My Stepbrother, My Damnation

Q&,A

Lina's POV

I saw blue.

Whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was that exact color. It was undeniably a beautiful shade, but when it was trapped in the eyes of Riven Rykerthrone, it felt like absolute torture. Last night felt like a total fever dream, and even now that I was awake, I was still dealing with the aftermath.

"I hate this," I groaned. My voice was barely a whisper, easily swallowed by the noise of the bullpen as my pen slipped from my fingers for the third time in three minutes.

It rolled lazily across the desk, looking like it was completely tired of my bullshit. Honestly, I was sick and tired of a lot of bullshit myself. By that, I meant Riven. I was the one who had blasted antiseptic spray directly into his face, so I couldn't understand why my own eyes burned so much.

Maybe it was just pure sleep deprivation. Olivia had kept me awake for hours, demanding to know why we were suddenly lodging in a hotel instead of staying at her place. But that was a partial lie. My bestie's completely justified rant wasn't the real reason I couldn't sleep. She had eventually fallen asleep after her rambles.

I couldn't sleep because I kept seeing blue.

I aggressively refused to think about the primary reason sleep eluded me. I blocked out the memory of the way Riven had held my waist, how tightly my chest had been pressed against his rigid torso, and the sharp warmth of his tongue sliding against the skin of my neck. It had felt entirely too good, and—

"West!"

The sudden shout of my name made me spring right out of my seat. Dozens of eyes fell on me immediately, including Nikolai's.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of ringing phones and humming copy machines.

My chest tightened, making me feel like the entire room was mocking my panic. "I... I'm fine," I managed to say before my tongue could knot itself completely.

Slowly, I settled back down into my chair, desperately hoping everyone would divert their attention elsewhere. Fortunately, the precinct officers had much better things to do than stare questioningly at a sleep-deprived intern.

"Miss West," Nikolai murmured, staying right beside my desk.

I gripped the edge of my plastic seat so tightly it groaned under the pressure, forcing myself to look up at him. "Yes, Officer Nikolai?" I responded, forcing my stiff lips to form a polite smile.

His brow furrowed, a flash of genuine concern crossing his features. "Don't do that, ryba. It's actually a little scary."

I rolled my aching eyes in their sockets before letting them rest on my cold cup of coffee.

"Chief Harris is going to kill you if you arrange his files emotionally instead of alphabetically," he added with a soothing chuckle.

The sound was pleasant enough to ease the lingering tension in my spine. My shoulders finally dropped, and a wave of exhaustion hit me as I stared up at him. "Thank you."

I offered him a genuine smile this time, and he instantly returned it.

"Stressed because of family issues?" he asked as I reached for the coffee cup.

Looking into his bright green eyes was infinitely better than thinking about blue. I nodded tightly. "You have absolutely no idea how much I don't want that family."

My words probably sounded like an exaggeration, but they were the absolute truth. Who would ever want a stepbrother like Riven? Nobody. And that was exactly why I decided never to breathe a word of it to anyone at the station—especially Nikolai. I tightened my grip around my cup.

"I feel the exact same way about mine," Nikolai said, pulling a rolling chair over and sitting on it backward. "My twin, mostly."

I always found Nikolai a bit unconventional. What kind of officer-in-training sat backward on a precinct chair? I knew he had been tasked with keeping an eye on me, but his casual nature was surprising.

"You have a twin?" I asked, setting my coffee aside and leaning forward.

He drew closer too, and for a brief second, the chaotic noise of the station completely faded into the background—until a voice shattered the peace.

"Adelina!"

Not even a dramatic cartoon villain could scream a name with that much theatrics. But Willow West? Of f*****g course she could.

Every single head in the bullpen turned toward the entrance. I snapped to my feet, intending to run away from my desk, but the sharp, echoing clicks of approaching high heels pinned me to the spot. I froze, my eyes widening in horror as Ma strode directly into the station.

Predictably, her designer gown clung tightly to her figure, emphasizing the wide hips that I had unfortunately failed to inherit. She moved like a runway model, treating the precinct's scuffed floorboards like a Hollywood red carpet.

"Ma, what are you doing here?" I hissed through gritted teeth, scurrying forward to intercept her.

The curls of her honey-blonde hair were massive, a thick section almost completely veiling one side of her face. She was even wearing oversized sunglasses indoors. I was completely mortified.

"My darling!" Ma let out a dramatic, heavily painted sob. She looked completely and scandalously out of place, and she was leaning into every second of it. "You haven't been home for days!" she cried, spreading her arms wide.

"I don't have a home, Ma," I sighed, completely lacking the energy required to fight off her impending embrace.

She pulled me into a hug so suffocatingly tight that my ribs actively protested.

"Don't say that, Adelina!" she gasped, pulling back to look down at me. She had to tilt her head slightly, since I had topped out an inch or two taller than her. "Ryker really wants you to get along with Ri—"

"Ma!" I snapped suddenly, cutting her off before she could utter his disgusting name.

She blinked in confusion behind her tinted lenses, but I didn't care. I needed to get her out of here. "What do you want?" I asked slowly.

Her lips immediately curved into a bright smile. Swiftly, she tangled her arm with mine and began dragging me toward the exit.

"Ma?!"

"We are going shopping for my wedding dress, darling!" she gushed, pulling me along in her wake.

I stood completely flabbergasted by her sheer force. I threw a quick, desperate glance back at Nikolai, hoping for backup, but he was absolutely no help.

The handsome i***t just smiled and mouthed: Enjoy.

Enjoy what, exactly?

★

I watched the gray smoke curl lazily into the afternoon air, finding the sight incredibly therapeutic. For the first time in what felt like centuries, I felt like I could actually breathe without being suffocated by the blinding white walls of the Rykerthrone estate.

Calling the bridal boutique Ma had dragged me to a shop was an understatement—the place was a literal mansion. It was sprawling, excessively lavish, and wildly expensive.

As I strolled down the quiet side alley just outside the building, my mind drifted to the faded, cheap wedding photo of Ma and Pa. I remembered it vividly because I had been a toddler in it. Pa had started his life with absolutely nothing, and though we never lived in luxury, he had worked himself to the bone to provide for us. Still, I knew deep down it had never been enough for Ma. Now that she was marrying into unimaginable wealth, I just...

My pace slowed until I came to a complete stop, lowering the cigarette from my lips. "Why can't I just do the right thing?" I whispered to the empty alley, expecting absolutely no response.

"You mean explaining to me what exactly is going on?"

The unexpected voice pierced my eardrums, and I spun around instantly. I immediately wished I hadn't. I wished I were looking at a wall of white dresses instead of Princeton’s arrogant face.

Ugh.

"What do you want?" I scoffed, my fingers tightening around the cigarette so hard the burning embers scorched my skin.

"Answers, Lina," the asshole said, taking a deliberate step forward. "Answers as to why you suddenly broke up with me, moved to this crappy city, and..." He paused, his head tilting as his features darkened. "What the hell you were doing with the leader of the Black Reapers."

His deep baritone voice turned dead serious, and my throat went completely dry. Princeton had seen Riven and me together during the ambush. But honestly? My life was absolutely none of his business.

I let out a cold laugh, dropping the crumpled cigarette onto the pavement. "Go f**k yourself, Princeton."

I turned on my heel to walk away, but my feet wouldn't move. I couldn't move.

Before I could take a single step, Princeton slammed a chemical-soaked handkerchief over my nose and mouth, violently pulling my spine against his chest. My limbs instantly turned to jelly, but my jaw still worked. I bit down on his hand with every ounce of strength I had left.

"Crazy b***h!" he hissed, flinching backward.

The metallic taste of his blood filled my mouth, offering a fleeting second of hope. But as I tried to sprint toward the mouth of the alley, my knees buckled completely. I collapsed heavily onto the concrete, the world turning entirely black as I passed out.