Page 19 of Forged in the Fire
A rough chuckle scraped out, and I moved over to him so I could ruffle my fingers through his soft hair. Trying to keep my cool when looking at him tended to send me over the edge. “Thank you for the offer, buddy, but that slice is for you.”
“I’ll take it,” Elena teased as she popped her butt onto the counter on the far side of the kitchen.
“No way, noWena.” Giggling, Kai snatched it against his chest.
“Hey. I thought I was your favorite?” Elena drew out like she was completely offended.
She had her hair that was so dark it was nearly black up in a ponytail, and she still wore these ridiculous pink pajamas that readKnockoutacross the top in silver sequins.
Knew it wasn’t an exaggeration considering the way all the assholes around here took her in when they didn’t think I was watching, which only made me five thousand times more protective of her.
She was lucky I hadn’t exchanged all her clothes for burlap sacks.
But I guess I’d already stolen enough from her, so I tried to give her at least a modicum of autonomy for herself.
I didn’t know how it was possible that my baby sister was alive and whole and filled with this zest for life that should have been stubbed out long ago.
Not after the bullshit she’d been through.
Kai’s head whipped back and forth. “No way.Siwasis myfavit.”
“What?” Elena cried, peeking over at me with playful eyes.
Our grandmother chuckled low as she flipped eggs in a skillet, her craggy voice joining the conversation.
“Now, what have I told you all? There are no favorites. We just love one another for each different, special thing about us.”
“Sounds like the perfect way for you to hide the fact that I’m actually your favorite.”
At the sudden gravelly words coming from behind, I glanced over my shoulder to find Brody shuffling through the archway. Wearing no shirt. New tats exposed on his chest.
His dark brown hair stuck up in every direction, except for where it was mashed down on one side. The bags under his eyes were so heavy that it looked like he had to have come crawling back to the house at sunrise.
Knowing my younger brother, that’s exactly the way it’d gone down.
Meems, which I’d started calling our grandmother when I was learning to speak, tsked and waved a spatula at him. “You know better than that. I love you all equally.” Staunch affectionrolled out of her as she turned back to the eggs she was frying. “But you can be sure what I’m notlovingright now is you looking like you spent the night tussling around in a dumpster.”
“Oh, I’m sure he spent the night tussling around with something.” Elena wagged her brows.
Brody only grinned a cheshire grin.
I was going to need to have a talk with him about that.
I’d all but forbade him not to run with this life, but he’d insisted on trying to patch in, and I was worried he was taking the challenge too far.
We might have lived outside of rules and boundaries, but I still demanded structure.
“Too handsome for his own good, I tell you that,” Meems muttered.
Rounding the counter, he ambled up behind our grandmother and pecked a kiss to her cheek. “See, you do love me.”
“Always,” she gushed. “Now grab me some milk so I can finish up this gravy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, tossing me a knowing smirk as he turned and moved for the refrigerator.
“Now, is someone going to put me out of my misery and tell me about our guest we have on the property?” Swiveling a fraction, Meems looked directly at me when she asked it.
That was all it took for my stomach to fist.
