“And?” He looks at me expectantly, like a fucking hyena who’s waiting to pounce on its prey. Or maybe it’s just expectation and I’m reading too much into it.
“And that means I wouldn’t be the same without you. Not that you share the sentiment.” I start to close the door, but he shoves his foot against it, keeping it open.
“You know, that’s your problem, Bran. You always assume things about me instead of fucking talking to me. It’s a nasty habit that needs to go.” He holds my gaze with his identical one. “I wouldn’t be the same without you, either, twat. You’re part of me.”
“Ownership again? Classic.”
“It’s not fucking ownership. If I owned you, I wouldn’t give two flying fucks about you because I’d already have you in my grasp.” He clutches my hand and I wince at how hard it is. “I want you to listen to me and listen carefully. You’re part of me. That means I’m critical of you like I’m critical of myself. I see your safety as my own, sometimes even more so because you tend to think of others’ comfort more than your own. I hated it when you closed yourself behind a fortress and kept me out. I need you to understand that.”
I swallow thickly, his words demolishing a wall inside me brick by brick.
“You put me as Spare Parts in your phone when we were thirteen.”
“Because you demanded your own room. You said, and I quote, ‘I don’t want to share space with that vermin.’ I’m nothing if not petty.”
I wince. That was around the time everything started to fall apart.
All I can do is nod and pull my hand from his.
He groans when he lays his wrist on his thigh, and the anger from earlier washes over me again.
“Give me a second.”
“Where are you going?” he asks, but I lock him in the car so he doesn’t try to follow.
Then I march back to the annex house. I catch a glimpse of Killian and Mia walking toward the main house as she signs furiously and he listens with a tight expression.
Jeremy is talking to Nikolai in front of the annex where the guards are still poised nearby.
I stride toward them, but once again, I’m stopped by the blond guy.
Nikolai lifts his head and a frown appears between his brows. His hair is tied in a ponytail and he’s actually wearing a T-shirt and trousers. But then again, he wouldn’t want to get my brother’s fucking blood on him.
“Let him go, Ilya,” he tells the blond and he reluctantly releases me.
I walk forward and I drive my fist into his face. He reels back and clutches his cheek as his darkened eyes snap to mine.
Jeremy is stunned for a second. I am, too, as I resist the urge to shake my hand. That fucking hurts.
It’s worth it, though.
“Congratulations, Nikolai. You get your fucking wish.” I point a finger at his chest. “We’re over.”
Jeremy stares between us with a calculative expression, as if he’s linking patterns, but I honestly couldn’t care less anymore.
I turn to leave, but Nikolai grabs me by the arm and his hard chest presses to my back as he growls in my ear, “In your fucking dreams, baby.”
Fuck him.
I elbow him and release myself from his grip. Without looking back, I jog to where I left Lan.
Maybe it’s time I put this whole thing behind me.
For good.
30
BRANDON
“You’re losing focus, son.”
I lift my head and jerk when I accidentally touch the hot pot.
“Bran!” Dad takes my hand in his and inspects my fingers.
His touch burns my cursed wrist. I feel as if his laser eyes will reach beneath the watch and see the evidence of how fucked I am.
Glyn was right. My parents love me—they always have. But a part of me can’t help thinking it’s because of the fa?ade I put on so well. Their dutiful son, an obedient teenager, never complains and never throws a fit.
Never gets in their way. Never causes them headaches like Lan does.
A part of me believes that if they see me for who I truly am, I’ll lose the Son of the Year Award faster than lightning.
That prospect scares the shit out of me.
I subtly pull my hand from Dad and plaster on a smile. “It’s nothing. Just a little burn.”
“You need to be careful in the kitchen. That’s the first rule of cooking.”
“I know. Sorry.”
Dad pats my shoulder affectionately and goes back to chopping carrots, but not before he offers me his golden smile. The one Lan and I inherited. Though he’s a much blonder, more muscular version of us.
Mum said he was the most popular guy in school and garnered more attention than he should have. And I can see it. Not only does he drip with the ‘superior’ King genes, as Grandpa Jonathan likes to call them, but he’s also levelheaded and charismatic to a fault.
A select few prefer to do business with him instead of Uncle Aiden because he’s much more amiable. Uncle is…well, let’s say his motto is his way or the highway. Eli and Lan definitely take after him in that department.
While many have flocked to Uncle Aiden, Dad is the actual gem with his intense yet caring personality. His outward ruthlessness yet inner warmth. His firm demands and bear hugs. Dad has always been the ultimate role model and the type of man I’ve strived to be.
Responsible. Reliable. In control.
Too bad I’m too messed up in the head to ever be able to achieve that.
I thought with time, everything would get better, but the ink has been festering inside me and painting every beautiful color and memory in black.
And the thought of everyone seeing me at the end of that process makes me nauseous.
I’d rather bleed to death than let anyone see me like that.
“Bran?”
I blink at my dad, that last thought still coiling my stomach as I smile. “Yeah?”
“Shouldn’t you be adding the spices now?”
“Oh, right.” I focus on that and methodically sprinkle precise amounts of each one into the pot.
But even this activity that I used to take immense pleasure in only causes me pain now.
I can’t stop thinking about the times I was cooking in the penthouse and Nikolai was being clingy, and while I called him annoying, I actually loved having him around.
I loved the fact that he couldn’t stay away from me—not even for a minute. He made it his mission to touch me all the time as if I were the magnet to his steel.
Then everything came to an end.
“You sure it’s okay to be away from school all this time?” Dad asks amidst the sound of chopping. “It’s been a week since you came home.”
“Yeah. I told my supervising professor I’d be working on my graduation piece from here.” I smile and joke, “Bored of me already?”
“Nonsense. I’d rather you move back in. You know that.” He sighs. “Have kids, they said. They’ll keep you company, they said. And here I am trying not to haul the three of you back home.”
“You and Uncle Aiden left Grandpa, too.”
“That’s different. Your grandpa is a bloody dictator and a ruthless autocrat. He couldn’t wait for us to sod off so he could crack on with his plan to conquer the world.”