Page 53 of Burning Embers

“Real mature,” I say, picking off a pepperoni…and then flicking it at his cheek. “And I never heard that saying in my life.”

“You’re just not as cultured as me.” Jake hefts his chin into the air in mock superiority, seemingly unconcerned with the sauce now sticking to his skin.

The man I haven’t been introduced to yet chuckles. “I like this one, Jake. Make sure to keep her.”

Jake actually looks appalled by his friend’s suggestion. “We’re not together.” His nose wrinkles like the idea of us hooking up actually repulses him.

I can’t say I disagree. Jake is sweet, funny, and handsome, but I don’t get that self-professedsparkwhenever I look at him. My feelings for him are strictly platonic, and I’m relieved to know he feels the same way.

“She’s my new foster sister.”

“Kinky.” The stranger winks at Jake before turning towards me.

He’s handsome, I suppose, with light-brown hair styled in spikes and chocolate eyes, but there’s something about him that makes me uneasy. I can’t put my finger on what it is.

“So if you’re not dating that asshole, does that mean you’re single?”

“Dude!” Jake throws a chip at the man’s face with way more force than he did to me. “Knock it off.”

“I was just teasing.” The man flashes his perfectly white teeth at first Jake and then me. My skin instantly crawls. “I’m Kain, by the way.”

“Izzy.” I offer him an awkward, tight-lipped smile.

God, I don’t know what it is about him that has ice skating down my spine. He seems nice enough, if not a little flirty, so there’s no reason for my instinctive reaction to his presence.

Yet a tiny voice in the back of my head warns me to stay clear of him.

“Now that Kain has finished making a fool of himself…” Dec leans forward conspiratorially, his garnet hair flopping in front of his face and obscuring one of his eyes from view. He flashes me a boyish grin.

Like with Jake, I don’t feel any sexual attraction towards him, but I also don’t want to crawl out of my skin the way I do around Kain.

“Is it true that you befriended Desiree and her minions?” Dec asks.

I notice that Jake has gone very, very still beside me. Red climbs up his neck and settles in his cheeks, and he suddenly seems preoccupied with the food on his plate.

“Minions make it sound as if she’s some sort of evil villain,” I point out with a snort.

For some reason, I feel protective of the girl. She was one of the few people who has gone out of her way to befriend me since I arrived here. I don’t understand why everyone is acting like she’s the devil herself.

“If the shoe fits…” Kain murmurs.

Annoyance briefly flares inside of me. “She’s been nothing but kind to me since I arrived.”

“Probably because she wants something from you.” Kain seems unperturbed or oblivious to my ire. He stabs at his spaghetti with a little more aggression than necessary. “Trust me. You’ll want to stay as far away from Desiree and her minions as possible. Come to think of it…stay away from all of her companions as well, including those damn twins people saw you talking to earlier today.”

What the hell?

Is he stalking me or something?

Anger bubbles inside of me, white-hot and searing.

“Mimi’s nice enough, but she doesn’t have a brain to think for herself.” Dec chuckles at his own joke, even as I internally fume. “And Emilia is just…” He struggles to find an adequate description.

“Scary,” Kain finishes around a mouthful of pasta.

Dec nods seriously. “Yeah. Scary.”

“But she has the best tits.” Kain lifts his hands in the air and pantomimes squeezing two breasts. “I would love to see those things bounce while I fuck her.”

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