Perish: Book Three (bxb) ✔️

8. Stay the hell away from my brother.

Kayax Adler

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Salem?!"

I watched every ounce of joy drain out of Salem's eyes. I knew how much Salem loved August, and he mentioned they they never fought, so why was I witnessing what appeared to be a unicorn? And not the good kind. 

August was pissed. Salem was staring at his brother with sad eyes. And Sage was leaning his back against the wall, refusing to look at me.

None of them would, and I... already knew that I had to prepare myself quickly for the conversation Salem and August were about to have. I didn't want to see them fight each other. My defenses were dying. If I wasn't careful, I wouldn't be able to hold onto my sass to get me out of hard situations. Because my depression was eating away at my very being right now, and it was getting harder and harder to suppress.

Salem started fidgeting with his fingers as he stared at them. "Listen, I just--"

"Hold..." August carefully took his brother's left hand, and that was the moment all the oxygen left my fucking body. "Salem, are you... are you engaged?"

Based on the way Salem widened his eyes upon seeing his brother uncover something he wasn't supposed to, I knew damn well I was screwed. "August, I was..." He reached for words amid his panic. "I was going to tell you, I swear! I was just--"

And Salem made it worse by insinuating it wasn't something that happened while we were here. My stomach bottomed out. "You were... going to tell me?" He blinked as he stared at his brother. "Salem, how fucking long have you been engaged?"

Salem stared at his brother with the most pathetic expression known to man, and I honestly had this overbearing feeling of wanting to protect him, but I couldn't. Not against August. Not against things that didn't concern me.

"Christmas." He whispered.

August slowly turned his head to look at me, and I gave myself away by refusing to meet his gaze. I already knew where his train of thought was going. "Oh, my fucking god. You told Kayax." And there it was. "You told... Kayax before you told me."

"August, wait!"

"No." August held his hand up to stop his brother from speaking. Oh, Jesus, I felt like I was going to be sick. "Not only have you been running around with someone behind our entire family's back--the spawn of the man who hurt this family--you told him before you told me." He didn't even say my name. I was lower in the ground to him than I was before. Everything was crumbling down. "Our parents almost didn't get married because of him! We almost didn't exist! And he walks around, telling the world that Davis is a changed man, but you up and decide to be best friends with him. Were the pickings that fucking slim?"

Salem cast a look toward me, but I didn't return it. I could feel the fire behind it, the pleading, too. He wanted me to say something, and he had enough respect for me to never say my secrets. But I wasn't telling August a fucking thing. Fuck him. Fuck everyone in this room. 

Except Salem.

Fucking damn it, I hated having morals. 

Without looking at either of them, I blinked back the tears that were stinging the back of my eyes as I rushed in to try and salvage a little bit. "Don't worry, August. Salem is a closed book, not that I tried. He never talks about your family. Only about himself and Raven. He only told me he was engaged because--"

"I don't care."

August walked out of the safe room; Sage went after him without sparing me a look. Not that I expected him to. Salem started after them, sparing me a look of guilt, but he didn't say anything, and like I said, I knew it wasn't going to last. Salem was apologizing with his eyes because I knew he'd do anything to salvage his relationship with his brother. His family.