Page 11 of Castor

“Hey, Kyo?” Castor softly smiled as I looked at him. “All bullshit aside. I never thanked you for saving me that night. So… thanks.”

His smile hit me square in the chest. It looked so genuine. Bright. Just like his damn hair.

“Yeah. Whatever.” I logged in to my favorite graphic design website, fighting the urge to look at him again. “Don’t mention it.”

“Maybe I can properly thank you sometime.”

Damn it. My gaze lifted to his, and he wiggled his eyebrows. I kept a straight face, even though I was smiling on the inside. Simon had told me all the brothers liked men, so I caught on to his meaning pretty quickly.

“No, thanks,” I said, doing my best to sound bored.

“As I said earlier… your loss.” Castor walked toward the hallway and glanced back at me when he reached it. His smile was the last thing I saw before he rounded the corner.

***

A car was in my driveway when I got home. I cut the engine on my bike and took off my helmet. Unease trickled through me.

My brother.

He was sitting in the living room when I walked inside the house, his arm casually draped across the back of the couch and one ankle crossed over his knee. He was the spitting image of our father—long black hair and ocean-blue eyes. He had his temper too.

“Tatsuya,” I said, closing the door behind me and taking off my shoes. “Why are you here?”

“Wow. It’s nice to see you too, little brother.”

“Breaking into someone’s house is against the law.”

Tatsuya scoffed. “As if human laws govern us.”

“What do you want?” I grabbed a can of Monster from the refrigerator and popped it open.

“How can you drink those?” He curled his nose.

“Like this.” I took a drink. “Now. Get to the point. I know you didn’t come all the way here to criticize my taste in energy drinks.”

“Very well. I can see you’re in no mood for small talk.” He stood from the couch and stepped toward me. “I heard an interesting story the other day. One about you and your new friends. Dragons don’t meddle in the affairs of angels and demons. We’re above them.” He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. “Sowhydid you go to the underworld two months ago? And why am I just now learning of it?”

I shoved his hand away. “Demons captured my friend. So, I helped rescue him. I didn’t know it would piss you off.”

“That’s because you don’t think, Kyo! You impulsively do whatever you damn well please without considering the repercussions of those actions. You gallivanting off to the underworld could be seen as an act of war against them.” Tatsuya’s nostrils flared. “I made a mistake by allowing you to leave home. You have a lot of growing up to do first.”

“I’m not one of your sons, so stop treating me like a child. I’ve been on my own for the past fifty years. And yes, maybe pissing off a bunch of demons wasn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever had, but if I hadn’t gone? My friend Simon might’ve died.”

Castor probably would’ve died too. When I’d found him in that fighting pit, he’d been moments from being overwhelmed by demons.

“Is your friend’s lifesoimportant that you’d risk a war over it?” Tatsuya raged, jaw tightening. “In all the centuries that angels and demons have been at each other’s throats, we have never taken either of their sides.”

I was getting pissed.

“Maybe we should.” I placed my drink on the table. No sense in spilling a perfectly good Monster if my brother and I started throwing punches. Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Excuse me?” He shot a glare my way.

“Do you really want the son of Lucifer taking over the world?” I glared right back. “Because that would royally suck.”

“I’ve heard rumors that he’d risen.” Tatsuya frowned. “So it’s true, then.”

I nodded. “I saw him. He was weak at the time, but even so, his power was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. We’llhaveto pick a side eventually. Remaining neutral isn’t an option anymore.”