I can see why Everett liked him. My brother would have voiced the same thing.
“I saw two very different people,” Titus continues. “Both terribly pained and hurt, but their purpose differs.” He turns, pressing his back against the wall, standing side by side with me like we’re old friends. “I still don’t know if I picked the right twin. Are you the best of both evils, Selene?”
He’s trying to open me up.
“Best?” I snort. “We’re cruel, grotesque, and ugly. That’s what surviving has done to us, Titus.” I study his square jaw, strong eyes, and broad shoulders. Why hasn’t it deformed you?
“Sometimes thick skin is just hiding scars, not a monster,” he retorts.
I lift my head off the wall. He’s relaxed, leaning against it, but his shoulders are hunched.
I know the weight he feels. Everett knew how to pile it on.
His eyes? They look as tired as I feel. “Is that what you want to see? My scars?” I tilt my chin up to get a better view of him.
“You tell me. Am I brave enough?”
“No.” Turning, I mimic his pose, then I allow myself to sink along the wall till my ass hits the stone floor.
He looks shocked to see his queen sitting in such a state. He waits until I nod, then he joins me. He’s uncomfortable at first, then he forces himself to sit still. “Tell me how I can be,” he gently presses.
I want to curl my legs in, hug them to my chest as a layer of protection. Instead, I kick them out. “Why would you want to? I tried to kill you last night.”
“Because I need you to help me.” He raises one knee, forming a small wall between us. He perches his elbow on it. “But I don’t think you will until you can trust me. Trust is a river that flows both ways. I need your help, but I won’t take it unless I can trust you. I’m desperate, not delusional.I will not trade the knowledge Everett confessed to me for peace of mind.”
“You put my brother first. Why not your own life? You live. Everett is dead. Debts don’t need to be paid.” My voice dips, as do Titus’s eyes.
“When Everett died, my life was altered. I’m not the same.” Apprehension seeps through his plea. “I need your help because I am trying to survive.”
“Why is it so important to see the next sunrise, Titus. Convince me. This land is cruel. Why should we beg to remain a part of a garden that only grows toxic fruit? I hear the after is a better place. Tell me why I should not seek my destiny this very moment.”
“You’ve forgotten how to dream of the future could be,” Titus murmurs. “You’re stuck in the nightmare of the present.”
“I didn’t forget. I was never allowed to dream,” I gulp.
“We must fight for the sunrise, not for ourselves but for those we love…” He tips his head back, searching the ceiling for answers.
“You love someone?”
“Yes.”
My stomach clenches so hard it pulls my lips into a frown. Deep inside my heart, there is a sharp sting.
It’s ridiculous. He killed my brother.
But… there is something odd happening, a feeling I push away. I fear that acknowledging it might yield more harm than good.
“She’s lucky,” I retort dryly.
“He,” Titus replies. “It’s not what you think.”
“Aww, a sibling.” I press my hand to my stomach. Titus loves his brother, as I did mine. I’d never wish the grief I felt over losing Everett on anyone. Now, I have to keep Titus and his brother both safe.
“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“Why did you?”
“I’d rather you know than Sable.”
