Page 25 of Entombed In Sin

“No, but I will now that you’re here,” my brother replies. “I didn’t want to leave Beatrix alone in case she suddenly feltconflictedabout what transpired.”

I nod, understanding his reservations.

“I’m here now, so I’ll take care of her,” I tell him as I plod over to my stepsister and crouch down beside her. Carefully, so as not to startle her, I rub my hand up and down her arm.

Beatrix stirs. Her eyes gradually open halfway and she takes a deep breath. Turning her head, she looks over her shoulder at me.

“Sag-oh, Thatcher,” my stepsister murmurs, her voice thick with sleep. A smile forms around her lips. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming to take you home, Little Sister. I’ve brought you clean clothes and your favorite soap from your bathroom.”

My breath catches at the swell of something bright and warm in the depth of her eyes. It’s stunning. Whatever this is, I want more of it. I’ve only ever known darkness, but the light draws me to her. I want to feel what it would be like to bask in its warm glow. The only way to do that is keep my stepsister close.

“You did?” she asks. “That’s so sweet of you.”

I chuckle. “You’re easy to please, aren’t you?”

Her cheekbones pop as her smile grows incrementally wider.

“Did you see what I did?” Like a child waking up on Christmas Day, her eyes open the rest of the way and her smile shifts into a full blown grin as she sits up. There’s dried blood on her lips that cracks as her lips spread wide, and it’s caked all over the cheek she was resting on the dead man’s back. I didn’t thinkshe could be any more beautiful but clearly, I was wrong. She’s captivating like this.

With a grin, I indulge her by looking over the kill. “You did a wonderful job.”

She beams up at me, and suddenly I feel a thousand feet tall. My body shakes as I laugh softly again.

“Sagan helped,” she admits. Her glazed-over eyes search my face anxiously, looking for signs of disappointment. Does she think this would diminish her accomplishment?

“As he should’ve.” I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”

“No,” she nods slowly. “It’s not. It was fun, but I think I might want to try a different weapon next time.”

I smile at the thought of next time. I hope I’ll be the one to witness her brutal side.

“Of course. There are plenty of different ways to kill people. We’ll find your preferred method.”

I offer her my hand, and she takes it, letting me help her up. Her legs tremble, causing her grip on my hand to tighten as she finds her balance.

“Woah…” she murmurs.

“Don’t worry, I have you, Little Sister. I’m here to help you now.”

Beatrix leans heavily on me with a deep sigh. I frown. She’s utterly spent. A kill can do that to you. Take you on a roller coaster of emotions, leaving you feeling absolutely drained later on—at least the first few times it will. Then, once it becomes normal, you can ride the high for weeks before you need it again. But she went through an emotional ordeal yesterday too. She’s probably running on fumes by now. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close.

Brushing one of her two braids over her shoulder, I add, “One of the three of us willalwaysbe there to help.”

Beatrix’s gaze flickers up to my face before darting away. But not before I note the way her pupils narrow and her brows furrow. Unease twirls my stomach up into a knot. She’s not feeling better about the situation with Knox. A hint of my brother’s trepidation fuels my concerns as he stands back and watches us.

My fingers sweep under her chin, and I apply pressure, forcing her to look back up. Beatrix manages to shield her displeasure with an expression of neutrality, but it’s there in her eyes, snuffing out the excitement humming through her.

“We will bemuchmore diligent with supervising things moving forward,” I tell her seriously. “We help each other, Beatrix.”

My beautiful, blood-covered stepsister nods once. It’s not a confident acceptance of my promise, nor does it convince me we don’t have to worry about her in the future. Shewantsto trust us, and I want her trust. But until something changes, I’m worried Knox is in trouble. Especially now that she’s had a taste of blood. This was supposed to help mellow Beatrix out, not fuel the fire.

“Knox will figure out how to apologize so that it’s satisfactory for you,” I assure her. My voice drops an octave in warning as I continue. “But he is your family, as much as we are, and we’ll look out for him just as we will you.”

Rather than harp on the issue any longer, I guide Beatrix through the house. It’s time to wash off the evidence of her first kill.

“One large chocolate milkshake please,” I say into the intercom system.

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