Blood Brothers
The door to my sister’s room is cracked a bit, and a couple of guards are standing outside. I’m not sure if I ordered that or someone else did, but I’m not mad about it.
I push the door open with the toe of my boot and wait. Aiden finishes the song and then turns to look at me, a forlorn look in his eyes. He hasn’t showered since we got back from the battle. I can tell because he has streaks of blood on his cheek, and when he opens his mouth to speak, giving a quiet greeting, his teeth are still stained pink. I wonder if mine are, too. Unfortunately, I can no longer taste my enemies’ blood in my mouth.
“Hi,” I say, standing in the doorway. “Mind if I come in?”
He shrugs and replies, “It’s your house.”
That is true. I still have no reason to be rude to him, not after what he did on the battlefield.
I walk in, looking over at my sister. She’s still asleep, but her forehead is crinkled slightly, which makes me think that the sedation is beginning to wear off. I take a deep breath and take a seat near the window. Aiden just stands there until I gesture for him to sit across from me. He keeps his violin firmly in his grasp as he sinks into the chair.
“You play beautifully. That song… it’s one of Mara’s favorites.”
He nods, the solemn expression on his face dimming further. “We used to play it everyday.” I see him lost in his thoughts for a moment before he continues, “We played a lot of songs, but that one we’d play at least two or three times every day. She’d always want to start with that and finish with that.”
I can tell he has some fond memories of my sister, so I let him sit in that for a few moments before I speak again. “She should be awake soon. I hope you will find her to be the same person she was before.”
He scoffs. “That fucking asshole Alistair had her set up like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode as soon as she left our kingdom. I knew he was messing with her, but there was nothing I could do about it. The day of the exchange, my father was laughing about it, telling everyone how great it was going to be when she killed your mom–and you. I lost my shit and laid into him. He smacked me across the face and told me to get my shit together or he’d leave the kingdom to someone else. That’s when I knew. I had to kill him.” He lifts his gaze to meet mine, his brown eyes akin to black coals. “He has to die for what he did to her.”
I nod. We can absolutely agree on the idea that his father needs to be dead. “We will kill him,” I tell him. “And if you’re interested in taking the throne, we can work together to place you there.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You’d trust me to do that?”
“After what you just did?” It’s my turn to hesitate. “You had no reason to come out there just now. It was just a skirmish. At least, that’s what it should’ve been, until that fucker Zeb ambushed me.”
“You can’t trust that bastard. He’s the worst.”
I absently run a hand along my abdomen. “I know. He needs to die, too.”
“A lot of them do. All of my father’s advisors–all the king’s men.” I can tell by the look in his eyes he means every word.
“We’ll take them out,” I promise him.
Aiden nods and leans back slightly in his chair. “I think… Hezzlie can help. A lot.”
“How long have you known about her powers?” I’m curious to understand how my mate can suddenly light people on fire.
“Not long. She didn’t want anyone to know. She was afraid Alistair would find out and try to weaponize her, too. He was trying, but she’s too clever. She just kept pretending like she couldn’t do it. With Mara, it was different. He wasn’t trying to get her to use some secret powers. He just wanted to brainwash her into thinking your mother was evil. Your mother and you. She must’ve been programmed to take the queen out first because she would be an easier target. If she’d tried to attack you, she could’ve gotten badly hurt. Not because you’d ever want to hurt her, but because you’d have to defend yourself.”
“She turned the knife on me,” I tell him. “I got it away from her. If I’d been sleeping like I was when Zeb attacked me, though, it could’ve been different.”
His eyebrows raise. “You were asleep?”
I nod, my eyebrows furrowing.
“That’s funny. That’s not how he tells the story.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I mutter, “Fucker.” I can only imagine what twist he’s put on the story. I probably don’t want to know. I just want to kill him.
My sister murmurs, and both of us turn in her direction. Her eyes are still closed, and she looks even more troubled than before.
“The room next to this one is empty,” I tell him. “You should go take a shower, change clothes. I’ll make sure you have several outfits to choose from.”
“I don’t want to leave her.” His eyes are still on her face.
“I understand that, but you don’t want her to see you with blood all over you either.”
He looks down at himself and realizes he does have blood on himself. “Oh.”
“How long have you known?” I ask softly. “That she is your mate?”
“Since the moment she walked into the castle,” he says. “I don’t think she knew it right away. She’s so young. But I knew.”
He’s still not looking at me when I say, “I was worried when I heard that she was your mate. I wasn’t sure I could trust you, but now I understand this is a good thing for both of our kingdoms.” I reach over and place my hand on his arm. “Thank you–for saving my life.”
He turns to look at me, and I see nothing but humility in his eyes. “You’re my mate’s brother and my sister’s mate. We are like brothers now.”
I can’t help but smile. “I’ve always wanted a brother.”
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