Page 6 of Formaldehyde

Me: Fucking too right I’m in. There’s a baseball bat with her name on it.

Luca: That’s what I like to hear!

Kieran: I wonder if your sister is going? You know how much Chloe has her on a leash.

The mention of my sister has my hackles rising. If anyone is putting her on a leash, it’ll be me. I’ll walk her like a dog and she’ll be begging me to fuck her.

Me: Mention my sister again and I’ll kill you. Friend or not.

With that, I drop out of the chat, shove my phone back into my pocket and head back into the autopsy room. Ready to blow off some steam on a cold, hard corpse.

The weekend rolled around far too fast for my liking, and the last thing I want to be doing is forcing myself into this stupid costume for Chloe’s Halloween party. She was adamant to make sure that I wouldn’t forget or give me the chance to back out.

Standing in front of the full length mirror in my room, I roll the black stockings up my legs until the lacey tops meet my thighs, then I pull the tight black dress down and zip up the front before fixing the white collar around my neck. Chloe practically forced the sexy nun costume into my hands at the shop, gushing over the fact it would make my tits look great. I mean, she has got a point, they do look pretty good but I’ve never felt so exposed in my life.

Once everything is in place, I pick up the black headpiece from the chair in front of my vanity desk and pin it into place on top of my head, hiding the hair grips in the bouncy curls I’ve styled. My skin crawls with anxiety and it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest at the thought of attending this party.

Checking the time on my phone, it’s almost eight-thirty and I need to be at Chloe’s for nine. Luckily my mum is out at her weekly book club and my dad is probably dead to the world on the couch from his continuous day drinking. I grab the small clutch bag and stuff my phone inside, then give myself one last spritz of perfume and exit the room.

Immediately, I come crashing into a solid wall of muscle. Tattooed hands grab my waist in a vice grip to keep me steady.

“And where is my little sister running off to? Dressed like that..” My brother’s smoky and sinful voice washes over me like a warm river and I stumble back in his grip. My eyes rise from his tightly fitted black t-shirt, over the array of tattoos that cover his neck until I meet his gun metal eyes and what I see in them is truly nerve wracking. The way he’s looking at me now, like I’m an animal to be fed on, has my skin prickling with unease and something much darker that I’m too afraid to admit.

“Nowhere that has anything to do with you. Now, can you please let me go? I need to leave.” I push further and attempt to pull away from his grasp but it’s no use. He grips my hips tighter in a punishing hold and pulls me even closer. “Ethan..” I breathe. “Let go of me.”

He tips his head to the side, his eyes filled with raging storm clouds. “You wouldn’t push your big brother away now, would you? You should know by now, Alina, that your safety is my number one priority and going out like this..” He trails his finger up the side of my rib cage, over my chest and hooks it into the collar that’s wrapped around my neck. His touch burns like an inferno against my skin as he tightens his grip, leaving me struggling for air. “Has me ready to smash anyone’s face who looks at you.”

Fear and arousal hits my bloodstream like a toxic poison and I try to suck in a sharp breath but it doesn’t even make it past the grip Ethan has on the collar.

“You’re.. crazy.” I choke out.

A sinister grin plasters across my brother’s face. “You’re damn right I am. I’m crazy about what belongs to me.”

What belongs to him? I.. I don’t belong to him, I don’t belong to anyone yet the heat that’s coiling in my stomach like a deadly snake proves otherwise.

“Tell me where you’re going and I’ll let you go.” His warm breath brushes across my already sizzling skin. “Be my good little sister.” He whispers and my legs threaten to give way.

“I’m.. going to Chloe’s party. Happy.. now?”

Ethan’s features suddenly go from lust to disgust in a matter of seconds. He releases the collar like the fabric has burnt him, from around my neck and takes a step back. Immediately air floods my lungs like a tsunami and I cough, fighting to keep myself afloat in his deadly orbit.

I can’t even keep up with the thoughts that are bashing around my head like a brick in a washing machine, the sharp corners dig into my brain and without another word, I shove past my brother and head straight down the stairs, through the kitchen and towards the back door.

My foot only makes it an inch off the gravel path outside before I’m pulled back into the dark kitchen and shoved against the wall with Ethan’s hand across my mouth. His other hand cradles the back of my head to stop it smacking against the wall and I melt like butter in his gentle hold. Everything about Ethan gives me whiplash, one minute he’s being an absolute dick to me, the next he’s exactly like this. The fierce protector, a devil in dark armour. A devil that I definitely shouldn’t have feelings for.

Rough fingers brush over my lips as my brother lowers his hand to cup my jaw, his face inches away from mine. “I don’t want you to go to that party, Alina. It’s not safe.” His concern fills my stomach with butterflies and I can almost imagine us in a different life, one where we aren’t bound by blood, just two strangers meeting for the first time.

My eyes snap from Ethan’s to the living room where the glow of the TV fills the room and my dad’s heavy snoring echoes. If we get caught like this, we’ll both be dead.

“Eyes on me, lil sis.” Ethan demands. I flick my gaze back to his and instantly melt into the dark pools of his eyes. “He’s asleep, don’t worry. He won’t catch us like this.”

I swear he can see right through my soul, leaving me completely bare for him. “This isn’t right, Ethan.” I plead. “You're my brother and I’m your sister. I need to go.” I try to take a step to the side but he quickly pins me back into place.

“You might be my sister, but the way you’re looking at me right now, the way you rub your thighs together and your breath hitches whenever I’m near, tells me there’s something hidden inside of you that’s begging for me to release it.”

Tears begin to well in my eyes because I know he’s right. Everything he’s saying is the fucking truth and it’s sickening.

I’m sick for wanting this.