“That’s seriously never going to happen.” Kinsley half-yelled as she kicked him off the bed.
His body hit the floor with a hard thud, followed by a dry laugh where he’d landed.
As Kinsley turned back to me and opened her mouth to continue our conversation, Kolby’s hand shot up over the bed. My eyes immediately moved to what he was holding. Wrapped in his fingers was a pair of my silk underwear, probably taken from somewhere under the bed. “Can I pretend this was a souvenir from last night?”
“You. Are. Such. A. Freak.” Kinsley shrieked before rolling over the bed and throwing punches that hit him repeatedly. He blocked her, but she yanked the underwear from his grasp and tossed them back to me. Kolby grunted in pain as she smiled at me.
In the next moment, he ripped a pillow off the bed in retaliation, smashing her in the face with it.
A flustered scream escaped her before she erupted into a whirlwind of smacks and squeals. “Out. Get out, you big fatidiot!”
Kolby just laughed in response, as if her temper tantrum meant nothing. Dodging her attempted attacks, he stood and winked at me before making his way toward the door. I just sat and watched everything unfold like I normally did with them. Arguments like these weren’t uncommon, especially with them being only six minutes apart. With twins as roommates, I’d already learned their life was either a constant competition or an impromptu wrestling match.
Just as his foot crossed the threshold into the hallway, Kinsley ran to the door and closed it by throwing her body weight into it. “If mom wasn’t visiting in a few weeks, I might actually murder him. Too bad I have to keep him around for brownie points. He may bemytwin brother, but he’s stillherbaby boy.”
I laughed, enjoying the sarcasm in her tone. “He’s not that bad.”
Raising her eyebrows, she folded her arms. “He just had your underwear. Yourunderwear, Em.” Pulling away from the door, she swung it open and peered down the hallway to check that it was empty. From there, she turned her head slightly, looking at me from the corner of her eye. “And we’ll be finishing this conversation later.”
I responded with a nod of confirmation.
I was thankful for our friendship, even though sometimes it felt strained. Kinsley came from money; her whole family did. A few years ago, they put out an ad for a roommate which I’d found in between places. Upon meeting, I realized they needed to prove to their family they could live on their own, and at that time, I knew I just simplycouldn’t. It was a situation that worked for both of us, and living with the twins had worked out. Our house was a constant carousel of people, but I didn’t mind it one bit. I could probably afford to live on my own now, but I liked it here with them—they kept things interesting.
Bending down to grab my shoes, I glanced back at my vanity. A large photo was shoved into the frame around the mirror—me, Kinsley, Kolby, and the rest of the football team after they’d won the state championship. To celebrate, Kinsley and I had been hoisted onto their shoulders, our hands raised in victory for them, smiling like nothing in the world could touch us.
I kept my eyes on the picture as I pulled my shoes on. The Ember in that photo was the same woman I was now, someone who was built to withstand anything. Taking out my phone, I shot a quick reply to Silas’s email before grabbing my bag and leaving the room, closing my door behind me.
7
Silas
Almost a week had passed since meeting Ember, and I was starting to get antsy about how long Knox was taking. Luckily, the masquerade was tonight and preparations for it had kept me busy. Even now, my brothers and I were finalizing the last details of the floor plan.
All three of us moved around the silent space as we worked, securing lights and different fixtures. The stillness clung to me, only adding to the restlessness within my body. I knew this time, it was necessary to make sure everything ran smoothly, but I still missed the vitality from a full crowd.
Having the company of my brothers helped as we worked to secure the steel frames for the dancers. The large metal cages had just been hung, and we were in the middle of making sure the attachments to the reinforced beams were secure. Kyrin tested their chains twice but was still perched next to one on a ladder, tightening one of the bolts.
“You know,” he said, glancing down at me. “You could probably put a camera in this thing and livestream it.”
“The club is interesting enough without that,” I replied, kicking the bottom rung of the ladder.
Kyrin grinned down at me and steadied himself on the steel door of the cage. “Nothing can ever betoointeresting.”
“The members have enough to watch here.” Shaking my head, I caught the wrench he tossed down to me and glanced over at Greyson, who was clearly done contributing. He leaned against the bar with one boot hooked on the foot rail, pouring tequila into his mouth from the spout of a random bottle.
Making a mental note to switch that one out before the event started, I turned back to Kyrin as he climbed down the ladder. Now that the cages hung straight, the tables were all that was left.
“We just need to line the walls now.”
Kyrin nodded in understanding and looked up toward the middle of the ceiling. “Is that where the silk will be?”
“Yeah, so we need to measure the space on both sides and make sure she has enough room.”
Greyson snorted behind us as he switched to another bottle. “For what? All the debauchery below her?”
I ignored him as the tables scraped softly against the floor. A couple more small adjustments later, and the entire space around us was done, our final task complete.
Kyrin looked around, wiping his hands on his pants. “We good?”
