Beautiful Nightmare (Dark Dream 2)

For all his flaws, I’d loved him and admired him. Brando had his superhero obsession, but I’d only had one my whole life. Lane.

So the idea of finally sharing his last name after so many years of having to hide it, of feeling ashamed because I didn’t have my dad’s surname or permanent residency…it elated me.

The word ‘yes’ sat on my tongue pre-formed, ready to spring from my lips.

But I swallowed, thickly, painfully, dragging it back down my throat into my belly.

Tiernan might have broken my heart by lying to me, but he’d also taught me a valuable lesson.

To blindly trust kindness was as dangerous as trusting bold-faced lies.

I looked into Caroline’s perfectly symmetrical face at the diamonds and pearls in her ears, the Dior lipstick and Botox-smooth skin and I knew I couldn’t trust anything I found in her features. They were a mask she had spent years painting into the masterpiece it was today.

I had to look deeper than that, the way I did with paintings. Beyond the surface into the detailed depths.

And there was that palpable tension in the way she held her mouth, a tightness beside her eyes that spoke of need.

She needed me to sign these papers.

I just didn’t know why.

Carefully, I moved my head back out of her grasp and let a sheaf of hair partially veil my face as I looked down at the papers once more.

Caroline waited in a mushroom cloud of toxic silence.

It only took me two minutes to realize the problem.

“There isn’t anything about Brandon in here,” I said, sickness blooming in my belly, curdling the expensive food there. “Why isn’t there anything about my brother?”

She sighed, a long, dramatic expression that was more eloquent than words. “Tiernan Morelli isn’t willing to give him up. We can fight him on it, but it will take time, Bianca. The least we can do is get custodianship of you away from that monster.”

“Monster?” I echoed, catching the flash of true disgust on her face.

A stillness settled over her and when she spoke next, her words were slow and perfectly articulated as if she measured them first. “Well, you don’t know anything about this world, Bianca but the Morellis are unprincipled heathens. The lowest of low. Any association with them is absolutely forbidden, is that understood?”

“But why?” I pressed. “Why do you hate them so much?”

“Hate is such a strong word. They aren’t worthy of my hatred. Quietly simply, they are below me and they should be below you.”

I thought of being below Tiernan on the floor of my bedroom and squirmed as arousal prickled down my spine.

“What did they do?” I asked again, even though Caroline’s face was growing so cold, I worried it would fractured into ice chips.

She looked down at the papers than back up at me, calculating. “They have always wanted what is mine. What was Lane’s.” Her left eyelid twitched. “They don’t seem to understand that I will not be taken from. I have earned what I have, every ounce of it, and I will always do battle to keep it.”

I blinked slowly, feeling as if I was being given the Cliff Note’s on a much larger, more complicated story.

“Is that why you want to take us in?” I asked, steeling my shoulders against her tangible irritation. “To take something from the Morellis?”

“Maybe they never should have had their uncouth hands on you in the first place,” she suggested, relaxing carefully into her chair to address her almost uneaten salad. “Look at how they hurt you.”

“Tiernan never laid a hand on me,” I defended, even though I knew it was stupid, even though I didn’t want to.

She raised a thin blonde brow. “There are many ways to skin a cat.”

The metaphor was said flatly, in a way that signaled she was done with the conversation until I signed the documents.

“I won’t sign without Brandon,” I told her, my voice surprisingly strong even though I was faintly worried I’d be homeless after this lunch.

The truth was, I already felt homeless without Brando by my side.

“You will do as I say.” Caroline didn’t even lift her head as she daintily ate her salad. “Obedience, Bianca.”

“Fuck, obedience,” I said, ignoring her startled look at the glances from the table beside us. “I’ve been obedient my whole life and it’s only ever gotten me shitty second-helpings after everyone else took exactly what they wanted. There is one thing that matters to me more than anything else in this world and it’s my brother. Whatever I am, orphaned Belcante, fostered Morelli, or adopted Constantine, Brando is with me.”

“Bianca,” Caroline said in a low voice that clinked like ice against her teeth. “You will sign these papers and we will deal with getting Brandon together after that.”

“Absolutely not.” I glared at her, refusing to be cowed. “I don’t mean to be rude, Caroline, but I think you can understand that family comes first. Brandon is all that I have left of mine.”