Page 82 of Fragile Facade

“I don’t give a shit, though.”

“Deny it all you want. You still ordered me to make a smoothie and brought it to him. And soup. You care.”

“I’ve never cared before. Not about anything but myself.”

“Not true. You care about me and Selena, and you care about Moros. You care about Keegan.”

“You know, he told me he raped you and I got mad because it felt like he got one over on me. I was pissed on my own behalf, not yours.”

“I’ve lived with you my whole life, Soren. I know who you are.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

He shrugs, feet scuffing on the sidewalk. “Sometimes, yeah, but you’re my brother and I still love you for who you are.”He still loves me for who I am…My brother loves me? “You might not have cared that he assaulted me, but you herded me to Vile House to protect me. Dad always said you were a bad narcissist.”

“What? He did?”

Remi snorts. “Yeah. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re vain as fuck and only give a shit about yourself, but the odd time, you get super loyal to something or someone and you give them everything you can, even if you do it in your own way. You led me to the most dangerous place in town, but it saved me. You got Selena in to protect her. You left the music shop so you wouldn’t ruin it. Your protection methods are insane and borderline deadly, but you still protect us.” He looks at me, adding, “You brought Killian a smoothie.”

“And soup,” I mutter. “Fuck, Remi! What is happening to me?”

Simply, and with a smile, he says, “You met your match.”

“But I’ve known him forever.”

“Timing is right then. Have you…?”

“We fucked,” I blurt out fast. “Once. I hated it.” I swallow. “So much that I want it again.”

“I have a fear kink,” he admits, not dwelling on my confession because he knows I can’t handle it.

“Don’t overly wanna hear about it.”

He ignores me. “How does that make sense? I’ve been afraid all my life, and suddenly he comes along and makes it arousing? My point is, not everything makes sense. Just because you like him doesn’t mean you have to stop challenging him. Sex with him doesn’t make you submissive or weak. Wanting him doesn’t mean you have to be romantic. Krypt can’t even say the word love, but I know he loves me in the way he can, so… try that. Figure out howyoucare about someone, and then… show him.”

“What if I don’t know?”

“We hardly ever do.”

“What if I hate him more than I, uh, like him?”

“That’d suit you.” Remi laughs. “I don’t know Killian all that well, but from the outside, it seems like you both try ridiculously hard to be the best, and maybe it’d be nice to just… not try so hard around each other all the time.”

That does sound relaxing, in a sense. I don’t often let my guard down, but holding his hand last night, falling asleep in his bed with his fingers between mine, felt oddly comfortable. I think I like those parts of him, but if he ever stops goading me like he has been for years, everything soft will shatter. Because I can’t take the soft without the harsh, and I don’t want the innocence without the evil.

In front of the house, we stare at the lit-up living room window. Mom is in there, watching TV like a zombie. I should probably care that she’s brain-dead and messed up, but I don’t. Remi and Selena are fine, and that’s all I have left to care about in my family.

“You sure you wanna be here for this?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” Remi says. “We’re all gonna be here for this.” He points to the front porch. Selena, that mini ghost in training, slips out of the shadows to stand with us.

“Let’s go kidnap Mom and bring her to the mad doctor.”

Axel is going to help us deal with our ‘mother’ problem. Either get her brain right or just lock her up in a cozy cell so she’s not a liability during this upcoming war. Gregory Malone is in there, and she keeps asking about him, so it’s time we learn the real reason why.

“Wait,” Remi shouts before we step forward. “I feel like this is one for the scrapbook.” He holds out his phone, the camera app open. And because it’s so fucking ridiculous, we all laugh as he snaps a few photos.

“First family kidnapping,” Selena laughs. “Here we go.”