Gray had always teased her and called her a caterpillar, but I knew she was a butterfly.
“I’m getting ready to go out. What are you doing? Alicia still at work?” Kassa was in her last year of high school or I was sure she would have followed me and Gray to California. Alicia was a workaholic, now more than ever since we were all old enough to take care of ourselves, so Kassa was alone a lot now. She had friends but none that she would have been heartbroken to say goodbye to.
The day Gray and I had left, she’d sobbed until she’d made herself sick. I missed her and wished she were taking up the third room of the apartment. Maybe if she were there I could tolerate Gray a little more. Hell, I knew I could. Kassa was able to flip a switch in Gray that no one else could touch.
“It’s Friday night, what do you think I’m doing?” Her sweet voice turned sassy and I laughed. Knowing my sister, I figured she was camped out on her bed with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a rerun marathon of her favorite shows. “Alicia is always at work; you know that. It seems like from the moment I could cook my own dinner she started working herself to death. I’m worried about her, Jace. She needs to slow down, relax a little. She’s looking pale.”
My stomach tightened at the thought of Alicia sick. I loved her, and hated the thought of something happening to her. The few times I’d seen her sick I’d stressed myself out thinking she was going to die. She was so strong all of the time that the rare occasions when she looked like she was an actual mortal like the rest of us I’d thought I was going to lose her.
“Convince her to come out to Cali for Thanksgiving,” I told Kassa as I dried my hair with a second towel. “I’ll order a big dinner and she can relax.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said with a sigh. “I miss you guys.”
“We miss you too, Kassa.” I missed her, but I knew Gray did too. He was always in a better mood after talking to her. It only lasted about an hour, tops, but at least he was a little more bearable during that hour.
“Maybe I’ll get to come out and see you and Gray even if Alicia can’t make it.” The hope in her voice was like a punch to the gut.
“I’d like that,” I assured her. “So will Gray. I’ll tell him…” I didn’t want to tell him, but I would. The less I talked to Gray the
better for the both of us—me and my sanity especially.
Kassa laughed. “I’ll tell him. I was going to call him when I got off the phone with you.”
“Oh, I see. He’s your favorite, so you call him last to talk to him longer.” She giggled at my irritated tone, but I was grinning at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Teasing my sister was one of the few things that brought me comfort these days. “You love him more than your own brother. Traitor.”
“I love you both equally,” she was quick to assure me. “He just needs me more than you do.”
I couldn’t argue. As much as I disliked the rocker, I had to admit that he really did need Kassa more than I did. Which was saying a hell of a lot, because I didn’t know what I would do without my sister. “Yeah, yeah. Excuses.”
“It’s true.” There was a pause on her end and I realized it was because she was getting an incoming call.
“Speak of the devil. It’s him, isn’t it?” It was about the normal time Gray talked to her, so I knew it was him now.
“I don’t have to answer it if you want to talk longer,” Kassa promised me.
I rolled my eyes at my reflection. “And keep Gray from his daily dose of Kassa? Nah, I’ll pass. Love you, Kas.”
“Love you, too, big brother.” She blew me a kiss and then disconnected.
I stood there, staring down at my silent phone, but my mind was now completely off of my sister and my pain-in-the-ass roommate. The picture staring back at me made it hard to breathe for a moment as I took in the sight of long, auburn hair and eyes bright with a look I’d created in those amazing baby blues.
I’d taken that picture after kissing her, so her lips were swollen and damp. There was a slight flush to her cheeks because she was about to make all my dreams of us together come true. Just looking at her in that moment I’d felt like I could conquer the world as long as she kept looking at me like that.
The girl on the screen stared up at me like she would love me forever, for another two seconds before the screen went blank. My chest tight from the memories, I tossed my phone onto the sink and gripped the edges as I sucked in one deep breath after another.
What the hell was I doing?
I should have been back in Virginia.
I never should have left.
Chapter 5
Kin
Two days. That was all it took before I realized I was in hell. By Friday I was convinced I’d made a promise to my mother to live with Satan and her minions when I’d agreed to my mother’s last wish.
Jillian did nothing but constantly nag me to do my hair and makeup. I spent more time arguing with her over it not being her decision to make if I left the house with a messy bun or perfect hair every morning. Who the hell cared if I had on enough makeup to pass for a damn clown? She was trying to change me and I wasn’t about to be railroaded into changing my entire personality for her or anyone else.