AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We just need to know a few things about the Butcher,” Kieran said, his voice quieting. “As long as you answer honestly, no one will hurt you. I…” He hesitated, almost choking on words that should’ve been reassuring from big brother to little brother but felt like a threat instead, “I’ll be here. All right?”
“The Butcher,” Romulus repeated, his eyes a little too wide. “What if I don’t have the answers?” He visibly swallowed.
The question wasn’t a stupid one, but then, Romulus had never been stupid. Spoiled, sure, and entitled as fuck, but not dumb. Kieran knew the rebels didn’t like the words I don’t know, and they believed them even less.
Kieran was crouching beside his brother before he could even draw in another breath, close enough to touch but still not actually reaching out. If anyone came in…
“Try,” he urged. “Just try.”
“Please don’t let them hurt me,” Romulus begged him.
Kieran choked on his reply, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t promise. He knew better. The supes were hard on anyone who sympathized with humans, but the rebels weren’t much kinder to humans who sympathized with supes.
Tentatively, he touched Romulus’s hair, fingers brushing against his forehead. He didn’t speak — couldn’t speak — and the more his brother pleaded, the harder it became. “How the fuck did you end up with someone like him?” he finally managed, which wasn’t at all what he’d meant to ask.
Unless his brother was a better actor than he’d given him credit for, Romulus wasn’t hardened enough to be around someone like Abel Boucher. Then again, it didn’t really take being a hard-ass to turn the other way and pretend to be blind.
You would know.
“How did you end up with people who drug other people and tie them up to pump them for information?” Romulus retorted with another pointless shake of his wrists before he dropped his head back against the wall.
Kieran stared, not even sure how to respond to that. Wordlessly, he drew back. It should’ve been obvious that a magicless witch would end up with the Rebellion, but a shockingly pitiful witch shouldn’t have been with someone like the Butcher.
“I needed help. I was in a bad place, and I needed… someone with money and power, and Abel was just there,” his younger sibling conceded with a sigh. “He’ll miss me if I’m gone.” The lie was slow, too slow, and unconvincing. “He’ll come looking.” Romulus added, but even he didn’t sound convinced of that. Hopeful, maybe, but unconvinced.
“You won’t be gone long if you cooperate,” Kieran replied. His desperation to flee the room was on the verge of becoming unbearable. He didn’t want to hear the helplessness in his brother’s voice, didn’t want to know that there was a very real chance he’d hear pain and true misery by the time the sun fully rose.
He was abruptly aware of the fact that he didn’t know much of the plan — including the part that included what would happen to Romulus when they’d gotten their answers. Fuck. Now he had to try to find out without seeming too interested.
“I don’t know anything, Kieran!” Romulus pressed on him.
“Don’t fuck with me,” Kieran warned. “I know he’s not someone you want to cross, but neither are we. Don’t screw around with this, Romi.”
Romi, like they were kids again. He pretended he hadn’t said it.
The witch just stared at him, that same mixture of uncertainty and fear still in his eyes. Kieran wasn’t altogether sure if he would listen and heed his warning. He wasn’t even altogether sure if Ram was a more terrifying man to cross than the one his brother was sleeping with. He didn’t want to think about the off chance that his little brother would fear the Butcher more than he did the threat of pain or worse…
Before he could think of what to say to convince Romulus to speak anyway, the door opened again. His eyes flicked to the top of the stairs, and he hissed, “Don’t. Lie.” He straightened slowly, putting distance between them and retreating — finally — without another word.
