Page 75 of Unhinged Cain

“What is it about you that has changed my brother? What are you doing to him? Do you have a magic pussy? Are you a witch? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re a witch with a magical pussy that has turned my brother into someone I don’t recognize.”

“You think I’m a witch, like a real witch with spells?” I couldn’t help but smile, which didn’t seem to help my cause as Abel’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “Does it look like I have magical powers? I mean, if I did, I wouldn’t worry about turning your brother into whatever, and I’d undo the chains and unlock the door instead.”

Abel tapped his chin, the chains around his neck jingling as he did. His moment of confusion gave me a chance to look him over. The brothers were very identical, but there were subtle differences. Cain had a freckle near his left nipple. It was a small thing, but Abel didn’t have one. Abel’s voice was just a fraction higher than Cain’s. It was so close to being the same that anyone who hadn’t spent a lot of time with them wouldn’t notice, but the clothes, on the other hand…

Cain wouldn’t be caught dead in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt or ripped jeans with stains on them. Even the shoes on Abel’s feet were nothing like what Cain would wear. Cain liked clean and crisp items, and he wore mostly black. His shirts were fitted to his sexy chest and abs.

“If you’re not a witch, then it means that you’re simply dangerous to Cain and not to me,” he said, and the soft smile on my face fell. His hand reached behind his back. I didn’t need to see to know he had a knife and planned to use it.

I took a step back and bumped up against the wall.

“Don’t you think you’ll upset your brother if you hurt me?” I was grasping at straws, but I needed to stall for more time.

“I think he’ll learn to forgive me. After all, we have a bond that can withstand anything,” he said as his arm slowly began to pull his weapon out when we both heard the outer door unlock.

Abel took a step back and fixed his shirt to hide whatever weapon he had as the metal door clicked shut. Cain stepped into the room and froze as his eyes traveled between myself and Abel.

“What are you doing in here, brother,” Cain asked, his tone accusatory.

I sagged with relief at hearing the anger and protective manner of his voice. Strangely, he’d become my protector, not my killer. It was an insane thought to feel safer with him than with the rest of the world, but I did. There was not a single doubt in my mind that he would kill anyone that tried to hurt me, and by the look in his eyes, that also included his brother.

“I came here looking for you,” Abel answered.

“That doesn’t explain what you’re still doing here when you realized I wasn’t. It also doesn’t explain why you’re that close to Kirby after our conversation,” Cain said.

Everything about how he was slowly making his way across the room told me that he was going to snap and there would be a brawl. I’d seen enough bar fights to recognize the tension, but the look in his eyes screamed murder.

“I told him he could wait for you in here. I didn’t think you’d mind,” I said, and both men turned their heads to look at me, but their expressions were completely different. While confusion was on Abel’s face, skepticism was what I got from Cain. “Do you mind? I just thought that with him being your brother and the two of you so close, you’d want him to wait,” I said.

Cain came to stand in front of me, and his look said he didn’t believe a single word I was saying. I swallowed hard. He held out a coffee from Mode that I hadn’t noticed him carrying. “Jorge says, Hi, and he looks forward to seeing you when you get back.”

I took a sip of the coffee and couldn’t stop the moan. “Thank you.”

Cain turned his body to face his brother, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to push more or let the lie stand. “Okay, brother, why did you want to see me?”

“Um…I wanted to know if you could build me a box?”

“A box,” Cain asked, and I slowly stepped away from the two men to let them speak and sat down to continue my painting and sip on my delicious coffee.

“Yes, a box. Here I’ll show you what I want. I drew it on this napkin,” Abel said, and I smiled, sensing Cain wanting to groan at the napkin. I tuned the two brothers out, their voices becoming background noise.

“Why did you do that,” Cain asked, making me jump as he knelt in front of me. I blinked as I looked up from my work and stared into his serious expression and intense blue eyes. “Why did you stick up for my brother? I know you were lying, and I want to know why.”

“Are you going to kill me if I don’t tell you?” His eyes narrowed, his jaw twitched, and I knew I was pushing his buttons and enjoying it way more than I should’ve been. For a reason I couldn’t explain, I dipped my finger into the green paint and wiped it on his nose.

I yelped as he grabbed me and hauled me to my feet by the front of the shirt I was wearing. My back banged against the wall, and my heart jumped into my throat. His eyes searched my face, and I wasn’t sure what he was looking for until he spoke. “Do you want him? Do you want my brother?”

My eyes went wide, and my mouth curled up at the corner. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice,” I teased, pushing my limits.

A growl left his mouth, and he pushed me harder against the wall. I could see the needy beast inside of him. The thing that made him a serial killer was staring back at me, and god help me, I wanted to poke at the beast, push its limits.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I leaned into him, and he loosened his grip so I could hold him.

“No, I don’t want your brother,” I whispered in his ear and then kissed the side of his neck right on his clown tattoo.

“Then why,” he asked, his voice breathy.

I leaned back enough so I could see his eyes. “Because he is the one you’ve truly cared about your whole life, and I could tell that you were getting ready to hurt him, which may have ended your relationship with him.” I kissed the corner of his mouth. “He’s the only family you’ve ever loved. I didn’t want to come between that.”