“She’s mine…”
“If she were yours, Julius,” he spat, “she wouldn’t have screamed my name first.”
“You know why I did, Kraven…”
I shoved him off, blurting, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Yeah?” he baited, only looking at her. “What about every time since?”
“If someone doesn’t tell me what the hell is go?—”
“Ask her, you pussy, and stop taking it out on me! She tells me because I ask. I don’t run like you do.”
In one breath, I sneered, “I’m not running.”
“If that were true”—he chuckled, mocking me—“you wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch every night.”
“Fu—”
“You run from everything and everyone!” he yelled, his chest rising and falling. “Why do you think that is?”
“Kraven, stop it!” Isla ordered, grabbing his arm now.
He tore it away, spitting venom. “I’ll tell you why…”
“Kraven!” She reached for his arm. “Don’t do this!”
Before the last word left her mouth, he deliberately shouted, “Because you’re just like our mother!”
I fell back from the impact of his words. They hurt far more than any punch ever could.
“And I’m just like Joe.” He dug the knife a little deeper when he added, “It’s why we love and hate each other so much.”
“I don’t hate you, Kraven,” I told him, the truth that ate away at me on the daily. “Because you do enough of that for us both.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught tears falling down the sides of Isla’s face. Her expression was one of pure disbelief that Kraven had decided to declare war on me.
Kraven didn’t give a shit. He was too far gone in his hatred for me at that moment. My brother was always reckless. He was a lot like Joe. I couldn’t save our father, so I spent the last six years trying to save him instead.
I was exhausted.
Burned out.
Running on empty.
The wind from my sails was snatched, leaving me on a deserted island by myself.
“Again, with the victim bullshit.” Kraven didn’t let up.
Not that I expected him to. Once he was riled up, there was no calming him down or making him see reason. He was hopeless.
All fire, no water.
“Give me a break.” He scoffed in disgust. “All my life you’ve used everything you’ve done for me against me, and don’t try to pretend that isn’t a fact.”
“Kraven! That’s enough!” she pleaded in a desperate tone that shook my body to the bones.
“Isla and I have a connection you’ll never touch. You see, Julius… you help her with her problems. I make her forget them. That’s the difference between us, dear brother.” He stepped back, arms raised, spitting blood. “Careful, Julius, your halo’s slipping.”
