Page 116 of Shadows in Bloom

“Why?” He turned back and frowned at him. “Why does it matter?”

“It just…does.” Ledger sighed. “I don’t know why either, okay?”

He seemed genuinely frustrated by that fact, which was probably why Nikita found himself giving in. There really hadn’t been too many times where things had escalated to the point Oran had severely injured him.

There was the time when he’d been seven and Oran had pushed him down the stairs at school. He’d knocked his chin against the banister and had shattered his lower jaw. That had been pretty bad, he supposed, but he couldn’t really remember much of that year or the pain he must have been in, so he wasn’t sure if that counted. Besides, Oran had been too young to really be held accountable.

When Nikita was eleven and they’d gone shopping at the mall as a family, Oran took one of the metal tools for sale and swung it at Nikita. He’d dodged and protected his head that time, but he was hit in the leg after because Oran wasn’t happy with him evading it. The fracture wasn’t so bad. He hadn’t even really needed to go to the hospital.

Then there was that time Nikita was fifteen…and sixteen. And seventeen.

The older Oran got, the more violent he became.

“He broke two of my fingers last year,” Nikita said. Considering all the other horrible things he’d just recalled, it didn’t sound all that bad, only… “I’d just gotten a job with this orchestra helping Vail students train for live performances. I play the piano. Taught myself and everything.” That was actually something he was really proud of. “It meant a lot when I passed the audition. The job was steady, with good pay, and after a year, I would even qualify for a music scholarship to the school.”

“Your brother knew all of this?” Ledger asked.

He nodded. “I tried to keep it from him, but he figured it out somehow. Showed up to one of the practices and made a scene. Nothing bad enough to get him in any real trouble, but enough that the woman in charge pulled me aside after and reminded me that guests weren’t allowed. He was the one heckling the musicians, but because he said he came to see me, I was at fault.”

“What’s her name?”

Nikita stared at him, searching his expression before realizing, “You’re upset.”

“Yeah. Who wouldn’t be hearing something like that?”

“Most people, actually. Most people wouldn’t care. Especially not—” he caught himself and clamped his mouth shut.

“Not a Devil?” Ledger filled in the blank for him. “It’s okay. You aren’t wrong. We don’t exactly have good guy reputations.” He patted Nikita’s thigh. “So, Oran broke your fingers to ruin it for you, that it? Why? Jealousy?”

“Probably,” he agreed. “When our father found out I was selected to perform with some of the students, he told me he was proud of me for the first time ever. Of course, Oran was present for that and heard.”

“He couldn’t stand you getting any sort of positive attention from your parents,” Ledger said.

“He even waited until the night before, so it was too late for my boss to find anyone else to take my place. The show had to be rescheduled, and I was fired. They claimed it was because I needed to be out for four months to heal and would fall behind, but I knew they were upset with me and just didn’t want me around.”

Nikita sniffled and quickly wiped the tears away, laughing morosely. “You must think I’m super pathetic, huh. All I’ve done is cry in front of you. Are you sure it’s worth it? Buying my body in exchange for paying off the debts? I might be a terrible lay.”

“Oh, I doubt that, Tiger.” Ledger smirked at him, but any sign of playfulness was gone a second later when he demanded, “Tell me where your brother is right now.”

Nikita opened his mouth to argue but…Why? He couldn’t even win against his younger half-brother.

What made him think he stood a chance against a Devil of Vitality?

CHAPTER 6

Nikita’s nerves grew worse and worse the closer they got to the Dive. It wasn’t the most popular bar in town, but it was his brother’s usual haunt because the drinks were cheaper.

“You sure he’ll be here?” Ledger asked as he pulled into the parking lot after a mostly tense and quiet drive.

“He should be.” This was where he’d told Nikita to meet him once he was done breaking into Friction. It’d just been another form of humiliation. Insisting he come in person to show him the photo when sending it through text would be easier.

Oran liked control because it made him feel special, but since he couldn’t exercise his will over anyone else on this planet, he’d chosen Nikita as his fill-in. It’d taken Nikita a long time to realize that. To figure out it wasn’t anything he’d done personally, that there was no way to make anything up to his half-brother and get him to like him eventually. It wasn’t even really that he’d come along and burst the image of a perfect family Oran had been born into while Nikita had been away. That was just an excuse. Another weapon Oran chose to use against him.

There was no real reason for it. Oran just didn’t like him. Plain and simple.

“Oh good, he’s already here,” Ledger’s voice cut through Nikita’s thoughts, but when he looked up, it was to find another man standing by the front door and not his brother.

Royal Madden Odell was a member of the Retinue and the righthand of the Imperial Prince. He was currently propped up against the siding of the brick building, flicking a lighter on and off as though bored. In the shadows, his burgundy hair couldn’t be made out, but Nikita had seen him around and knew what that particular Devil looked like when he wasn’t shrouded in darkness.

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