Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Why?” Kellan hadn’t bought my lie. His hand didn’t tighten or relax either.
I glanced at his hold on my arm. His fingers were strong, too strong, but we both knew he couldn’t hurt me. Slowly, almost gently, I slid a finger underneath one of his and yanked it backward. Kellan held his breath, but let me hold his finger at bay. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. They seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.
“Why, Shay?” Kellan demanded with a rough edge in his voice.
A shudder went down my spine, but I tightened my hold on his finger. “I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t say anything. I wouldn’t want my brother getting in trouble for me.”
“You don’t want me to get hurt?” A ghost of a smile flashed over his face.
I smiled, and then I yanked his finger the rest of the way until the bone snapped. Kellan didn’t move, not an inch. When it was done, after a moment of silence, he rasped, “Are you going to break the rest of my fingers?” He still had his hold on my arm, but his fingers had loosened their grip. I shrugged off his hand and stepped back.
A chill slammed into me, and I hugged myself to ward it off.
Kellan watched. He didn’t say a thing.
Softly, I murmured, “I just lied to you.” I didn’t know what compelled me. Maybe it was that I’d broken his finger, I’d hurt him back. Or maybe it was because I’d lied for the first time and I needed to expunge myself. I wasn’t sure.
But I saw that Kellan already knew I’d lied.
I added, “I didn’t go to see Matt Rettley, but I’m not going to tell you where I was. That’s for me. And don’t put your hands on me again.” As I turned and headed upstairs to my room, I couldn’t shake off a sense of dread. Something had happened, something that felt off, between Kellan and me.
I hadn’t left him with the knowledge that I could and would hurt him, if need be. No. Kellan had left me with the knowledge that he allowed me to hurt him. He stood there and just let me do it. But…why?
I shook my head as too many chills washed over me. Kellan had always been my protector. He’d been beside me all my life. He would’ve been the big brother that any little sister would idolize, but the problem is that those girls didn’t know who their big brothers really were, or what they were capable of.
Kellan was a lot of things, but I needed to reassure myself that he’d always protect me. That was my bottom line… I couldn’t be concerned about it, not anymore. When I pushed through my bedroom door, I sagged in relief.
Within my four walls was my sanctuary. It was mine and mine alone. No Kellan. No Rettley. No Mrs. Ullen. No one. Just me.
The door burst open, and Giuseppa threw herself onto my bed.
Guess my sanctuary was easily penetrable.
I turned from my desk and sighed. “Can you leave? Please? I’m asking nicely.”
Giuseppa laughed, her blue eyes sparkled in evil mirth, and her smile widened as she threw out her arms to stretch on my bed. Her long golden curls became entangled around her arms and within my white laced bedcover, which starkly contrasted underneath the black bikini top and bottom she wore. Nothing else.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m drunk, Shay. You should try it.” She giggled and hiccupped. “Oh. Oops.”
“Go to bed, Gus. Your own bed. Please.” I slumped down in my desk chair. The wood creaked, protesting, underneath my weight. I groaned. The chair would have to deal with it. I was dealing with my drunken, scantily-clad sister. As I bent forward to open my bag, I muttered, “You’re not passing out in my room. You snore, for one. And two, you want Kellan to wake you in the morning? You want to go running for me? I’m all for that.”
Giuseppa bolted upright and exclaimed as she brushed her curls back from her heated face, “Speaking of Kellan—what’d you do to him? He looked like he could commit murder or something.”
“Why do you think it was me?”
“It usually is. He doesn’t get that pissed with me.” She shuddered. “And hell no. I am not going running for you. That’s your sick obsession that I don’t understand. It’s not like we have to work for these bodies.”
My heart froze. Everything froze. I froze.
I hated hearing those words.
“I’m sorry. I forgot that you hate talking about how we’re different. Whatever. I’m out.” Giuseppa stood up and strode to the door. Just as she reached it, she swiftly turned, her blonde curls swung so that a strand hung just off her lips, and she rested her hands on her slim hips. Her black bikini showed off her perfect body…the body that she claimed we didn’t have to work for.