Page 157 of Glass Jawed
I turn to Liam, arms crossed. “How did you evenfindthis farmhouse?”
He’s full-on deer-in-headlights now. Eyes darting to Kashvi like she’s his only hope of survival.
“Uh... don’t be mad,” he says, already halfway to dead. “But I got it from...”
He mumbles something.
“Thewho?” Kashvi bites out.
“Christian,” he breathes.
No fucking way. There’s no world in which Christian—Kashvi’s friend—just handed out her location to Liam of all people.What the hell?
“Oh-ho-ho-HO,” she laughs, the sound high-pitched and homicidal. “He’s dead.You’redead. You’reall dead!”
Lucian, whose survival instincts are clearly broken, picks that moment to speak. “Sooo... tiny, baby truce. Still on?”
I roll my eyes. Liam looks like he wants to crawl into a ditch.
Kashvi crosses her arms. “Fine. Still on. Now go feed thismanchildsome goddamn stupidrajmaso he has the energy toget the hell out of here.”
Lucian clutches his chest like she insulted his ancestors. “Excuse you—Manju Caterers wouldneverserve anything less thanexcellent.”
Wait. He knows the caterer’s name? He knows the caterer’s name.
My brain short circuits for a second. This man... he’s fully integrated. Camouflaged into my family like a seasoned wedding pro.
Liam, unwisely, laughs. “Are you like... a servant here or something?”
I’m about to launch into a defense of Lucian when—
“Oh, youwishyou were treated like he’s being treated,” Kashvi snaps. “Only people considered part of the family help out. You’re aguest—to my dismay. But Lucian? He’s their own. Sofuck you,two-timer!”
And just like that, she spins on her heel and stomps off, fuming.
I glance at Lucian, expecting a smirk or a smartass quip—but he’s just... standing there.
Beaming.
Chest puffed.
Like someone handed him a medal.
That’s when it hits me—he really thought he was helping just because help was needed. He didn’t realize that, under our rules, doing all that work means youbelong. Because just like family, he’s working too.
I probably should’ve told him sooner that in this house, being put to work means you’ve been unofficiallyadopted.
Liam watches Kashvi walk away, stunned. “She... defended you.”
She did. Fuck, I’ve lost an ally.
Then his head snaps toward Lucian, eyes wide like he’s just seen a ghost. “You! Shedefendedyou! Oh my God. Am I—am I in the multiverse? Is this still Earth-616?”
Lucian groans. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
I understood that reference.
But I keep my mouth shut, mostly because Liam looks like he’s on the verge of a full-blown existential crisis.
