Page 27 of Blood Ties

Kai

I shut the door to the basement, and turn to see Knox leaning against the wall beside it, looking at me.

I flush guiltily. Resist the urge to adjust my pants or check for any sign of what I just did with Riley. “What?”

Judging from the way he smirks, my guilt is written all over my skin. But there’s no reason to feel guilty, I tell myself. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong.

Aside from keeping a woman chained up in the fucking basement. I keep pushing that little detail aside.

“Look at you, kiddo,” he says, stepping closer. I square my shoulders, refusing to back away as he crowds my space. “I’m proud of you.”

He reaches up to pat my face. I brush his hand away, scowling, and his smirk only widens.

“Thought we agreed to share, though,” he says. “Can’t exactly do that if you’re down there every night.”

The words burn as they sink in. A heat that floods my chest and crawls up the back of my throat. I know it’s better not to react to Knox. Any sign of weakness and he’ll dig the knife in and twist. But I think of those bruises he left on her and—

“Stay away from her.”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

Knox’s eyes narrow. He’s still very close to me, nearly toe-to-toe. “That’s not what we agreed on.”

“I didn’t agree to fucking anything.”

“Well you didn’t say a fuckin’ word against it, either.”

Guilt slithers up my spine because it’s true. I didn’t say a goddamn thing. It wasn’t like I was gonna kick off another argument in front of Dad, knowing that he might take it out on Riley. And Knox knows that.

“I’m saying it now.” I move a half-step forward, so there are mere inches between our faces. My heart drums a frantic beat, but thoughts of Riley lend steel to my spine. “Stay the fuck away from her. She’s mine.”

Knox stares at me for a moment. And then he throws back his head and laughs. He laughs so hard his shoulders shake, and every second of it makes the knot of anger within me wind tighter and tighter.

“ Yours , huh?” He lets out one last, bitter ha . “I take back what I said. Nothin’ to be proud of if you’re just down there getting pussy-whipped.” He tilts his head, eyes glittering with malice as he looks me over. “Wait... don’t tell me... was she your first lay?”

I set my jaw, determined not to respond, but his eyes widen as though I answered.

Fuck. He’s always been way too good at reading me.

“Oh, shit,” he says. “This is just too fuckin’ good. My sloppy seconds are your first ?”

“Shut up, Knox.”

“But you are getting some actual pussy down there, right?”

I’m not gonna respond. I’m not gonna give him anything to work with.

He laughs anyways. “Aw, Kai ,” he says, dripping with condescension.

“Don’t tell me you settled for anything less.

She’s chained up in the fucking basement, man, you can take whatever you want.

” He looks at me, and I swear, it’s like he can see straight through me, right to the weak point I’m trying to hide.

“Knox,” I grit out in warning. “Drop it.”

“Kiddo.” He clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “Pussy whipped without even getting any actual pussy? Je-sus, you’ve got it bad. But your taste ain’t terrible. You’ll see. She feels great. So fucking tight —”

Knox catches my wrist before I register the fact I tried to swing. He clicks his tongue.

I jab him in the stomach with the opposite hand, and his breath rushes out in an audible grunt.

“I’m not gonna say it again,” I say. “She’s—”

His shoulder hits my chest, and he slams me back against the wall, head bashing against it so hard I see stars. Before I can recover, he presses his forearm against my throat and cuts off my oxygen.

I choke.

“Yours?” he finishes for me, grinning. “You seem to be forgetting I had her first.” He presses even harder, and my vision darkens around the edges.

I claw at his arm, but it might as well be a steel bar pressed against my windpipe.

“You don’t even know the filthy things she’s done,” he whispers.

“The sounds she makes when she comes for me. Fuck , Kai.”

My knees buckle. My vision tunnels.

Then all of a sudden the pressure is gone, and air rushes back in. I fall to one knee as Knox lets me go. I gasp, let out a rasping cough.

“Don’t try that shit again,” Knox says. “You’re gonna fuck this up for the both of us. C’mon. You know Dad will kill her if he catches us fighting.”

I’m still gasping for air. After a moment, he sighs, and reaches down to ruffle my hair. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We should both enjoy her while we can. ‘Cause you know we can’t keep her around forever... right?”

I clench my hands into fists on the floorboards, but hold myself back from starting another fight I can’t win.

“Once a girl’s in the basement, she’s already dead. It’s only a matter of time,” he says. His hand still rests on the back of my head, the gesture almost affectionate. “You know that.” He looks down at me, studying my face. “Unless...” He drops his hand and hums thoughtfully under his breath.

“Stay out of the basement tomorrow,” he says. “It’s my turn.”

Long after he walks away, whistling under his breath like this was all some game, I stay crouched on the floorboards. Hating him almost as much as I hate myself.