Page 73 of Reaper & Ruin
Same brown eyes that I had in my face, that we both got from our mom.
“You look different,” he said, stepping into the room like he hadn’t just broken open a door that wasn’t his. His eyes swept over me, taking in the knife, the way I was crouched on the floor like I was ready for battle.
I glared up at him, biting back the flood of emotions threatening to bubble over. “I’m full of vengeance right now. That’s probably why.”
Rowan stepped closer, his grin softening into something more familiar, more brotherly. “You’ve gotten big, too.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you calling me fat?”
He snorted, shaking his head and stepping into my personal space like he had every right to be there and yanking me to my feet like I weighed nothing. “Never. You just got taller. I always thought you’d stay a shrimp.”
Shrimp. That stupid nickname. My blood boiled, and before I could think twice, I stepped back and punched him. Hard. My knuckles collided with his jaw, and a deep satisfaction spread through me as he stumbled back with a grunt.
“Lucky, that’s no way to reunite with your favorite brother,” Rowan muttered, rubbing his stubble-covered jaw with one hand, though he still had that damn smile on his face. “I thought you’d behappyto see me.”
“I hate you,” I snapped, trying to keep my voice steady, but it came out shaky. My chest ached with all the emotions I didn’t want to feel right now. “You left me, and I want to kick you in the dick.”
“Yeah, I figured.” He moved closer again, this time slower, and before I could react, his arms were around me, pulling me into a tight hug. “Missed you too, little sister.”
And damn it, despite everything, despite how much I wanted to keep hating him, I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him back.
Only for a second. Okay, thirty seconds. Maybe like a whole minute. Nothing at all, really. It was barely a hug. More of a hate touch. Yeah. A touch filled with violence and disgust.
I shoved him away, wiping my eyes quickly. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you. Even if you are here to help me for some reason.”
I knew Silver had got him out of prison, the same as Raphael. But she hadn’t shared more than that, insisting I wait until her plan was finished and things were safe.
Clearly, she’d changed her mind. No doubt because of my brilliant charisma that convinced her things were fine. And nothing at all to do with the way I’d been terrified and in despair on the phone earlier.
Rowan’s eyes darkened, and he looked genuinely guilty. “I know. And I’m sorry. I’ll make it right. But we’ll talk later. We’ve got bigger problems right now.”
I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook, but he was right. There were bigger issues at hand. I took a deep breath, willing myself to focus. “Fine. But this conversation isn’t over.”
Rowan gave me a small nod, his usual cockiness replaced by something softer. “Fair enough.”
We left the bedroom, heading into the living room where Silver was setting up what looked like a small arsenal on the coffee table. A mixture of guns, knives, and other dangerous things I didn’t have names for were laid out with precision, and she worked quickly, her face a mask of concentration.
When Silver glanced up and saw me, her serious expression broke for a second, and she offered me a smile. “Nice to meet you in person, Heather.”
I blinked, feeling suddenly shy and unsure. “You… you look prettier in person,” I blurted, instantly cringing at myself. Shewaspretty. Her hair was to her waist and an icy gray color that made her dark eyes stand out, and looked great with her tawny skin. Her features were sharp and her smile soft, and I was honestly a little intimidated.
How fair was it that she was a badassandhot? I wanted that. I wanted to be feared and to have the skills to back up my inner hitwoman. When I walked into a room, I wanted men to be afraid of me far more than they wanted to fuck me. It was a life goal.
Silver raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. “I got all the looks in the family. Didn’t leave any for Atlas. That’s why he looks like he just crawled out of a dark pit.”
That made me laugh. The idea of Atlas being the unfortunate one in the looks department was too goodnotto laugh at.
“I mean, he tries with the whole dark and brooding thing.” I said. “But I reckon he’d be even better in a rainbow shirt or something.”
It wasn’t true. I fucking loved Atlas and his goth ways. The idea of seeing him in something like the pale pink shorts and yellow crop top I had on was hilarious. But it seemed more fun to pretend and play along. I wanted his sister to like me. Love me, even. We had to become besties, so that Atlas was happy and we could do like, giant family Christmas dinners.
But also because I didn’t want her to sneakily murder me in my sleep. There was some worry over that, too.
Silver grinned, nodding as she finished loading a handgun. “I might buy him some rainbow stuff for his birthday. You’ll have to send me stores you recommend. The brighter, the better.”
I chuckled again, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. There was something about her that was surprisingly… warm, despite her intimidating vibe. I could see why Atlas respected her so much. She was already making me feel safer.
She glanced toward Rowan, who was now digging through one of the kitchen drawers like he had lived here his whole life, and her smile softened. “Sorry for bringing the cavalry,” she said, jerking her thumb toward him. “He was in the car when you called, and he refused to get out.”
