and Perse are a lot closer than I realized, it makes more sense as to why Perse is declining. Dove is poison.
I cut the engine of my bike and kick down the stand, jogging up the stairs to the Nero mansion. The porch light is on, and the stained glass on the front door shows movement through the foyer.
I push the door open and drop my keys on the gold plate near the coat hanger. “Hello! The favorite aunty is home!” The manor hasn’t changed much over the years, so a lot of the furnishings are outdated, and whatever is new is what Ky and Lil would have put in.
“We’re in here!” Lilith calls out from the family room. I remove my shoes, leaving them in the kitchen before opening the fridge. I’ll need something strong and hard to get through this tour if Keaton is going to be prancing around with his mundane plaything the whole time.
I pop off the cork to the bottle of Cristal and grab three flute glasses before heading down the old hallway. The walls bleed crimson, with stained wood paneling halfway down the wall, and family portraits of our ancestors hang proudly beside famous and, no doubt expensive, art.
The family room has floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlook the bushland at the back. I could spend hours in here watching the trees sway with the wind.
“You read my mind!” Saskia gestures for the champagne like a child would a hug.
I place it on the coffee table, pouring our glasses. “Question, what the fuck is up with Perse, and why is she so bitchy lately?”
“It’s the motherhood thing,” Lilith says, leaning forward to take a glass.
“Speaking of…” I look around the dimly lit room before settling back on Lilith, who’s sitting on the sofa opposite the L lounge Sass and I are on. “Where’s my little L-Nox?”
“In bed!” Lilith breathes after taking a long sip. Her hair is in a relaxed bun on the top of her head, and she’s wearing comfortable sweats with oversized fuzzy socks. She looks great as a mother. “Where she needs to stay.”
I grin at my sister-in-law. Lilith came into our world like a tornado of mass destruction, and her casualties were my brother and Eli. Eli, who she still doesn’t know is alive. I feel terrible every time I lie to her, and I know that once she finds out, she and I are going to have problems. Loyalty isn’t black and white like they lead you to believe. There’s a gray area where people who you’ve not known long sit.
Lilith’s lilac eyes narrow in on me. “You will not wake her.”
“Yet! Keaton is prancing around his little plaything and I’m feeling… fragile.” Sass jumps in shock, and my mouth slams closed when I realize what I’ve done. I mean, Lilith isn’t a big deal. I’m guessing she knows, since she’s always grinning at me like a psycho any time Keaton is around me, but Sass is different. Fuck. I wasn’t supposed to say anything with her there, and now all of the training that I’ve done seems to slip between my fingers.
“I knew it!” Sass bursts out. “I knew you both had a thing for each other.”
I sit back in the plush fabric sofa, bringing the flute to my lips. “Saskia, that man has had his cock inside of me more than any other man. It’s a little more than a thing.”
Sass’ hand flies up to her mouth to stop her drink from bursting out. “What! Oh my God…”
Lilith snickers, and I look straight at her. “Kyrin can never know.”
Lilith raises her hands. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Shit,” Sass adds. “So right now he’s with… what’s her name?”
“Candi.” The taste isn’t so fucking sweet on my tongue.
“Candi—” Sass smiles widely, her bright teeth blinding me. “Oh… this is going to be fun.”
