Page 87 of Serpent In White

Making a beeline to the study, I dart across the room toward the bar, pouring myself some whiskey from the decanter. I sip from the glass, my mind reeling from the conversation I just had with Abdiel.

He’s internally distraught. That much was clear from hearing his thoughts for all of five seconds. He’s hung up on the deaths of his parents, and in all honesty, I get it.

I still think about all the death I’ve experienced in my life… A lot more than the kid has. I found my own mother dead, killed by my father, which set off a chain of events, molding my existence based on a cosmic plan. Everything that’s happened since then was a result of that day.

In the bathroom… Her body lying stiff and cold.

“Mom…?”

A chill runs through me as I gulp back my drink, draining the glass and immediately pouring a new one. I sip it slower, contemplating what Abdiel said… what he wants.

To go up on the mountain. To where they died.

That’s not a good idea at all.

But how could I tell the kid that? How could I explain?

And if it’s part of his Ecdysis…?

“Two nights in a row.” The familiar voice startles me out of my head, and I look up at my brother, entering the room slowly, closing the door behind him. “I must have done something special to deserve this.”

I try to huff out a chuckle, but it doesn’t really work. So I just take another swallow of burning liquid.

Darian immediately knows something’s up, though I’m blocking out the specifics. He narrows his gaze at me, walking over to the bar slowly. When he gets up next to me, he pours himself a glass, brushing against me as he does.

Then he leans up on the wood, taking a slow sip, all the while watching me closely.

The tension in the room is as thick as the waves of frustration coming at me through his head.

He saw me talking to Abdiel.

My eyes lift to his.

“Drake, for the life of me, I can’t understand what your angle is here,” he finally sighs, the tapping of his brown dress boot on the wood floor distracting me from his investigative tone. “Do you really care about the kid? Or are you just trying once more to hurt me?”

The fuck??

The words, the accusation causes my eyes to spring back to his. My jaw strains as I take in a breath, reminding myself that he’s my brother and I love him.

Don’t hit him. That would be wrong.

“Excuse me?” I growl, gripping the side of the bar as I face him. “You thinkI’mhurtingyou?”

He appears momentarily stunned before his brows zip together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shaking it off, I mutter, “Never mind. The point is that I’m not trying to do anything, and I have no angle. I care about Abdiel as much as I can, but I didn’t know he was yourproperty, brother.” I slant in closer to his face. “You should probably tell him that, because he came to me to talk about his Ecdysis.”

I knew saying this would push Darian’s buttons, which is confirmed by the stabby look he’s giving me. Darian is smitten for the kid. It’s obvious. He might even be falling in love with him…

Swallowing suddenly becomes much more difficult.

“He wants to go up the mountain,” I say the words he already knows, watching as his gaze lands on the floor and stays there for a while.

Sucking in a long breath, then letting it go, he taps the rim of his glass over and over as he glances at me. “I suppose I understand why… But it’s not safe.”

“No, it is not.”

Quiet hangs in the room again before Darian mutters, “Abdiel thinks I should tell everyone the truth.”