Page 14 of We Are Yours

Six

Isla

A whirlwind of emotions slapped me in the face as his arm snaked across my lower back, keeping me from falling over. I lightly gasped when he drew me closer to him, holding me firm against his chest. Our eyes stayed locked. His eyes weren’t Caribbean blue this time. They were dark, murky water, boring deep into mine, silently warning me to back off.

On cue, a train’s roar tore through the walls, breaking through our silence. It was the first time I had heard it, making me realize I must have been knocked out, as it was so loud.

However, I recognized his expression, having encountered it often with the kids in group homes. Kraven’s guard was up, and the tension between us was so thick you could choke on it.

His intense regard shifted from me to the shirt I was wearing, and he quickly removed his arm. “You just got stitched up,” he declared while moving around me, walking towards the bed. “I don’t need you bleeding all over the place again.”

He grabbed the cloth off the nightstand, tossing it at my chest. I caught it, lowering my gaze. When he lost sight of my eyes, with his finger under my chin, he lifted my face to look at him. His touch was cold, and his glare was a mask of grim determination to get me the hell out of there.

“You don’t belong here,” he stated all in one breath. “You’re just evidence.”

Am I?

He narrowed his gaze at me, cocking his head to the side. “Because my brother is ignoring the fact that you’re the brightest red fucking flag I’ve ever seen doesn’t mean I will. Let’s get that clear first.”

His words were laced with venom and ice cold against my skin.

“We don’t need any more problems,” he crudely added. “And you come with an arsenal of them. That much I’m sure of.”

I looked away. I had to. I couldn’t withstand his hatred for me. I read him all wrong… he wasn’t with me, he was against me, not a friend, but a foe.

He grabbed my chin this time, making me look at him as he spoke with conviction. “You can’t hide from me. I know you’re not scared of me, so just give me a reason to make you be.”

I yanked my chin away because I never surrendered to anyone.

“Kraven!” Julius unexpectedly shouted, abruptly walking into the room. “For fuck’s sake, she just woke up.” He stepped right into his face, getting between us. “Can you give her a minute?”

“I’ve given her two days.”

Two days? Damn, I was out for a while.

“During which she was unconscious,” Julius replied.

“Yeah, well,” Kraven snapped, looking back at me. “Your time is up.”

Julius’s aggression seemed to slightly subside when he glanced at me, ordering, “Don’t mind him, his bark is always worse than his bite.”

“Yeah, and she’s about to find out my bite leaves a mark.”

Little did we know it wouldn’t just be marks. They’d be scars I’d carry for life.

“Kraven, enough!” Julius demanded, not backing down for one second.

“I’m not your dog,” Kraven spewed, standing taller. “You can’t order me around. Try that on your new bitch.” He nodded at me. “She’s the one who needs to learn the rules.”

Julius reacted by shoving him, roaring, “Get the hell out of my room.”

This might have been the first time I felt like a pawn in a game I didn’t understand, but it was far from the last.

Nobody told me that once I learned the rules, they’d change into something unrecognizable.

Over and over and over again.

With one last menacing regard, Kraven shoulder checked Julius and stormed out of his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Julius’s expression swiftly faded into immediate regret.