Page 144 of Possess Me! (I Want You To)

“Holy shit,” I stared at Chastity, jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Your mom is a bitch.” Shit. I should not have said that out loud.

“Believe me, I know.” Chastity grinned, shrugging one shoulder. “Why do you think we all turned out so odd?” She gestured at her lime-green outfit and the little dragon wings sewed to the back.

I hadn’t known either sister long enough to be able to judge their oddness. But I figured, flying across the entire country in search of your suicidal ghost brother, who you didn’t even know liked you, made them both fairly strange.

Knowing Prudence, he just needed more time to warm up to them.

And also maybe for them to stop coddling him so much.

Maybe I could help with that.

“Prudence isn’t who you think he is.” Shit. Again, the words just burst out. This was awkward as hell. I cringed, waiting for Chastity to berate me, or—or—whatever small pastel goths did when they were annoyed by tall traumatized men.

But she didn’t.

She just turned fully in the seat, and climbed into the back with me. I scooted over to make room, not sure if she wanted to hit me or—

“Explain,” she said simply, fanning her hands out. She was tiny. Smaller even than Prudence. I stared down at her, a little shocked.

“He’s not…” Damn. Maybe I should’ve thought this through. But…I figured if we only had a few more minutes left with Prudence, he at least deserved to be treated like the individual he was. “He’s not your big brother.” Shit. “Wait, that came out weird.” I chewed on my lip and Chastity waited patiently. “He is—your big brother, I mean—but he’s also…just…him.” I bit my lip. “A guy who never got to figure out who or what he is.” His mother had never left him room to do anything but rebel and then— “I mean…shit. He died. And when he came back, he ended up living inside his own shadow.” My lip stung. “That’s why…don’t be mad at him, okay?”

Chastity regarded me, her eyes still shimmering with kindness, though there was a pensive furrow to her brow. “He told you all that?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I mean, yeah? Kinda.” I squirmed. Hopefully I hadn’t just betrayed Prudence’s confidence. Wasn’t like we’d pinky sworn not to tell anyone, or anything though, so I figured I was fine. “He thinks he can’t move forward.” Chastity nodded. “It’s not your fault or anything, obviously it’s like…a mental block.” Damn, that sounded wrong. “I just—I mean. We all have those, right? And for him…well. He’s been through a lot. The last thing he needs is to be put on a pedestal. When you’re that high up, there’s just…” My hands shook. “There’s so far to fall.”

I knew that better than anyone.

I’d put myself on a goddamn pedestal my entire fucking life.

I’d given up so much, my morals, my time. I’d lied and lied and lied. And for what? To be the perfect big brother. To protect a family that didn’t need protecting anymore. We weren’t starving. Mom was happy. Betty was happy—ish. Adam was going places. He was going to make something of himself, whether or not I was involved.

In a way, I understood Prudence.

Leaving would be easier than staying. Than dealing with the aftermath of everything that had happened. Easier for him, anyway. But for us?

I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.

Maybe I hadn’t known him long, but my stomach churned just thinking about it.

“You’re pretty perceptive,” Chastity said, interrupting my thoughts. “Thanks for sharing that.” She flashed me a little smile and leaned over to give me a half hug. “Thanks for…you know, everything else too.” Her smile wobbled. “Honestly, I’ve never seen Prudence act the way he does with you.”

I was a thirsty bitch, so I needed more details—overwhelming emotions or not. “What do you mean?”

“There’s this light in his eyes. He’s soft.” She shrugged. “And he tries. Even though it’s hard. He tries, for you. To talk, to respond. To touch you. To support you. There’s life to him that was never there before.”

“This is new?”

“Yeah.” Chastity shrugged. “It’s difficult for him. Being around other people. Emotions have never come easy. I think it used to make him angry. Maybe it still does.” She bit her lip. “But I think…maybe…” Her eyes searched mine as I sucked in a startled breath. “He’s decided you’re worth trying for.”

“He’s perfect,” I said softly, because it was true. He was perfect. He was prickly, mean, occasionally condescending, and the best fucking person I’d ever met. The fact that it was hard for him, made his effort even sweeter. It meant more.

“I never thought I’d hear someone say that,” Chastity laughed, expression gentle. “Not to be mean. Because obviously I love him. But man…” She shook her head. “You two are a perfect fit. You’ve got the same kind of crazy.”

Movement outside the car caught my attention, and I immediately forgot what we’d been talking about.

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