Page 27 of Beautiful Ruins
They moved without question, which was the only reason the entire situation hadn’t already unraveled into chaos.
Behind me, Tone threw her arms wide in exaggerated delight.
“Well, would you look at that!”Her voice dripped with mock sincerity.“He’s so hospitable.”
I closed my eyes for half a second.
“Tone,” I warned again.
There was less heat in it now, mostly because I knew damn well warning her was useless.Tone treated boundaries the way children treat wet paint signs—an invitation.
“Raze,” she mimicked instantly, matching my tone perfectly.
Then she tilted her head and smirked.
“See?We can both do it.”
The sound of laughter caught me off guard.It was small.Soft.Like it hadn’t been used in a while.
My head flew toward Izzy before I even realized I’d moved.
For a brief second—barely long enough to register—warmth slipped through the cracks of my irritation.Seeing her laugh, unguarded, did something strange to the tension coiled in my chest.
But the moment passed as quickly as it arrived.
I shut it down.Emotion had no place here.Still, I saw the way she looked at me after.
And Tone saw it too.Her smile eased slightly.Still playful.But sharper now, like she’d spotted something valuable and quickly pocketed it for later use.
My sister lived for information.And she was the most unyielding person I knew when she thought she had leverage.
“Come on.”She suddenly hooked her arm through Izzy’s before the woman could even react.“Let’s get you out of his clothes.”
I stiffened.
My voice followed them down the hallway before I could stop myself.
“They’re custom made clothes.”
Tone didn’t even break stride.
She just glanced over her shoulder, unimpressed.
“I know,” she said dryly.“And that somehow makes it better.”
Izzy glanced back at me as Tone tugged her toward the corridor.Just for a second.
I stood there in the foyer, shoulders squared, expression carefully neutral.But my eyes followed them.
Followed the way Tone had linked herself to Izzy like they’d known each other for years instead of minutes.Like she had already decided this woman belonged under her protection.
And just like that, I understood something uncomfortable.
The rules in my house had changed.
Not because I’d changed them.Not because I wanted to.But because my sister—one of the only people on earth who had ever loved me without fear—had just walked through my door and started rewriting them.
I hadn’t expectedTone to stay.
