Page 56 of Crown of Steel

“I’m happy we managed to settle things earlier between you and I. But as your guardian—” he freezes at that word and that makes my insides purr with glee— “I want you to know that I’m here if you have questions. Despite our frequent misunderstandings, you can trust me. And the rest of the family.”

He blinks and a glint of that sadness flickers through those blue irises. It’s gone as soon as it appeared.

What made you cry?

“I have no questions,” he clips, all signs of our earlier bantergone. I wonder what made it disappear so swiftly, and probably should say something nasty, something challenging, just to get out that snarky side of him I’ve come to enjoy so much. But now that I witnessed him crack, caught those red-rimmed eyes laced with that usual look of being haunted, I find myself looking for something else. I’m looking for another piece of Régis.

“Good,” I nod, locking away the unexpected sweep of flutters. “It’s—” I halt when he mumbles something unintelligible. “What was that?”

“I said I don’t trust anyone out here,” he repeats, voice firm and chin tilted even higher if possible. God, if that doesn’t sound sad. He’s alone here, my little stepbrother.

Together alone.

The thought makes my chest clench.

“That’s probably for the best. Although, you really can trust our family. I know these first months are a little daunting. The scene unfamiliar, your brother’s faces hidden. Just know that this is only temporary. After you’ve done your pledge in December, the masks will go off.”

He frowns in surprise. “They do?”

“Of course.” I shrug. “The idea is to know who your brothers are. But we keep our identities hidden until after you become an official brother. Like I’ve told you before, this brotherhood is only for the elite. We don’t share with outsiders.”

He nods at that, considering my words. Then he licks his lips, opening his mouth, though it takes a moment before he speaks. I like that about him, this delicate hesitation before he opens fire.

“Why me?” He asks.

Creasing a brow, I eye him. “What do you mean, why you?”

He nibbles his bottom lip, gaze contemplating. “Why are you always after me? I get that I’m your stepbrother, and that your dad told you to look after me. I get that you are waiting for yourbrilliant future to unroll after graduation, I get that. But you should know by now that I would never take any job in your family business, right? I mean—” He cuts himself off with a shake of his head. His blush reaches all the way down his neck. It makes him look fucking edible, all sweet and smooth. And so troubled. This guy is really getting himself into big trouble. Because I want to keep talking to him. And I don’t even like talking to people. Want to claim every single part of my little brother, tuck it in a safe, velvet box that can only be opened by me. Because I want him all to myself.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone?” Régis throws into the growing silence, making me even more annoyed. I grumble, showing my irritation, although with myself or him, I’m not sure. Because he’s got a point, and I fucking know that. Truth is that ever since I laid eyes on my little stepbrother that first night, when he stumbled inside our home with Nathalie like some drowned duckling, he has caused a swirl of emotions. Like right now, where the entire atmosphere changes just with one loaded question.

Régis is lithe and dainty, with lush, golden wavy hair that lights up in the sun and flops over his ears. His eyes are large, reflecting the color of the sea, and his lips are full and pouty. He’s shy at best, but mostly just prickly, snappy. It makes him even more delicate, his smaller size and long, slender shapes emphasizing that.

Yet he has managed to turn my life upside down. Louis has always given mecarte blancheto step up and become the next CEO of Deveraux Holding. He has never had any business ambitions, just like Gaël won’t follow up his dad when he retires. No, the guys have always supported me, have always trusted me with their fate, knowing that I’d prioritize all our interests when the day comes. And I’ve been counting these days, have prepared myself for a long time with unwavering confidence.

And still… Régis is haunted by his past, and I know I shouldn't, but his agony turns me on, unleashes the beast in me. But it’s his intelligence that has my stomach tightening with every ring of closeness, my anger heating with every centimeter Régis gets closer. There’s no fucking way that this broken, pretty boy will get in my head.

I make the rules here, not the other way around. The thought should make me feel better, but instead I find myself standing up and slowly making my way toward him, heart hammering in my chest.

Maybe he already is in my head. Because fuck, I haven’t felt this alive for a long time, thanks to this feral need to claim. Régis flashes his eyes, blinking slowly as he tilts his gaze to meet my eyes. Halting right in front of him, I revel in the short moment of standing tall and having him gaping up like a deer in headlights.

“Hmm. I’m not sure,” I hum. It’s probable that we’re both at a loss for thoughts here. It’s not enough. I need his wrath. “Perhaps because you bring in a sweep of fresh air that is both amusing and irritating. Perhaps because I somehow feel the need to protect you from it all.” I crouch down until I can touch the couch with my fingers, spreading his legs as I nestle my body between his thighs.

He hesitates, and I watch in rapture as his wide, surprised eyes morph into his usual sneer of protection. “W—what the fuck?” He snarls, but his blushing cheeks take out the sting of his words. He’s so damn responsive to my touch, so damn innocent. It’s addictive. Rubbing my hands over his legs, I lean a little forward, until our chests practically touch.

“You have no idea,chaton. No idea where you landed. You walk in here, thinking that you’re going to change the world, forgetting that people here don’t want their world to be changed. We are trying everything to keep things intact, like the way they were.”

“But your Dad said—”

“I know what Dad said, but look around you, Régis. Do these people look like they want to change things?” I shake my head. “They’re going to devour you.” That’s not true, I know that. Especially since they know who Régis belongs to. But fuck me, do I like my little stepbrother being this close to me, all scornful and shit.

“So what?” He snarls, eyes flickering with something fierce. “Maybe I want to be devoured. It’s better than being a pathetic, rich prick like yourself.”

I huff out a chuckle. “You don’t mean that.”

He puffs up his chest, sending me another of these proud glares I love. “No, you’re right, I don’t, and sometimes I even wonder why I’m still here. But then I think of all these ambitious, clever people out there who don’t have access to the best education, and I remember why I hang in.”

“Like an all for one, one for all kind of thing?” My grin widens.

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