Page 134 of Possess Me! (I Want You To)

“Knock it off,” Prudence growled at the both of them—and like me—they just laughed, apparently not afraid of their older brother despite the fact he could probably bench press both of them at the same time. Oh and also—you know—suck the life out of them with a single touch. No biggie.

Vanity was the quieter of the two. She had an effortless sort of grace to her, like an old-school movie star. Her eyebrows were perfectly manicured, her acrylic nails painted red to match the dipped ends of her bleached blonde ponytail.

Chastity was her shorter, curvier, softer counterpart. She was clearly the most socially adept sibling as she carried the conversation effortlessly, her lime-green hair tucked into little space buns, reptilian looking scales painted with highlighter along her cheeks. Very dragon-esque, and on brand, probably, considering the fact Prudence had once referred to her as a rainbow.

Meeting them should’ve been more awkward, especially with everything else that was going on. After what I’d confessed to in the garage—how I’d projectile vomited my secrets all over the floor for everyone to judge—it should’ve been downright uncomfortable.

Aside from the staring, though?

I sensed no judgment from either sister.

Shouldn’t they be angry their brother wanted to give me a shit ton of money? Or that he wanted to die? Shouldn’t they be mad at me, for being the one who had decided to help him?

After Mom had backed the van out onto the driveway, Chastity headed outside to collect the keys. Vanity followed obediently behind her, her long black fabric-encased legs, eating up the distance quickly as they made their way to the car, and Prudence paused, just outside the open doorway. Mom politely ducked around him, and joined Paul as I caught Pru’s gaze, my heart thumping.

We’d opted to use my mom’s car as opposed to their rental due to the fact the only thing the sisters had managed to book on such short notice was a compact—and fitting four people inside it for hours? Yeah, no. Leg room was a thing, even if one of us was dead and therefore didn’t actually care.

Besides, he wasn’t the one with the long-leggy problem, anyway.

Short-stack.

Part of me—the squirrelly anxious bit, privately admitted my vote for Mom’s car had less to do with the extra space, and more to do with the fact I wanted something familiar. Comforting. Especially if this was my last goddamn joyride—or…worse—if I rode home with a Prudence-sized hole beside me.

“Coming?” Pru asked, his eyes flickering with challenge as he jolted me from my depressing thoughts. He stood in the open front door, and I longed to go after him. But I didn’t.

“One sec.”

He nodded, nostrils flaring as he peeked over my shoulder at where my family was waiting patiently. I could’ve put this off till we came back—or didn’t. In fact, maybe that was the smart move.

But I was a sunshine McIdiot, so I let him go—and turned around to face the madness.

The glares, anger, and disappointment I had anticipated encountering upon reuniting with my family were noticeably absent.

My little brother was the first to step forward and close the gap between us. I wasn’t sure what I expected him to do—to yell at me, maybe? Cry? Instead, Adam hugged me. Tight. And when he pulled back, the skin at my neck was damp where his face had pressed. His eyes glistened. “It’s okay, Luca.” He said simply, blocking the rest of my family from view. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear those words till he said them.

It’s okay, Luca.

It’s okay.

I pulled him back into my arms, buried my face in his shirt, and I cried.

For so long I’d agonized over this. Disappointing him—hurting him, was my worst nightmare. The guilt of our broken childhood had choked me for years. His simple acceptance, his love—shattered me.

“I’m fixing it,” I promised.

“You don’t have to,” he returned.

When he pulled away, Mom took his place. She grabbed my shoulder and gave it a little shake, her eyes bright, lips wobbling. “You’re not a fuck-up, you know.” Her words were gentle. “Lord knows, I’ve made more than enough bad bets of my own.”

I laughed, my heart wobbling.

“You still love me, don’t you?” she asked gently, and I nodded—because duh. “See?” She ruffled my hair, the same way she had when I was a snot-nosed kid, too prideful to admit I’d gotten soap in my eyes, despite the obvious physical evidence. “We all make mistakes. But we never stop loving each other. That’s what family is for. Everyone messes up.”

“I don’t,” I said—quickly. I could’ve left it at that. Let this go. Like it really was as simple as one stupid decision and not that I was a bad bet, myself. But I didn’t. Because for the first time in my life I was ready to let her see me. Really, see me. My walls came down. “I don’t.” I bit my lip. “Not when it comes to helping our family. I can’t. I can’t make mistakes. I—I can’t. I have to be here. To fill in the gaps. To fix things. I don’t get to fuck things up. I protect us. I provide. That’s my job.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Mom cupped my face in her palms. They were dry and warm, just like they always had been. There was no soap in my eyes now, but they still burned. “No one asked you to do that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

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