Page 2 of Beneath the Thorned Crown

“Demitri?” I say, startled.

My younger brother stumbles inside, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. His wild eyes dart around the room, and heclutches a worn backpack tightly to his chest, like it’s the only thing anchoring him to reality. Something is very wrong.

“Shut the door,” he gasps, his voice trembling. It’s almost like he’s talking to himself. His sneakers squeak on the floor as he turns and locks the door behind him with shaky hands.

“Okay…” I set the mug down and get up from my warm spot on the couch, instantly alert. “What’s going on?”

Demitri paces back and forth, his fingers gripping the straps of his backpack so hard his knuckles turn white. A faint sheen of sweat covers his forehead, and his normally cocky expression has been replaced by what I can only call fear.

“I screwed up,” he mutters, more to himself than to me. “I really screwed up this time.”

My stomach twists at the raw panic in his voice. Demitri always gets into trouble—small stuff, petty schemes—but this feels different. I can almost smell the fear radiating off him.

“Sit down,” I say firmly, keeping my voice steady even as unease coils in my gut. “Tell me what happened.”

He shakes his head, his messy black hair falling into his eyes. He glances at me with bloodshot eyes, “No time. Izzy, they’re going to kill me. They’re going to kill all of us!”

“Who?” I demand, crossing the room in a few steps to stand in front of him. I grip his shoulders, forcing him to meet my eyes. He’s trembling under my hands, the backpack wedged between us like some sort of shield.

“The Castellanos,” he breathes, his voice barely above a whisper. “I stole from them.”

The name alone is enough to send a jolt of fear straight through me. The Castellanos aren’t just any crime family—they’re the crime family. Ruthless. Powerful. Untouchable. And my idiot brother somehow thought it was a good idea to steal from them.

“What did you take?” My voice comes out sharp, harsher than I intend, but I can’t help it.

Demitri pauses, his fingers twitching nervously. Slowly, he unzips the backpack and pulls out a small velvet-lined box. He flips it open, revealing a ring nestled inside. It’s intricate and beautiful, the kind of thing that belongs behind glass in a museum, not clutched in the hands of a terrified teenager.

I take a step back, the weight of what I’m seeing crashing down on me. “Oh my God, Demitri… Why? Why would you take this?”

“I didn’t know!” he says, his voice cracking. “I thought it was just… I don’t know, some expensive jewelry owned by some rich brats who won’t even realize it’s gone. I didn’t realize it was theirs.”

Suddenly, my warm apartment is freezing. I run a hand through my hair, trying to steady my breathing. This isn’t just bad—this is catastrophic. From what I’ve heard, you don’t steal from the Castellanos and walk away unscathed. They don’t give warnings; they give death sentences.

“Do you have any idea what they’ll do to us?” I ask, my voice low and tight with barely contained panic. “What they’ll do to Mom if they find out where you live?”

He shrinks at the mention of Mom, guilt flickering across his face. She’s been struggling ever since Dad left, barely holdingit together. The last thing she needs is her son dragging a crime family into her life.

“I’ll fix it,” he whispers, but there’s no conviction in his tone, only desperation. Even he knows he can’t fix this.

“No,” I say sharply. “You’re staying here, and you’re going to keep your head down. I’ll fix this. They’re not just gonna let this go. Those men will literally follow you to the ends of the Earth to get back what belongs to them”

“What? No, Izzy, you can’t!” He grabs my arm as I reach for my coat. “They’ll kill you too!”

I shrug off his grip, my mind already made up. Fear tightens in my chest, but I push it aside. “And what do you think they’ll do if I don’t go? Do you think I’m going to stand by and let them come after you? After Mom? She would kill me if anything happened to you anyway.”

Demitri stares at me, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. He’s scared. I’ve always been the one to protect him, to clean up his messes, and this time will be no different—even if it means walking into the lion’s den.

“Izzy…” His voice breaks, “I promise I didn’t know. Someone just… they promised a lot of money for the ring. I don’t even know who they are, they stayed anonymous but when the alarms went off while I was there, they backed out. They asked me to put it back, but… but there was so much security there. I just made a run for it.”

“I swear, Demitri… how many times have I warned you not to get mixed up with these people? It never ends well,” I bite my lip, unable to contain the anger rising inside me, “You promisedme you wouldn’t get involved in any shit while you’re still in college.”

“I know,” he replies, his eyes glistening, “They were paying enough money to cover my tuition for a year. I thought… I thought maybe I could help you out…”

I sigh. Demitri has always been the sensitive one out of the two of us and I know he feels guilty for losing his scholarship after dad’s passing, “Demitri, I don’t mind paying for your college. But that’s as long as you’re actually studying and not doing whatever the hell this is.”

“I’m sorry, Izzy. I swear it won’t happen again.”

I take the bag from him and sling it over my shoulder, tucking the velvet box inside. “Stay here. Lock the door. Don’t let anyone in—not even me.”

---