Prologue
Adrian
Four YearsPrior
Adrian wanted to fuck him.There wasn’t any sense in denying it. With his stark black hair and his cocky grin, Cedric Langston washot, and according to the rumors at school, the knot he popped was worthgrovelingover.
Adrian would makeithis.
The only problem with his plan sat next to him, avoidinghisgaze.
Gabriel.
Adrian’s lips twitched as he looked at his younger brother. Gabriel was on his phone again, the tiniest smile on his face. His eyes were distant and dreamy, and every now and then he covered his mouth with his hand to hold back a laugh. If Adrian didn’t know better, he would have thought his brother was talking to someone he liked, but no one liked Gabriel. He was too quiet, too meek, and tooannoying.
And that afternoon, Adrian was convinced that Gabriel was doing everything he could to sabotage Adrian’s chances at going home with CedricLangston.
“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” Adrian’s hands tightened around the steering wheel, the leather covering sturdy againsthispalm.
“Doing what?” Gabriel looked up from his phone. The quiet, shy way he spoke was a fabrication—Gabriel’s underhanded attempt to win the position of favorite son. Adrian saw right through him, and it annoyed him to no end. The first infuriating twitch of agitation teased the hairs on the back of his neck until they stoodonend.
HehatedGabriel’sinnocentact.
“You’re coming out with me because you want to ruin my time with my friends.” Thank god they were parked far enough away from the mall that no one would be able to see them. How embarrassing would it be if Cedric knew Adrian was babysitting his little brother? “You could have said you didn’t want to come when Mom told me to take youalong.”
“I wanted to go out.” Gabriel shrugged a single shoulder dismissively, then looked back down at his phone. The smile on his face grew, and his thumbs flew over the screen to typesomething.
Adrian gritted his teeth and held back his anger. Gabriel could deny all he wanted, but Adrian knew the truth—he wanted to sabotage Adrian’s social life. Ever since Gabriel’s first heat a few months ago, he’d been insufferable. If he wasn’t following Adrian around, trying to worm his way into Adrian’s group of friends, he was glued to his phone, grinning like anidiot.
All Adrian wanted was to be leftalone.
“You’re sixteen. Why don’t you get your damn license and go out on your own?” Adrian scowled. “I shouldn’t have to babysit you anymore. You’re not a kid, Gabriel. It’s time you learned to beindependent.”
“Yeah. I think so, too.” To Adrian’s surprise, Gabriel set his phone down. The screen was dark. “That’s why I wanted to come out to the mall with you today. I’m going to do my own thing, okay? And you can do whatever it is you were goingtodo.”
There had to be a catch. Adrian looked Gabriel over suspiciously, eyes wandering from the long, regal bridge of his nose to the high, feminine bones of his cheeks. Gabriel was already unbuckled, and the way his hair caught the fading afternoon sun highlighted the gold in his dirty-blond locks. The shirt he wore was a closer fit than most of the baggy atrocities he insisted on wearing, and the look onhisface…
Adrian’s lips twitched. “As long as your own thing means you stay the hell away from me and my group of friends, that’s fine. When I’m done, I’ll text you, and you’ll meet me at the stairs by the foodcourt,okay?”
“Okay.” Gabriel’s smile grew. It was too docile and sincere, and it riled Adrian in ways he couldn’t fullycomprehend.
What reason did Gabriel have to be so happy? There was nothing to be happy about. Not after what they went throughathome.
He had to be planningsomething.
The clothes he was wearing and the blissful, serene vibe he gave off weredifferentsomehow, like Gabriel didn’t care anymore about the hell they’d return to in a few morehours.
Did he know about Cedric? Was he planning tointervene?
The plastic click of the lock and the pop of the door handle drew Adrian back into the moment. Gabriel was leaving the car. Before his ass so much as lifted from the seat, Adrian grabbed him by the arm and held him in place. Gabriel looked over his shoulder and met Adrian’s gaze. The setting sun’s light turned the pale blues of hisirisesgray.
“And when I say you stay the hell away, I mean it. I don’t want you talking with any of my friends, okay? Not even people you thinkmightbe my friends. We’re all graduated and going off to college or whatever, and you’re just a scrawny junior. No one wants anythingfromyou.”
Gabriel’s smile spoiled, but the frown that replaced it was just as small and heartfelt. “Someone wants somethingfromme.”
“No.” Adrian narrowed his eyes. “You need to leave my friends alone, Gabriel. Go make friends ofyourown.”
“Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time, Adrian?” Gabriel tugged his arm away, then rubbed at the spot Adrian’s hand had grasped. “I’m not trying to get into your stupid group of friends, okay? All I wanted was to come to the mall. I’m going to meet up with myownfriends, and we’re going to have agoodtime.”
