Prologue - 12 Years Earlier
Graysen
Sprawled on a Persian rug, I lay in a pool of sunlight that warmed its fading threads of red and gold. My nine-year-old brother, Jett, sat cross-legged across from me on a beanbag, an elbow on his thigh, chin cupped in his hand. We were in our rumpus room, filled with toys and games, and a collection of mismatched furniture and cushions from various periods, once elegant and refined and now thoroughly abused by me and my brothers. Sunlight blazed through the bank of ceiling-to-floor windows, saturating the halls and rooms with an unnatural summer warmth.
The clatter and murmur of the everyday life of our House drifted inside to compete against the music playing in the background: the clash of steel on steel; the barked commands of our Weapons Master; staff hurrying past on their various tasks.
Jett and I wore loose t-shirts and shorts, and a silver tray holding a jug of lemonade and snacks sat beside us. I reached for my glass, sipping at the refreshing liquid, its sweet tartnessspilling down my throat. Swiping my lip free from moisture with my thumb, I considered my next question before shooting my brother a sharp look. “Do you wear glasses?”
Jett tipped his head to the side, squinting at me. “Do I look like I fucking wear glasses?” he shot back, his young voice squeaky, before cutting a furtive glance over his shoulder to see if anyone, in particular our mother, had walked in and overheard his curse.
“Right now, yeah, you do.” I waved a hand at him, grinning. “You’ve got a pretty little hat on and a blue shirt of some kind.”
The beanbag beneath Jett crinkled as he straightened, pretending to look affronted. “No. I’m not wearing glasses.”
I flipped the tabs down on the board in front of me, pursing my mouth to the side.Not Asami or Michelle then…that just leaves…Zara, Cristina, or Leona.“Your turn.”
My brother squiggled as he considered his options, then glanced up. His violet eyes were narrowed and shrewd. “Are you bald?”
Godsdammit!
“Yes,” I gritted out.
With a smarmy grin showing teeth too big for his mouth, he quickly flicked down the tabs on his board.
Bobbing my head to the music flowing from the media system, ‘Electric Feel’by MGMT, I plucked at the soft threads of the rug while thinking about which of the three women remaining on the board of Guess Who? it could be. What set them apart? Running through the options in my mind.Leona wore a necklace… Zara has red lipstick… And Cristina has—
Jett gave a bored, weary sigh that instantly had my gaze snapping upward, irritation prickling beneath my skin. He unfolded his long, scrawny legs before glancing over his shoulder. I knew where he was looking—the door.
I arched a brow, more than a little pissed. “What?”
He tucked a thick, wavy lock of hair behind an ear, dragging his gaze back to mine. “I was gonna help Mom with her—”
“She’s gardening. She’s always gardening.”
“I wanted to help—”
“You promised me three games,” I growled, jutting my chin out.
Jett hissed through his teeth, throwing up his hands. “Hurry up. You take too long thinking about your questions!”
“I just want to make sure I ask the right one because I want to—”
“Win!” Jett interrupted, stamping a foot. “Yeah, I get it. I do, too. But Gray, for the fucking love of Zrenyth, ask me a godsdamned question!”
I bared my teeth at him and shot back, “Are you wearing a necklace?”
“No.”
Yes! Goodbye, Leona.I flipped her necklace-wearing face down.
“Do you have fat lips?” Jett asked, giving me a dark look as he leaned over to scoop up a handful of popcorn.
Shimmying my shoulders in time to the soft-synth beat of the song, I puckered my lips and made a kissy face at him.
His scowl melted away, and he erupted with laughter, tossing popcorn at me. I reacted swiftly, averting my head sideways as fluffy corn struck my cheek and temple, bouncing off to scatter all over the rug. “Dick,” he cackled.
I plucked a single popcorn and tossed it into my mouth, crunching down on it so it squeaked against my teeth, simply to make my brother’s smile grow wider. I wiggled my eyebrows. “No. No fat lips.”
