“GRAY!” I yelled.
He appeared at the door of the bedroom in just a pair of boxers, and for two seconds, I forgot why I called him. And then his aura filled the room.
“Why are there yellow tulips in here?” he demanded. The darkness of his aura was almost suffocating, but when it disappeared, it took the flowers with it. “Scott?!”
“I don’t know!” I lied.
Gray stormed away from the room, muttering about seeing Hunter, and I sank back down into bed, too afraid to go back to sleep.
Yellow tulips would be the fucking death of me.
I made my way to visit Hunter, hoping to discuss the problem that had arisen. For once, I needed my big brother for his status and title.
“And you wonder why I refused to have children with you,” Larkin yelled.
“You can’t complain if I have them by someone else then,” Hunter shot back.
“Trouble in paradise?” I cut in with a smirk, unable to hold back.
They both turned to me, and I was grateful that Larkin wasn’t responsible for death because I would have ceased to exist, time and time again. Much to my dismay, she disappeared in silver, and I turned back to my big brother, packing my fight away for another day.
“What do you want, Grayson?” Hunter asked.
“A discussion.”
“About?”
“Archer.”
“What now?”
“He’s,” I started. How was I meant to phrase this? “He’s causing issues.”
“How exactly? He doesn’t arrive until tomorrow.”
“Yellow tulips everywhere at Scott’s place.”
Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Why would he leave a mark with her? Has something happened between them?”
It better not have, I thought, the jealousy uncoiling deep in the pit of my stomach.
I’d make sure Archer didn’t exist anymore if he so much as tried. But considering Quentin wouldn’t let me near her, I doubted she’d let Archer close.
“Not as far as I know,” I answered coolly.
“Hmm, he’s not that stupid,” Hunter agreed. “He knows it’d be punishable by death.”
If you’re stupid enough to get caught.
“It’s irritating her,” I said.
“So?” he barked. “Let it irritate her, Grayson. She’s a mortal. Surely, you can put up with her whining. I have bigger things to deal with than this.”
And there it was in a nutshell — my older brother and ruler of all of us was forever a selfish prick under the layers of fake niceties.
He left me with no choice. I’d have to figure out a way to deal with Archer myself.
It was a grim Monday when I entered the institute. My presence wasn’t required in the lab with Quentin. Instead, I was seeing Charlotte. As if I didn’t see enough of her. She shadowed most of my moves and was generally exhausting to be around. Tyler deserved a medal for even considering tying his life to hers.
