BLOOD SECRETS

CHAPTER 7

x

"Everyone chooses him," he told me. "Always."

"I don't," I replied. "You're my friend. I hate him."

He smiled sadly. "No, you don't hate him. You just haven't figured it out yet."

I didn't understand. "Figured what out?"

A long moment passed. He stared at his paint-stained fingers. "You know why you're my best friend?"

My mind still wondered about his last statement, but I asked, "Why?"

"You'll say things you mean to me and you'll say things to spare my feelings."

I laughed nervously. "That's not true."

"See?" He lifted his gaze to mine. "You just did it again."

"It's not like that," I insisted but looked away with pursed lips.

"You're such a good liar, Xandra, and that's why I can never figure out if when you mean something or if you're lying to protect me."

x

I woke up to Prince and my brother bickering in hushed tones. I made sure to keep my eyes closed so that I could eavesdrop.

"Why the fuck is there a diamond ring on her nightstand?" Prince asked in a low voice. "Her birthday's in April."

"What the hell, man?" Cassie demanded before Prince reminded him to keep his volume down. "You know my sister's birthday, but not mine?"

Prince ignored the statement. "If I had to guess, that's a 16-carat diamond."

"Prince."

"Do you really want to have this conversation right now, Cassian?" Prince said, quietly. His tone would scare anyone but my brother. "You know exactly what I won't tell you."

"I would choose you over anyone, Prince, you know that. You've been my best friend my entire life. But if it came down to it, I will always choose Alex over you because she's the most important person in the world to me," Cassian warned in a tone that startled me. "She's my little sister."

I've never heard Cassian sound so protective and... scared. As if he knew he wouldn't be able to stop Prince from doing whatever he wanted. I realized, then, that I was also afraid of Prince's answer. I just had no idea why my heart thundered uncontrollably.

In the silence that stretched, my brother seemed to have gotten an answer from seeing something in Prince's expression. It was the only possible explanation for how quiet the room suddenly got, but I would never find out because I had to keep my eyes closed.

I could hear my brother step back. "You deserve a fucking punch in the eye for what you're thinking, Prince."

"I promised you," Prince said, his voice strained. "But it's getting fucking hard to keep it."

"Too fucking bad," Cassian responded furiously. "You son of a bitch. You dragged my sister into this.

"You're not stupid, Cassian. You know that she was involved after that night happened two years ago. After Talia Solar..."

Another tense silence filled my bed chambers. In the quiet, my mind raced as I tried to understand what the two of them were saying. Why couldn't they just be clear about their motives for once in their lives?