Page 136 of Crave

Draw him into you.

Make him want you.

Gabe didn’t move—not for a second—as I struggled to guide Silas out of the kitchen doorway and into the hall. I could feel the desperation emanating from him, see the absolute destructionunfolding inside him at that very moment. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

I tore my gaze away from Gabe, hating the way he looked at me—as if he were finally putting the pieces together. And for the first time, I realized—maybe they weren’t the only ones breaking here. Maybe I was breaking too.

And when they finally figured out what I was hiding, what I had buried deep in my mind, stained with the blood of our parents all along—then none of us would survive.But I will, that deep, dark, haunting whisper echoed in my head.

I will always survive.

Chapter Thirty-Three

SILAS

The kitchen swayed,light bled into black as my grip on the counter faltered, fingers slipping against the slick surface as the room closed in. A sharp, lancing pain shot through my side, radiating outward in a sickening pulse.

Fuck.

The adrenaline that’d been keeping me upright—keeping me alive—was wearing off too fast. My knees buckled. The tiled floor rushed up to meet me.

“Silas!”

Theo’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears. Hands grabbed me before I hit the ground. His strong hand clamped around my arm like a vice, stopping my fall at the last second. My body jerked against his hold, muscles seizing from the strain. The sudden movement ripped a new wave of pain through my side, and I sucked in a sharp breath, black spots dancing in my vision.

“No,” my voice slurred.

I didn’t fucking want this. Didn’t want them helping me, didn’t want to feel the weight of my own weakness pressing down.

But I couldn’t fight it.

A second set of hands gripped me. Jude. His touch was firm, but careful, unlike Theo whose frustration was bleeding through every movement. They half-dragged me between them, their breathing rough with exertion as they hauled my useless, bleeding ass towards the hallway.

“Jesus,” Jude pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. “He’s burning up.”

He wedged his shoulder against mine, taking more of my weight.

“You think?” Theo snapped. His grip tightened, fingers biting into my skin as he shifted to take more of the load. “He’s been bleeding like a stuck pig for the past damn hour, and didn’t say shit about it.”

I gritted my teeth and lifted my head, forcing my gaze to his as I tried to move. My limbs felt like dead weight. I hated this—this fucking weakness, this dependence. My side was wet, the heat of fresh blood soaking into the waistband of my jeans.

Behind us, footsteps echoed.

Herfootsteps.

I didn’t need to see her to know she was there. Didn’t need to hear her voice to feel the way she was watching me, her silence pressing like a phantom touch against my skin.

Angelica.

The only fucking thorn in my side…the liar, the betrayer…our goddamn sister.

Rage simmered beneath the pain flaring into something hotter, something viscous. I fisted my hands at my sides as they hauled my ass down the hallway to the bathroom at the rear of the house. But my ass was heavy, leaving Theo to stumble under the weight and slam his shoulder against the wall.

“Where the fuck is Gabe?” He barked.

“I’m here,” Gabe’s voice came from behind us…and behind her. My little brother’s tone, low, flat…unreadable.

Jude reached inside the doorway, hitting the light switch.