Meeting Sang *COMPLETE*

North

I can hear some sort of shuffling going on in the kitchen so I make my way over, wondering what the hell kind of mischief my shithead brother's gotten himself into now. Sometimes I feel like the older one. When I walk in I see someone standing on the counter below one of windows, pulling on the curtain.

Someone definitely not Luke, but probably just as idiotic.

Someone who also looks like a girl.

The fuck?

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

She teeters on the edge of the countertop, arms flailing, the curtain pulling away and breaking off in her grasp as she starts to tilt over backwards. I shouldn't've startled her like that. I quickly come up from behind and grab her by the hips, stopping her motion briefly before picking her up and putting her down on the ground. She sways off-balance, blinking rapidly through the sun that's now directly on her face. It reflects off her eyes, making them look larger than an owl's. Her pale hair looks silver, spread about her face wildly, and her lips are parted.

Hell. What've I walked into?

Her eyes are wide—I see now that they're this brilliant shade of green—and they look terrified or surprised or both I don't fucking know. But I don't want her scared of me, whoever she is.

"Are you hurt?" My voice comes out deeper than I intended, gruff.

She shakes her head. Too quickly.

Shit. Still scared.

I loosen my hold on her just a little and move until we're both in the light, so she can see me clearer, and try to ask her name.

"Who are you?"

Well fuck. Way to make her even more terrified.

"I'm . . ." Her voice squeaks. "I'm Sang."

Wait, what? Sang? As in the same "Sang" Si texted me about last night? The same "Sang" who texted me herself last night to save her number? That same Sang?

I hope I'm not gaping at her, because I'm stunned, and I want to kill that fucker Silas for not telling me. What did he say? "We have a new friend in the group"? I thought it was just another dog we picked up dammit. We don't need another dog. But a bird? That changes things. Significantly.

I refocus my gaze on her. "How did you get in here?" I ask.

"Luke let me in," she squeaks again.

I pause, considering. I really don't want her scared of me, but she's still not saying much, just staring at me, and all I can think is, she's pretty. Gorgeous, in fact. Even terrified she looks fucking gorgeous. And I'm fucking screwed. Screwed. Then the overhead lights turn on, and I glance up briefly before looking back down. I have to resist the urge to move closer right when she stretches her little neck up, before facing me.

"Sorry I scared you," I say. "I'm North."

"Luke's brother?"

She looks skeptical. Yeah, we're not biologically related, so we look nothing alike. "We're step brothers. We're still family," I add.

Which makes me wonder next how much she knows. And why she's with us in the first place. Why Kota picked her. This sweet girl. What can possibly be wrong with her to end up with our bunch of fuck ups?

Sang nods then, kind of vigorous. "No, I get it. I just . . . He told me about the diner. I think it'll be great."

Really? "My brother has unrealistic ideas." I turn around and walk towards the stove, bending over to check the inside. I feel Sang behind me, and my body stiffens almost instinctively, waiting.