Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Then the mask slides back into place.
“No.” The word falls like a stone between us.
“But—”
“I said no.” His voice remains calm, controlled. “Aries stays exactly where he is. He’s lucky I feed him and keep him alive. That’s more mercy than they showed me.”
“This isn’t about mercy,” I argue. “It’s about not becoming what you hate.”
“This is about survival.” He catches my hand, removing it from his arm with deliberate care. “I’ll protect you, Lilian. Keep you safe from them. But my plans for him remain unchanged.”
Behind us, Aries shifts closer to the glass, watching our interaction with narrowed eyes.
“He’s suffered enough,” I try again. “Look at him. He’s learned whatever lesson you wanted to teach.”
“Lesson?” Arson laughs, the sound echoing harshly in the concrete corridor. “This isn’t a teachable moment, Little Sister. This is justice. Consequence. Balance.”
“It’s cruel.”
“Yes.” His honesty catches me off guard. “It is. Just like what was done to me. The difference is, I’m honest about my intentions.”
I search his face, looking for any crack in his resolve. “I thought I meant something to you. That night in the garden—”
“Are you really that naive, to think one little kiss, one little temptation is going to make me forget all my plans. I want your cunt. I’ve told you that many times.” His hand comes up to brush a strand of hair from my face, the gesture jarringly tender in opposition to his words. “Which is why you’re up there, in my bed, and not down here in a cell. But don’t mistake my protection for weakness. Don’t think because I want you, I’ll abandon what I’ve planned for years.”
The casual mention of his want makes heat curl low in my belly, despite everything. I hate my body’s response, hate how even now, standing before Aries’s prison, I can feel myself responding to Arson’s proximity.
“There has to be another way,” I whisper, but I can already see in his eyes that he won’t bend. Not on this. “Let me visit him, then.” The words tumble out as I search for compromise. “Supervised. Controlled. You can be there the whole time.”
Arson shakes his head, unmoved.
“What about limited contact? Just...let him know I’m okay. That I’m here willingly.” I press closer, using my body as leverage. “Or let me bring him better food. Clean clothes. Anything.”
“You think I care about his comfort?” His eyebrow arches. “After what he did? After he stood by and watched them take me away?”
“Then let me share his punishment.” Desperation makes me reckless. “Put me in there with him.”
That gets a reaction—a dark flash in Arson’s eyes. “You want to be locked up with him? Is that it? The two of you playing house in captivity?”
“No, I just—”
“Just what?” His voice drops dangerously. “Do you just want to comfort him? Console him? How exactly were you planning to ease his suffering, Lilian?”
The innuendo hangs heavy between us, making my cheeks burn. “It’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it?” He steps closer, towering over me. “I’ve seen how you look at him. How you’ve always looked at him. The stepbrother you couldn’t have. The golden boy who kept you at arm’s length.”
I start to deny it, but what’s the point? He already knows my secrets.
“Please.” My voice breaks slightly. “If you feel anything for me at all—”
A sudden bang interrupts us. Aries slams his palm against the glass, making us both turn.
“Stop it!” His voice is muffled through the barrier, but his fury is clear. “Leave her alone!”
He’s not looking at me—his attention is fixed entirely on his brother. His hands press against the glass, knuckles white with tension.
“Let me go, Arson.” Each word is precise, controlled despite his obvious rage. “This is between us. Always has been. She has nothing to do with it.”
Arson’s mouth curves in a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “But she does now, doesn’t she? Thanks to you. If you hadn’t kept her at a distance, if you hadn’t made her so hungry for attention, she wouldn’t be so...responsive to mine.”
Aries pounds the glass again, harder this time.
I watch them—identical faces twisted with identical rage, mirror images of fury. The twin connection between them crackles like electricity, even through hatred.
“Stop it, both of you.” I step between them, though the glass separates us. “This isn’t helping anything.”
Arson’s eyes never leave his brother’s face. “Oh, I think it’s helping quite a bit. Don’t you want to hear what your precious stepbrother has to say, Lilian?”
His hand moves to a control panel on the wall, fingers hovering over a switch.
“Let’s all have a nice family chat, shall we?”
Arson flips the switch with a theatrical flourish. A light above the window turns green, and suddenly, Aries’s voice fills the corridor.
“—swear to God when I get out of here—” He stops abruptly, realizing we can hear him now. His eyes lock on mine. “Lilian?”