He wrapped an arm around me. He’d never been afraid to show physical affection to any of us kids, if anything, I got more hugs than I did slaps. Like he knew the burden he asked us to carry was the hardest thing he would ever do and that hopefully, by keeping that human connection, we wouldn’t lose ourselves to the darkness.
“What are you really worried about?”
I gulped. “Her leaving. Having to—well, let’s just start with her leaving. I mean we’ve known each other for two months; I knew it the minute I saw her, she was mine.”
He listened intently. “And now?”
“And now I feel like I’ve fucking ruined her life.”
“I could make it all go away.” He sighed. “Sergio could help, but people would know. Andrei tries his best to keep a tight leash on everyone and everything, but we have people just waiting for us to crumble, to fall apart, people willing to do anything and use anyone in order to do it. She doesn’t understand that our enemies would love nothing more than to hurt her. There is no normal, and since she’s related…”
“Shit.” I rubbed my face with my hands. “That’s why you weren’t pissed?”
“She’s one of us. She has no choice son, had you not fallen ass first in love with her, we would have still had to bring her into the Family, you really think Nikolai would have let her stay unprotected that long? I know you hate school, but she’s got Petrov blood, which means she will always be in danger from not just our enemies, but theirs as well. You know that the Russian dynasty is still pissed that Andrei, the last remaining heir, joined our side. His blood is both Italian and Russian. The fact that Claire’s running around means she has a target on her back no matter what.”
“Fucking Andrei,” I growled. “He just had to go straight.”
Dad smiled. “Say that to his face and get back to me.”
“Hilarious, last time I teased him about shit, he broke my nose.”
“He’s young still.” Dad shrugged.
“What does that make you? Ancient?”
“Careful, I could still kick your ass.” He gleamed and then grabbed me by the neck and kissed my cheek. “Go explain to her, then get ready for school.”
I groaned. “Still?”
“It’s time,” was all he said.
“Shit, are you serious? It’s time?”
“The Elect.” He gave me a somber look. “You always knew it would happen with you, with the five eldest kids, the five strongest kids. It’s time to take your places.”
“Hah, can I be the one to tell Serena?”
We’d been at Eagle Elite flying under the radar, but now he was asking us to rise up, to become the Elect, to run the school with brutality and ruthlessness. I knew what it looked like because not so long ago, my dad had done the same.
“She threw a fucking chair through the window, and Junior had to lock her in the bathroom to calm her down,” Dad said with a wince bringing me back to the present.
My eyes searched his, did he know? Did he suspect? Last night after everything had happened, I found them together, kissing, nearly naked, and I covered for them because I was petrified of what the bosses would do. “Dad…”
He looked away. “Leave it.”
“But—”
“—I said, leave it. They’re young, you’re all young, just hope like hell it’s sex and nothing more, because if Nixon ever finds out… if Phoenix—” He actually paled. “I wouldn’t make you, you know? I’d do it myself if I had to, but I wouldn’t make you do that to your best friends.”
“It could start a war,” I whispered.
“One we can’t afford.” He agreed. “Well, then, fix it.” He slapped me on the back.
“You kidding me right now?” How the hell was I supposed to tell them not to keep having sex? Both Junior and Serena were older than me, and on top of that, the way he looked at her. It was otherworldly.
“Nah,” He grinned. “Like I said, you’re all young, emotions are hot, tempers are hotter, make it so they hate each other so much that they can’t bear the sight of one another.”
“And how do you suppose I do that?” My stomach sank.
“Make it look real,” he said in a sad voice. “So real that she doesn’t come back from it, that he’s scarred for life.” He looked up as Claire made her way down the stairs. “It can be your girlfriend’s first job with you.”
I flinched as my jaw clenched from grinding my teeth. “You want me to destroy them?”
“No, son, I want you to break their hearts.”
When dad left, the small kitchen in the guest house fell quiet, Claire was making coffee. I went around her and hugged her from behind, my head rested on hers. “You okay?”
“It’s a bit weird how often your dad stops by when sex is involved.” She sighed, I loved seeing her in my giant white t-shirt, but what was better was the fact that she wasn’t running away screaming… yet.
I grinned. “Yeah, well, he’s just got really shit timing.”
“You’re telling me.” She sighed, I could feel the tension in her entire body as she stood there, facing the backyard, our reflections in the window stared right back. She lifted her head and stared at me through the glass. “Tell me it’s going to be okay.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I said quickly. “And I’ll do everything in my power to make it that way for both of us.”
“I’m scared.”
“Really? Because I wake up with sunshine sprouting from my ass—newsflash Claire, we are all fucking scared, and that’s a good thing because when you lose your fear, you lose your humanity. Embrace that fear, it’s what keeps us mortal.”
“How’d you get so smart?”
“Hugs, not drugs?” I laughed.
She turned in my arms and pressed a kiss to my chin. “I’m going to go get a shower, wanna join me?”
I eyed her long, lean legs beneath my shirt and let out a groan. “I wish I could, but I have to go check on something, all right? I’ll be like ten minutes; maybe if I run, I can wash your back.”
“Is that code word for sex?”
“One hundred percent.” I nodded.
She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss me again, this time on the mouth, her coffee cup between us and I thought, damn, I would do anything to just have a simple life like this, without the blood, without the tears, without the fear that clung to us like a choking fog.
I kissed her back, promising myself I would do everything in my power to make this work, to keep that smile on her face, and then turned and made my way back into the main house.
Junior should be home.
As should Serena.
But it had been a super late night, so I figured they probably stayed the night as per usual, most of the time we crashed in the theater room, at least pre-Claire.
I didn’t tell my dad that I knew things about Junior and Serena, that I suspected as much, that they had been dancing around each other for a long time and that I was the one that had to keep a secret about the way they looked at each other.