Page 146 of This Blood That Breaks Us

She placed a hand on my chest, and I pushed Her away.

“Get the fuck off me,” I spat. “My brother isn’t weak.”

“You both have weaknesses. And I’ve spent time ensuring they’re purged. He was afraid of failing all of you, so I made sure he faced that fear head-on. And you . . . afraid of what would happen if you lost your brother. So afraid you couldn’t see what was right in front of you. This place was made for you. And thatthing you’ve always wanted is already yours. Luke will be with you forever. Safe and sound with you as his valiant protector.”

“That’s why you killed that girl. As a test?”

She rolled Her eyes. “You only listen to what you want to hear. The girl was in my way and the perfect opportunity to help him face that fear and squash all that hope lingering inside him. You’ll realize some people have so much hope you have to nearly kill them to extinguish it. But not for you. You have no hope left. Only anger.”

Her hands made their way to my chest, and I grabbed Her wrists.

“But I thought you came here to kill me? You’ll need to be closer.” She pressed Her chest up against mine and looked up at me. Taunting.Fucking beautiful.

“Don’t you wish I’d let you kill me?”

She ran Her fingers up my arm. I said nothing, focusing instead on the rage building in my gut, but it got drowned out by the euphoria of Her touch.

She moved my hand to squeeze Her neck. “Come on. Kill me.”

A fluttering pulse thrummed underneath my fingertips. All of Her blood could be mine.

“Did you really think it would be that easy? Darling, you should know better.”

That was the last thing She said before I bit into Her neck and I was lost in Her again.

I was at the bottom of hell. The room grew colder. The more I let Her have, the more numb I felt inside. My chest wasn’t hurting anymore. I let Her pull me under the frozen lake. The inferno of frost and deception.

She moaned for me.Take all you want, Darling.

I moved Her to the throne and dropped to my knees while loosening my tie. Her foot rested on my shoulder, and She looked down at me with hungry eyes. I was beneath Her. Noteven good enough to be trash. Just dust and old rotting bones. And that’s exactly where She liked me to be, crawling and groveling for Her.

I didn’t care anymore. Let me be nothing. It was all I was good for. All I was destined to be. I brought my lips to Her thigh while Her hands knotted my hair, and She pulled me higher.

Good boy.

I bit Her. The blood trickled down Her inner thigh, and I used my tongue to taste every glorious drop. My whole body buzzed with the feeling of Her in my veins.

I wanted to hide in the shadow of Her darkness.

I was always going to betray my brother. I prayed to Her in silent devotion to let me hide and be nothing in quiet peace. She was my god.

My trance broke when Luke barreled into me and threw me across the altar.

“Don’t touch Her,” he growled.

There were no traces of my golden brother left in his brown eyes. Something foreign and feral ripped through me. Why did he think he could have Her all to himself? She was as much mine as She was his.

“What are you going to do about it?” The words came out quick and with no thought behind them.

I stepped forward. My body was full again. Full of Her and ready for anything.

“Don’t.” Ezra stood by the door, letting the moonlight in. The smell of rain wafted in, and the candles in the cathedral flickered.

“No, let them work it out.” Sirius smiled, watching me while he tended to the bite mark on Her leg. A mixture of disgust and jealousy twisted in my gut.

Luke pushed me and I pushed back.

My brother was a monster, and I’d let it happen. There were fates worse than death, and Luke knew that. The thing I’d tried to run away from was finally snarling in my face like a rabid three-headed beast about to consume its prey.