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“I’m good, I think I’ll chill by the fire,” Ash drawled, running his fingers through his unruly hair.

“Suit yourself, lazy bones.” I poked him in the nose and hurried away, feeling lighter than I had in a while.

The kitchen was dim when I entered. Kane was already there, seated at the table like he’d never left.

“Didn’t know you were dating him,” he said, refusing to look at me.

“I didn’t know you were coming home,” I replied, reaching for my mug. My hands shook. We hadn’t spoken since before everything, when he left me covered in my own sorrow.

“I didn’t expect you to have a boyfriend,” he parroted. There was no pretense to his audacity nor acknowledgement over his callous words. Only the blade of his tongue stabbing me like only he knew how to.

I continued preparing the coffee, ignoring him, forcing him to sit with his statement. But he never said anything. It was to be expected.

“I don’t remember that being any of your business.” I finally spoke, then plopped into the chair beside him. I wasn’t intimidated by my feelings anymore. We stared at each other, no warmth spared. There was only that prickling unease crawling under my skin. I drank loudly, knowing he hated the bad habit of mine. He glared at me for a moment too long and I unfurled my middle finger. I should have taken this moment to realize that this would be our pattern for years to come. Push and pull. A gentle dance or an angry dance.

That morning, we were baring teeth. “So,” I said as I placed my mug down. “Are you leaving without saying goodbye again?”

“Maybe, we’ll see.” He shrugged.

“It seems that’s what all the men in your family do.” I stood to leave. He grabbed me before I took two steps forward, yanking me back into his hard chest. It was possessive and violent. His breaths came in sharply.

“Let me go,” I snapped, pushing back against him. The shape of him had changed, and I reacted viscerally. I needed to be away from him before I acted on my anger.

“Is he your boyfriend?” His mouth hovered near my ear, tickling and invasive. I shoved against him again. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him, anchoring me in place. His scent had changed as well, crisp mint and cinder.

“Answer my question,” he hissed, reaching up to grab my jaw. He tugged my head toward him, angling me so that his lips hovered above mine. My heart hammered in my chest. This was ugly.

I used the moment to gather my strength and pushed. He stumbled backward. His lips curled, slow and cruel. It suited him well.

“If you cared,” I said, striding toward him with a finger pointed, “you wouldn’t have disappeared. You wouldn’t have treated the only person who saw you, like that.” I jabbed the finger into his chest. How I wished it were a knife. Something sharp that would draw blood, so he could see that the crimson liquid that ran through his veins was still mine.

Oh, I hated him.

“If you cared, you wouldn’t have moved on so quickly. You think I don’t know what you did all summer?” Kane was angry. Good, I thought, let him feel the fire.

“What makes you think I would be waiting?” The truth tasted bitter.

“You’re still here.” He reached for my waist again, missing as I sidestepped away.

“I live here,” I said, exhausted. “This isn’t your house. None of this is yours. It’s all mine.” Oh, I wanted to hurt him so badly. Make him curl into himself, make him feel pathetic and alone.

He crossed the room, crowding me into a corner before I could say anything.

“If you think⁠—”

He never finished. A tattooed hand slammed him to the floor. The impact echoed through the kitchen, followed by a flash of silver. Ash. He had Kane pinned with one hand, knife pressed to his throat. His hair fell into his eyes shadowing his face.

I didn’t recognize him. In fact, I couldn’t reconcile the change in both of them.

“Talk to her like that again,” Ash said terrifyingly calm, “you’ll never be able to speak again.” They stared harshly at one another, an unspoken history oscillating between them.

“Do you two know one another?” I whispered, eyes darting between the pair.

“I found out some interesting bits of information this summer.” Kane gritted through bared teeth, poising to spit in Ash’s face. “Ask your father about mine.”

Ash shoved Kane’s face into the ground, leaving a blooming bruise. A rush of satisfaction washed through me. Daisy then rushed in, hands flying to her mouth. “What the fuck is happening?”

Ash released Kane and stood up, leaving him on the floor. He nodded once at Daisy before pointing the knife at Kane once more. “Why don’t you tell them how I ended up at military school?”