“I’ve heard that about the Unholy.”
His interest piqued, Discord tosses the stick and leans in toward me. He rests his arms on his powerful thighs, sinister glee etched on his deceptively angelic face. “Yeah? What else did you hear, Kerri?”
It’s a struggle not to be intimidated by him. Or lured by his cruel beauty. “The Unholy act with honor.” I glance at Havoc, who’s still pretending he’s not fazed by our conversation. “You don’t go after the innocent, and you don’t hurt women.”
“We’re not savages,” Discord tells me. “But is anyone truly innocent these days?”
“You’re too young to be this cynical.”
“I’m twenty-three. You both only got two years on me.” Discord jerks his head at Havoc. “At my age, this fucker was already an enforcer and doing super bad shit. It’s my face, though, right? It’s because I look like a baby.”
“Yes.” Because why lie? Discord looks too young to be lethal, whereas Havoc… He’s a walking red flag. Everything about him screams danger.
“You’re not scared of me, are you?” Discord asks.
“Only a little.”
I’m being all sorts of honest right now, aren’t I?
“Aw, come on.” Discord leans over to give me a playful slap on the knee. “You’re family. Consider me a demon in your pocket. You go ahead and pull me out whenever you need me. Like when we find the fucker who hurt you. I’m already imagining inventive ways to—”
“Discord, enough.” Havoc shoves a plate of food at his brother.
Stunned, I blink at Discord’s casual violence, but I’m also strangely endeared this vicious man would kill for me. His offer should repulse me. It doesn’t. Because from what I’ve learned, being an extended member of the Unholy family comes with certain perks. Like how they banded together to protect Faith when Daniel Davenport came for her and Jester.
Morality, I’ve also come to learn, is a gray area. One I’ve grown comfortable living in the longer I’ve spent away from Brighton’s sugarcoated version of reality.
“No, it’s fine,” I tell Havoc. “I prefer Discord’s candor. It’s refreshing given how phony people are in Brighton.”
Havoc hands me a plate. “Don’t encourage him.”
“Consider the warning noted.”
And I shall ignore it.
Havoc joins us, and Discord and I continue our conversation as if we’ve known each other all our lives. And as the hour progresses, I’m less afraid of him with each passing minute. He’s chatty, making Havoc seem even more tight-lipped than he already is. He touches on their childhood, but barely. Aside from being a crackhead, their mother also had a man problem. As in, she brought home a string of abusive ones. She died a few years ago, but neither brother reveals the cause of death, nor do I ask. I figure if they want to talk about it, they’ll share that information.
Discord explains how most members join the Unholy at eighteen. They get bled in. When I ask if this is literal, Discord laughs at my naivete. It seems that, yes, they give up actual blood during the initiation. He withholds the details of the “simple” but “intense” ceremony.
When I think about it, it makes sense. The oath they take is for life.
Blood in.
Blood out.
Then Discord flips the switch and grills me about my life. Havoc perks up whenever I answer. He’s still feigning nonchalance and doing a wonderful job of inactive listening.
Discord is fascinated by how close Nate and I are with our parents. This is a foreign concept to him, and it breaks my heart.
There’s envy in his expression when I talk about my dad. How he always made time for his kids, even while he built his firm. The more I speak about my father, the more miserable Discord becomes. Anguish becomes bitterness. Havoc, too, becomes strained, staring out into the woods, his mouth compressed into an angry line.
Wisely, I change the subject. “How’s Jamie? She should be ready to pop.”
Discord snaps out of whatever turbulent thoughts held him captive. “Yeah, she is. I think she has one more month to go before she makes Wraith a daddy.”
“Still can’t wrap my brain around one of our own being a father.” Havoc rubs a hand up his arm, adding, “Makes me feel old as fuck.”
Discord rolls his eyes. “What’s scary is they chose Jester to be the godfather.”
