Areston thinks he can shield me from his past, but what he doesn't realize is I'm already part of it.
The darkness that haunts him? It's the same one that's been chasing me for years.
I've given him everything-my body, my heart, my soul-and still...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Flashback
I huff, glaring down at my soiled Chanel as mud and water drip from the hem. "Sel! This is my favorite Chanel!"
Selene flashes me a mischievous grin, splashing me again on purpose. She's standing ankle-deep in the creek's muddy water while I'm on the bank near Claire's family's forest retreat in Alaska.
"You're impossible!" I mutter, trying to use a leaf to remove the dirt from my Chanel dress, which only makes it worse.
Selene laughs at my exasperation when she narrows her eyes at a rugged, dirty-looking old boy standing behind me. The boy has a smug look on his muddied and sweat-covered face.
"Would you look at that? Trust fund beauty exploring nature with her brace face friend," he sneers.
"Go away, and don't you dare call her that, or I'd have you thrown out of Alaska." I scowl at them in disgust.
He laughs, howling like a wolf in response. "Feisty! I like it. I bet that sparkling bracelet is super expensive. Give it nicely, or I'll snatch it off you, baby doll."
"Don't call me that." I put my hand over my wrist to shield the heirloom Bubbeh gave me a couple of days ago on my birthday.
"Give it, baby doll," he says deliberately to irk me, stepping forward. My throat goes dry as panic sets in. I freeze in my place, and that only makes him step closer. "Don't want that fine porcelain skin to get hurt, do you?"
Before I can even think of a response, Selene shoves me aside and steps in front of me like a shield. "Back off, loser. She's not going to give you her bracelet. Go away."
"Stay out of it, brace face." He pushes her away, causing her to fall.
"Sel!" I scream, leaping to balance her. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine. This asshole won't be when I am done with him." She grabs a handful of mud and flings it at his face. It lands square in his eyes, and before he can even react, she grabs the golf club that she borrowed from Claire's father's collection so we could fend off wild animals if they come our way and starts hitting him with it.
"Crazy bitch!" He yells and runs off without looking back.
Selene is panting as she places the club on her shoulder and turns to face me, flashing me a victorious smile. "How fun was that?"
My hands tremble as I bridge the gap between us and crouch in front of her to inspect the blood coming out of her knee. Her skin is bruised from having grazed against the rock when he pushed her, and she fell.
"He could've hurt you, Sel! Why would you come in front of me? What if he had punched you or something?"
"So what? Nobody messes with my sister. I am your bodyguard when we're sneaking around without anyone's knowledge, so it's my responsibility to keep you safe."
