The morning after
1398 Words
MIRABELLA
The night air still clings to me long after I collapse into bed, my legs aching, my new shoes rubbed raw against my feet. I lie awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, trying to shake the image of taillights vanishing into the trees. Kaius left me there like I was disposable, like I was nothing.
When I finally drift into a restless sleep, it doesn’t last. My dreams are jagged, broken, stitched together with laughter that isn’t kind and faces that blur into shadows. By morning, I’m sore, hollowed out, and every part of me wants to disappear.
I drag myself to the kitchen anyway, because hiding in my room will only make me look weaker. A bowl of cereal sits in front of me, rainbow loops floating soggy in milk, but I can barely force myself to eat. My legs ache under the table, my feet swollen from walking so far in shoes that weren’t meant for it. I’ve barely been here a week, and I already feel like I won’t survive two years. The school. The Windsor brothers. This house. All of it presses down on me, heavy and suffocating.
Fifteen thousand dollars. The thought drops into my mind, solid and tempting. That’s what Cassian promised me if I stay. Fifteen grand for two years of playing pretend. I could take the first payment and run. I could vanish into some other city, start over again, build a new name for myself. But there’s more money waiting if I stay. So much more. And right now, greed is the only lifeline I’ve got.
Footsteps thud in the hall. My grip tightens around the spoon, shoulders stiffening.
Kaden saunters into the kitchen, bare-chested, a pair of black sweatpants hanging low on his hips. I hate myself for noticing the ridges of muscle cut across his stomach, the way his skin gleams faintly in the morning light. But what grabs me more is the angry red mark at his right temple. An inch-long cut, healed over but still raw.
He doesn’t acknowledge me, just yanks the fridge open and pulls out a carton of pineapple juice. He drinks straight from it, head tipped back, throat working as he swallows. I pretend to focus on my cereal, though I can feel the weight of his presence spreading through the room like static.
I have no idea where he and Kaius went after the party. I don’t know what time they came home. And maybe I don’t even care. But I feel him watching me now, and when I finally look up, he’s leaning against the counter, carton dangling from his fingers, his green eyes stormy and sharp.
His gaze traces the movement of my spoon to my lips, then drops lower—to the dip of my top, to the hem of my shorts, lingering in a way that makes heat crawl up my neck.
“See something you like?” I mutter. I’m surprised my voice comes out steady, when inside my chest feels like it’s thrumming out of control.
He smirks. “Seen better.”
I roll my eyes, jutting my chin toward the cut on his temple. “What happened? Bumped your head on the wall after arriving piss drunk last night?”
His laugh rips through the quiet, low and edged. “Hear that, Kaius? Our new sister’s got a smart mouth.”
The word sister drips from his tongue like poison, sharp enough to slice skin.
My stomach twists when Kaius appears in the doorway. He’s shirtless too, wearing the same lazy sweatpants uniform, his body leaner than Kaden’s but no less dangerous. The temperature in the room seems to drop the second he enters. I shudder, unable to stop myself.
He doesn’t even glance my way as he heads for the counter. His voice is smooth, cutting. “Well, I wonder what else that mouth can do.”
I roll my eyes again, but his back is turned. Kaden notices though. A slow grin spreads across his face, hungry and feral.
“Nice,” he says, voice curling low. “I like a girl with some fight in her. Want to show us what you’ve got?”
My heart stutters, stopping and starting. The look in his eyes isn’t teasing, it’s predatory. And the worst part is the way my body betrays me, sparking with nerves that feel too close to something else. I curse the goddess who tied me to them. I wonder if it’s even possible to make them reject me.
Kaden steps closer. His shadow swallows me where I sit. One hand slips casually into the waistband of his pants, his gaze never leaving mine.
“You could help out,” he murmurs, rubbing himself with deliberate slowness. “Put those skills to use.”
Air sticks in my throat. Fear claws at me, raw and blinding.
I shoot a look at Kaius, desperate for something, anything. He’s leaning against the counter now, arms crossed, face calm but his eyes glitter with dark amusement. He’s enjoying this.
Kaden’s green eyes darken, his tone softening into something more dangerous. “What’s the matter, sis? Need incentive? How much money?”
My gaze darts toward the door, the nearest escape route mapped in my mind. Would anyone come if I screamed?
Kaden’s laugh slices through me. He pulls his hand free, the danger evaporating in an instant, leaving only humiliation behind. “Aww, look at that, Kaius. She’s scared. Thinks we’re going to hurt her.”
Kaius chuckles too, finally meeting my gaze. His smile is a razor. “Don’t worry. You’re not our type. We don’t have trouble getting laid.”
The air between us sizzles, heavy with an unspoken dare, a challenge that coils around my spine. I refuse to look away.
That’s when Cassian walks in. His eyes flick over the scene, lingering on Kaden standing too close to me, suspicion narrowing his gaze. “What’s going on in here?”
Three sets of eyes land on me. The Windsor brothers are watching, waiting to see if I’ll betray them. If I’ll tell Cassian the truth.
My spoon clinks against the bowl as I force a casual smile. “Just… getting to know each other. Nothing much.”
Cassian’s gaze lingers, skeptical, but he doesn’t push. Instead, he leans against the counter and asks lightly, “So. Did you enjoy the party?”
I lie without blinking. “Yeah. It was fun.”
The boys leave soon after, their laughter trailing down the hall like smoke. My cereal is mush now, milk turned gray. I take another spoonful anyway, but the taste makes me want to gag.
When I’m done in the kitchen, I slip into the hall, hoping for some quiet. Instead, I find Kaius waiting, shoulders propped against the wall like he owns the space.
I stop short. “Waiting for me?” My voice comes out sharp, laced with bite I don’t bother to hide.
His eyes flick lazily over me, emerald green eyes dark and calculating. They linger on my bare legs before dragging back up to my face. “Just trying to figure out what your game is.”
I fold my arms. “I’m not playing a game. I’m just trying to survive. Maybe make it to college.”
“And take a chunk of the Windsor money with you?”
My chest tightens, heat rising in my veins. He won’t let up.
“Maybe,” I say sweetly, leaning closer. “With a few hearts too.”
His eyes sharpen, but before he can speak, I lift a finger and trail it across his chest. His skin is hot beneath my touch, his breath hitching, so quiet I almost miss it. Almost.
My heart leaps to my throat, blood pounding in waves I don’t want tied to him. Not to Kaius Windsor.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he rasps.
Don’t I know it. I curl my fingers into a fist, pulling back before I betray myself any further. “I don’t know any other way to play it.”
His expression falters, just for a beat. But the damage is done. Every encounter with them feels like it strips another piece of me away.
And I’m not sure how much of me will be left by the end.
- Writer
