Page 54 of Serpent In White

“I will,” Darian breathes, blinking his ocean eyes at me.

“Promise.” It should be a question, but it comes out more like a demand.

He nods, hesitantly. “I promise. But you have to promise something to me…”

“Anything,” I whisper, sounding way less manly than I’d like to.

“Promise you’ll never leave me…” he pleads. He clears his throat, glancing at the floor for just a moment before his eyes are back with me. “Promise you’ll always be my brother, no matter what happens.”

I have the strongest urge I’ll never understand to hug him in this moment, and it confuses me down to my core. My mind spins and whips up the need inside me, making sure I believe it’s just compassion and empathy for my brother, though deep in a strange corner of my heart, I don’t think that’s all it is.

Instead of holding him like I want to when I shouldn’t, I just extend my hand, pinky out, and murmur, “I promise.”

The first bit of relief I’ve seen since he got home flashes in his eyes, his lips twisting only a little as he reaches out, curling his pinky around mine.

We pinky swear on it, and that’s it. It’s done.

I’ve made a promise I have no intention of breaking, ever.

Despite anything that may come to us in the future, he’s my brother. I’ll never leave him, and I won’t deny the need to end any lives for him. He’s that important, after all.

Darian is heart and home. The first ones I’ve ever had.

I’m carrying a mixture of emotions as I come downstairs for dinner.

I’m eager to see Abdiel, though I know I shouldn’t be. I’m nervous that I upset him when I left him in the lake the other night. And then there’s my awareness of the fact that he messed around with my brother.

Every time I think about it, my teeth set, my fists clench, and I just want to hit something. And even having such a reaction is baffling to me.

Abdiel isn’t mine at all. He’s just my Domestic, and a young, sweet member of my family. I can’t understand why I’m suddenly so drawn to him…

It’s like ever since I found out that he watched Drake fuck me, and how he reacted to it, I haven’t been able to get him out of my brain. He’s taken up residency in my mind, and honestly, nothing, not even Drake, or the constant reminder that I’m already married, has been able to kick him out.

Confusing, but in an unexpectedly good way. The kind of way that feels like a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering up my esophagus; one of those uncomfortable tickles that triggers dopamine to your brain, whether you want it to or not.

It’s something I’ve only evertrulyfelt for one other person.

The second I set foot in the dining room, I’m listening for Abdiel. I don’t hear him right away, and disappointment sweeps through me as I consider that he might not be working tonight.

But just as I’m settling into the idea of another dinner staring at Drake’s empty place setting, I hear him…

Abdiel. He’s humming.

I take my seat at the table, paying no mind to anyone or anything other than the sound coming from the kitchen. I can tell right away that it’s Abdiel’s voice. Such a distinctly beautiful sound, captivating me even from the next room. It’s very faint, but I can hear it better because of Empyrean. I can’t actually tell if he’s really humming or doing so in his mind.

Either way, I think I recognize the song.

DefinitelyPink Floyd,though I’m unsure of which one…

They begin bringing us drinks, and I can see Abdiel through the doorway, darting back and forth as he plates the food. I’m trying not to be obvious in my obsessive watching, but I’m simply fascinated by him now. The way he moves, the sounds of his thoughts…

I wonder if he captivated Drake the same way he’s captivated me.

The thought squeezes my fist beneath the table.

We get some bread, and I say a prayer over the meal, followed by gazpacho that smells amazing, though I’m having a hard time concentrating because Abdielstillhasn’t come into the room.

Finally,finally, he saunters over with my plate of dinner, eyes on anything but me as he approaches, setting it down in front of me. My gaze slides up him while he leans over to deliver my food, ogling the slope of his neck, the line of his throat, his sharp jaw and those pillowed lips. My cock stirs as his eyes finally meet mine, his cheeks turning subtly pink, as he undoubtedly heard what I was thinking about him.