As familiar as the air in my lungs.
As familiar as my fingers twitching over the knife in my pocket.
“I’ll decide how you can repay me later.”
“Bro,” he protests, a sudden anger in his eyes. “Forget it happened. And don’t fucking talk to me again.”
“You’re the one who kissed me,” I say. “Bro.”
He’s barely looking at me now.
And he’s gone a moment later.
I watch him take off across the room, disappearing into the crowd.
Over the next half hour,I don’t run into my brother. Thank the fucking gods above. For all I know, Weston is trying to avoid me, too, and I’m happy to keep it that way.
I do learn some interesting gossip, though.
I hear a few society members talking about the attack that happened last night. The former Onyx member was strangled and shot.
Their ignorance is clear.
They say the guy survived a gunshot through the brain, but I know that’s extremely unlikely.
The bullet most likely didn’t even penetrate his skull.
I overhear a couple of people asking whereRoyalis, too, and I realize that it’s their nickname for Rayne.
Very cute.
Make his ego the size of a fucking continent, why don’t you?
Can somebody shoot me in the fucking head now, too?
An hour later, I’ve had enough.
I head up the dark wooden staircase, making my way through the long hallway lined with black-and-white pictures of Crimson College.
I swing open the door of Rayne’s bedroom.
Our bedroom now.
When I step inside he pushes himself up on his elbows in bed. He’s shirtless, and the only light in the room ismoonlight coming in through the diamond-shaped panes of the window.
I’m surprised to see something I never expected on Rayne: two tattoos, in black linework.
Beautiful wings at each end of his collarbone.
I used to draw and paint all the time. I can recognize good art when I see it. I let my eyes rake over his chest, not trying to hide that I’m looking.
“That ink looks good on your skin.”
“Fuck off.”
“Can’t accept a compliment? Just another trait you share with my brother.”
“I won’t accept compliments from you, because I know you’re not sincere.”
