Page 259 of Secret Shifters Next Door

My initial surprise evaporated into anger. Slapping his hand off in disgust, I took a step away, not wanting to be anywhere near the man.

Seeing my reaction, Luis sighed and lowered his head. “Blayne, we only came to talk to you.”

“We?” I glanced around, looking for who else he was talking about. Only one person would have the audacity to come here for this.

Fifty yards away, tucked half-behind a tree, I saw Ava’s dark hair. Big, black sunglasses obscured half her face.

The very sight of her sent me over the edge. I shoved Luis, pushing him away from Liam’s grave. I didn’t want that scum anywhere near my brother.

Leveling a finger across the cemetery toward Ava, I yelled, “Get the hell out of here!”

Luis raised his hands in supplication. “Please, Blayne. I need to tell you something. Your brother’s last words. We wanted to tell you the other night, but none of us were in the right frame of mind.”

There was nothing I wanted to hear more, but I hated that I had to hear the words at all, and I especially hated having to hear it from these people. “What was it? Spit it out, then get the hell out of here.”

He sighed. “We managed to get him to Ava’s house after he was hurt. It was the closest. He was barely conscious, but he made sure to grab me. I could see how important it was to him that I heard him. He said, ‘Tell Blayne not to blame Ava.’ That was the last thing he said.”

Luis shook his head and wiped a hand across his face.

I let out a sigh that was full of disdain. Glancing across the grassy cemetery at Ava, I said, “Even when he was on death’s doorstep, she had him wrapped around her goddamned little finger.”

Luis shook his head. “This was my fault, not Ava’s. It was your brother’s last wish. His final request. Don’t put all this on her. Don’t punish her like that.”

My eyes widened in surprise. The sheer gall of this man to say these things to me. My brother was dead and in the ground, and he was brazen enough to ask me to forgive his fucking niece?

A deep growl escaped my lips, and Luis took a hasty step back. The fear in his eyes satisfied me on a level I couldn’t even comprehend.

“You people need to leave me alone. Do you understand that? This is the last time you ever come near me. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, and it won’t change a thing. You’re dead to me. I’ll never forgive you.” I turned and looked at Ava, then cupped my hands around my mouth. “You hear that? You are not forgiven. Burn in hell, Ava!”

Luis lowered his head and turned away to walk toward Ava. He looked depressed and dejected. In the distance, I saw Ava remove her glasses and wipe a hand over her face. Good. It was less than what they deserved.

I turned back to Liam’s casket, which had been lowered to the bottom of the grave. The grave digger stood nearby, holding his shovel and looking uncomfortable at the interaction he’d justwitnessed. Ignoring him, I knelt and scooped up a handful of dirt.

Standing at the edge of the grave, I tossed the soil down onto the coffin. The rattling sound of it raining on the wood had a strange bleak quality to it. “Goodbye, brother. I’ll visit. Every year if I’m able to, but I can’t stay in this town. Lilly Valley isn’t the place I want to be. I’m gone, man. I need a new start. I love you, Liam.”

Tears slid down my cheeks as I walked toward my car. As though heaven itself was in mourning, a drizzle of rain began to fall. I didn’t hurry my steps, slowing instead to let the rain soak into my clothes. Unfortunately, the shower didn’t wash away my heartbreak like I’d wanted it to.

Stripping off my suit jacket, I tossed it into the passenger seat as I got in behind the wheel. Without looking back, I drove away from the cemetery, away from Lilly Valley, hoping to never see the place again.

ONE

BLAYNE

Present Day

“Hey, brother. How’s things?”

I stood in the cemetery, looking down at the tombstone engraved with my brother’s name. Squatting, I gently set the flowers on Liam’s grave. Every year, on the day I lost him, I came out here. Today was the tenth anniversary of his death. Sure, I visited his grave at other times, but I always made sure to come on this particular date.

In some ways, it seemed unfathomable that ten years had already passed, but in others, it seemed like a lifetime since I’d talked to my brother.

I cleared a few stray leaves off the stone and brushed off the moss that was encroaching on the base. I settled down on the grass, crossing my legs.

“You’ll never believe the shit I’ve gotten into, bro. You remember all the horror stories we heard about hunters when we were kids? Turns out they're even worse than the stories. We’re going to war, man. Shifters are going to war with abillionaire madman.” I grinned. “You’d have fucking loved this shit. I know it. You’d have been the first damn one in line.”

Tears welled in my eyes, and I wiped them away. “I miss you, Liam. So damned much, but I promise to do my best not to join you too soon. Okay? You’ll just have to chill out with your wings and harp and whatever until I get up there. Hopefully, I’ll be about ninety-five and have a shitload of stories to tell you.”

I sat, letting the chill weather dry my eyes. It was strange when a twin died. I’d done a lot of reading on it after I lost Liam. It was the same for almost anyone who lost a twin sibling. It really did feel like a piece of you was missing—an integral part that couldn’t be replaced. It never really got any easier, much like losing an arm or leg.

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