Page 31 of We Are Yours

I hated that I had to succumb to his threats, but I didn’t have another choice in the matter. It wasn’t that I thought she’d run. I just didn’t want to worry about her while I was gone, and at the end of the day, I knew Kraven would look out for her if I asked him to.

“You’re a real asshole,” I firmly reminded. “You know that, right?”

He beamed. “It’s just part of my charm.”

“Then you’ll do this for me?”

“I’m surprised you trust me with your little pet project.” With a challenging expression, he added, “What if she likes me more than you?”

I didn’t hesitate, simply speaking the truth, “It’s not a competition, little brother.”

Kraven

The black cat walked into the room, and I immediately wondered how much she heard or if she was eavesdropping. I owed her one, and it was the only reason I was going to do this favor, but Julius didn’t need to know that. At least now we’d be even.

She’d been here for half a year, and the only thing we knew about her was her name, and I say we because Julius didn’t know shit either. He would have told me. Besides, Kitty didn’t speak. Still. After all this time. And my dumbass brother didn’t bat an eye about it.

Since what I imagined was their first kiss at the park, I kept my distance. If Julius wanted to date Satan’s familiar, it was on him. Not me.

I chuckled at the thought. I was kidding. Maybe.

“You’re back early,” Julius announced, looking over at her.

She was once again dressed as if she were going to a funeral.

She nodded at me, and I nodded back at her.

This was usually the extent of our encounters, and now my brother was literally asking me to babysit her. How the hell was I supposed to pull this off when she didn’t talk? It would be a struggle I’d have no tolerance for, of that much I was aware.

After giving it a little thought, I was going to use this opportunity to do everything in my power to get her to talk to me. This couldn’t go on any longer. It was ridiculous that he allowed it to go this far. If I had to do this, then I was going to get something out of it.

Answers for one.

I knew I wasn’t the only person out of us expecting the cops to show up at the door any day now, and they wouldn’t be there for me.

Julius asked, “Did you finish your test early?” He was like a lovestruck puppy, waiting for her affection.

All she did was smile, and his face lit up as if he were a damn Christmas tree. It truly was pathetic. At this point, I swear they were telepathic. This was how they always communicated, and it blew my mind every single time, further pissing me off.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the pitiful scene unfolding in front of me. How this was enough for him was beyond me.

I’d reached my bullshit meter for the day, so I stated, “I’d love to stick around and play your guys’ warped version of charades, but I have better things to do.”

A guy could only take so much. Julius’s stare let me know he was still waiting for an answer. I glared at him, half-heartedly agreeing with my expression. After I surrendered to what could simply be described as the weekend from hell, our fates were sealed.

I was still trying to keep my life separate from Julius and his sidekick. It was none of their business what I was up to. It was blatantly obvious to me that Julius was basically pussy-whipped with no pussy. They hadn’t had sex. I lived under the same roof, so I’d know.

That was surprising because Julius usually had more pull with girls. He never had a problem getting laid, but it was becoming apparent that whatever he felt for her was something I couldn’t understand, and it had nothing to do with sex.

Trust was sacred to me, and Julius handed it to her like it was nothing. Most days, it felt like he didn’t even trust me. He took on everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was persistent in handling it on his own, and that frustrated me more than anything.

At this crossroads, who knew what the future held? I sure as shit didn’t.

Regardless, there was no defining our relationship, let alone our brotherly dynamic. I’d be seventeen soon, and he wasn’t far off from becoming a legal adult. It was crazy how fast time flew by, yet so damn slow.

It’d been almost six years since our mom left and never came back. Every time my mind went there, every time I allowed the unanswered questions to fester inside me, just waiting to blow up and take over, I’d remind myself that I didn’t need answers in order to survive and keep going.

Nothing made sense, and as the years carried on, it became crystal clear that nothing would. I could go on with the uncertainty of what the future held for us, but not when it came down to Isla. I needed to know who this chick was, or I was going to burst from the inside out. She’d talk to me until I got the truth out of her if it was the last thing I did.