“I knew it!” Bel said loudly.
Marcus swallowed back a groan and kept his focus on Ethan as he trailed nervously behind them. Of course, Rafe’s place tended to be a lot to take in with its black marble floors and dark woods. But the most stunning thing was the magnificent view of the city in the endless wall of windows. Two walls of windows were visible from almost every spot in the penthouse, which was a damn strange choice for a vampire, but then damn strange was a perfect description of Rafe.
Of course, he was protected. The windows were specially coated to guard against UV rays, and special shades rolled down during the day to block more sunlight. There were also thick metal shields that came down as a final layer of protection if necessary, but Marcus wasn’t sure if Rafe had ever used those. For the most part, the penthouse was about Rafe being in the center of all human action and not allowing anything, especially the sun, to stop him from enjoying his extremely long life to the hilt.
What drew Marcus’s attention was the forlorn song lifting from a violin, its notes dancing through the various open rooms. He hadn’t been sure if he’d ever hear Rafe play again after the death of Julianna. His brother had enjoyed learning the instrument when he’d been younger, but when it had become a tool to control and calm her darker moods, he’d come to resent it. It was a reminder of how they couldn’t save her and how they were in constant danger. Marcus could only hope that Rafe found some peace at last with the music and their mother.
As they entered the main living space, they found Rafe’s tall, lean form standing just beyond the balcony doors, the violin tucked under his chin. The wind blew his hair partially over his face, but not enough to obscure the look of pain etched into his features. All of his brothers worried Marcus in their own way. Bel tended to get lost in his work. Rafe tended to get lost in his pleasures while trying to run from his personal demons. And Winter just tended to get lost, dropping out of contact for long periods of time.
Bel whistled sharply, and Rafe lifted his bow from the strings. With narrowed eyes, he entered the living room, looking from Marcus to Ethan. Bel snapped his fingers once and held out his hand.
“I can’t fucking believe it,” Rafe muttered. He moved the bow to the same hand as his violin and reached into his pocket. Crossing the room, he slapped what looked to be a hundred-dollar bill into his twin’s outstretched hand.
“What did you bet?” Marcus snapped.
“Whether you’d fuck him or kill him,” Rafe grumbled before looking over at a still-smug Bel. “I can’t believe you got that right.”
“You didn’t have a meal with them. They’re quite adorable.”
Ethan snickered from beside Marcus, and Marcus rolled his eyes. “Is Winter here yet?” he asked wearily.
“No, but soon,” Bel replied. “I spoke to him earlier, and he wasn’t able to find Aiden. I have a feeling he’s gone back to the old estate in England.”
Marcus nodded. It made sense. Aiden had owned a large, sprawling estate north of London where they’d all lived for a short time as a family. It would make sense that Aiden would take their mother’s body to the last place they’d all been happy together. Before Julianna’s illness. Before they were all transformed. Before it all changed.
“I’m guessing in between all the orgasms, you explained things to him,” Rafe said, waving his bow in Ethan’s direction.
“Well, he explained some things,” Ethan said quickly. “There wasn’t a lot of time between the orgasms for talking.”
Rafe stared silently at Ethan for a moment and then rocked back on his heels with laughter. Marcus looked over to find even Bel shaking his head and smiling, while Marcus could feel his cheeks heating. This was not a topic he’d ever imagined talking about with his brothers.
“You’re faster than I expected.” Rafe pointed his bow at Marcus. “He’s too good for you, I hope you realize that.”
“I do.”
“Not true,” Ethan interjected sharply. “He’s just the right amount of good for me, and the perfect amount of bad.”
Rafe gave a little shiver. “I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but I now know more than enough about Marcus’s sex life.”
“Agreed,” Bel added.
“Like I haven’t been saying that about yours for years,” Marcus grumbled.
Rafe walked over to a table where a violin case lay open. He carefully placed the violin and bow inside, making sure both were properly secured before closing it. “I just felt that I had to share mine with you since yours was so abysmally nonexistent.”
“Well, that has been fixed. Please leave me off your sex picture texts from now on.”