Kings of Blood and Money (Underworld Kings)

She attempts to turn around to go back upstairs, but I grab for her, clasping her wrist. “You don’t have to stay up in your room, Freya,” I say, feeling a tug in my chest at the sight of her. Fuck, she will have to stay in her room later, but I’ll worry about that then.

“I wanted a snack.” She bites down on her lip, tucking a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear.

You are a damn snack.

The words nearly tumble from my lips, making me smile as I take her in. Creamy, toned legs on display. A tiny pair of shorts, giving me ample flesh to discover. She’s wearing a sweater that goes up to her jaw despite the heat.

“Is Noah down there?” she asks timidly.

“You don’t need to fear him.” He’s an asshole to her, but he’s never gone beyond his thoughts

“Don’t I?” She snorts, curling her arm around herself in a protective gesture.

“Did something happen?” My mind races, thinking back to Noah asking about her this morning.

She balks as footfalls hit the stairs, so I tug her into my room and close the door. Breathing unevenly, she teeters on her feet. I’m not sure if she’s going to stay or attempt an escape. “You’re safe with me, you know that, right?” I tell her, so sure of my words, it makes me regret not having things out with Noah when he upset her years ago.

Sighing, her hands drop to her sides. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” I smile at her, hating how small she’s trying to make herself. Noah’s really done a number on her. I want to know what I’ve missed, what’s happened between them. “You can sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

We’ve been told to stay away from her ever since she came here. Dad didn’t want us forming a relationship. It still baffled me why the fuck he brought her here in the first place, but I’m glad he did. She’s sweet, funny, ours.

Tracking her movements across the room, she sits on my bed, her hand brushing across the surface of the duvet.

“Do you know anything about me?” she suddenly asks, her cheeks flushing.

“What do you mean?” I ask, taking the seat next to her.

“About who I am? Who I was before ever coming here?”

I pluck her hand up and lock our fingers, palm against palm. Her little intake of breath sends a wave of awareness through me. We’re alone in my room, both grown.

Has she ever been touched, even simply like this?

“What do you remember about who you are?” I ask. I’d never thought about what it must be like for her, ending up here. See our situation through her eyes.

“Fear…being scared…” She looks down at our joined hands. “I try to remember things, push myself for even a glimmer, but it’s like there’s a room with a locked door I can’t open.”

The green of her eyes is more prominent than the brown today as they lift to mine. Those thick lips part, her pink tongue swiping out to wet them. The urge to reach forward and taste her is overwhelming.

Fuck, why is she so gorgeous? Her innocence hums beneath a body made for sinning. But she’s in pain, and I’m not the fucking guy who exploits that.

“I don’t remember what happened and I don’t want to. Seeing the agony it caused Noah and our dad…I didn’t want to feel what they were. All I know is something went down between our family and yours, and we all lost because of it.”

She bobs her head on a quiet sniffle, a tear dropping from her eye. I turn into her, fully grasping her cheek in my hand, swiping the tear with the pad of my thumb. “Don’t be sad. I can’t bear it,” I find myself telling her, my forehead crinkling. “We can’t change the whys or hows, just what we do with the after.”

“Do you think Noah will ever stop hating me?”

“He doesn’t hate you, he just doesn’t realize that yet. My twin is a stubborn man.”

Her stomach makes a gurgling sound, and I chuckle.

“That’s embarrassing.” She scrunches her nose, and it’s cute as all hell.

Reluctantly, I pull away from her and open my bedside drawer. “Remi,” she breathes, placing her hand over her mouth.

“I get the munchies,” I defend, scooping up a pile of chocolate bars, chips, and candy and dumping it on the bed between us. “Throw a movie on the TV and help yourself. I’m going to take a quick shower.”

She scoots her ass back against my pillows, grabbing the remote. Toeing my boots off, I loosen my belt, sensing her eyes watching me with heated interest. I’d planned on going into the bathroom to take off the rest, but her curiosity intrigues me. How would she react if I got fully naked?