Kelevra:If you don’t present yourself to me in the next twenty minutes, someone is going to have an unfortunate accident.
There was an image attached and Rin clicked it open, eyes going wide when he recognized Arlet standing in the corner by some bar. She was smiling and talking with a guy turned away from the camera.
“That’s Madden,” Sila said, pointing at the guy’s back. “Look at his hair.”
Rin only just got the chance to glance at it before another text interrupted.
Kelevra:Tick tock, Flower. Unless you don’t mind having her blood on your conscience.
Sila grunted. “Does he think that’s going to work?”
When Rin didn’t reply, he glanced up at him.
“Oh,” Sila said. “Right. You have one of those.”
“That’s not something you should forget,” he warned.
“I don’t.”
“You just did.”
“Yeah, because we’re alone and in a safe space. Relax, brother. I promise I’m being a good little,” he chucked his chin toward the device, “flowerwhen you’re not around.”
“Where’s the nearest body of water?” he asked. “I’m going to drown you in it.”
“Fratricide will have to wait,” Sila drawled. “Unless you really don’t care if he kills her.”
Rin hesitated. “Do you think he really would?”
Sila gave him a pointed stare. “I would.”
“Right.” He clicked on the GPS link Kelevra had included and turned toward the exit.
“I’m coming with you,” Sila announced, falling into step at his side as they made their way through the woods toward the street. “The last time you went you were…drugged.”
“Take this seriously.”
“I am.”
“You aren’t.”
“Hey.” Sila pulled him to a stop just before they made it to the road. It was rare for them to touch, physical contact another uncommon thing on Tibera, so the fact he was doing so now made it clear he meant whatever he was about to say next. “Did you really not like that he drugged you? I know it’s technically not socially acceptable behavior and would be classified as rape or sexual assault. But you didn’t seem traumatized.”
“No,” Rin said, and then sighed. “Kind of. A little. I don’t know, all right?”
Sila waited a moment, but when he didn’t tack on anything else asked, “And you’re sure you don’t want me to handle it?”
“You’re still working on handling that other problem of mine, remember?”
He dropped his hand. “It’s my problem now, I already told you that. Don’t even waste time thinking about it.”
Why did that sound possessive?
The GPS pinged letting them know they’d been standing in one place for too long and Rin dropped it and started walking again.
“From one fucked up person to another,” Sila said as they crossed toward the small parking lot attached to their apartment where his white hovercar was parked, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you being into it. But if you aren’t into it, tell me, and I’ll step in. I’d never stand back and allow anyone to hurt us.”
“Thanks,” Rin circled to the passenger side, meeting his brother’s mismatched eyes, identical to his own, over the hood. “That’s super comforting.”
