Maya gasps in outrage and flips her long hair over her bare shoulder while Mia stares at me with a concerned frown.
My sisters couldn’t be more different. Where Maya is a self-proclaimed diva with expensive taste and a thirst for attention, Mia is a little daredevil who couldn’t care less about people’s opinions and doesn’t shy away from flipping her favorite middle finger.
Even now as they sit on either side of me, they look nothing alike despite being identical twins. Maya wears a strapless top, a tight skirt, and high-heel stilettos. Mia is in a goth Barbie black dress, complete with lace and shit, a choker around her neck, blue ribbons in her hair, and gigantic chainy boots covering her feet.
Sometimes I forget they’re actually identical, because they have vastly different personalities. Guess that’s also the reason why I can’t fucking stand Landon but would fuck his brother to eternity all day, every day.
My dick twitches to life and I curse internally.
Seriously, Kolya. The fuck? My baby sisters are here. Behave yourself, dude.
“What made you too busy to reply to our texts?” Maya asks. “I had a mini breakdown.”
Judging by her begging for me to come back through sniffs and tears, I’d say it was a major breakdown, but I don’t tell her that.
I sip my now sickeningly sweet coffee and contemplate an answer that’s not “I was busy having the best fuck of my life.”
Not only is that insensitive when they really had a scare, but also, there’s that annoying tidbit where Bran said no one could know.
Still, I don’t have to identify him…
No. Nope.
It’s better I reveal nothing since I’m shit with secrets. If I reveal something, I’ll end up blurting out everything and that could seriously end things between us before they even start.
“I went somewhere to cool down,” I say and it’s not a lie. Although cooling down wasn’t the first item on my list.
“Sure thing, Niko. Kick my face in, then go cool down as if nothing happened.”
“Hey, you wanted that fight. Don’t go blaming me, Satan’s heir.”
“I told you not to hurt my face, you little fuck.”
“Yeah, Niko.” Maya grins mischievously. “That’s the only thing his girlfriend likes.”
He grins back. “At least she likes something. You, however, seem to be out of luck with the person you like.”
I narrow my eyes. “Who do you like, Maya?”
“No one,” she says, her voice a bit high-pitched. “You know how Kill likes to talk shit.”
He searches his surroundings. “Moi?”
Mia inches to my side, ignoring their bickering, and watches me closely as she signs, “Are you really okay?”
I ruffle her hair. “Never been better, baby sis.”
Her expression eases and she hugs me. I know not to take her affection for granted. I’m close to both my sisters—Maya because I let her practice her makeup skills on me when we were growing up. But Mia…Mia is special. We both deal with our demons in our own ways and know we’ll slaughter each other’s enemies if given the chance.
She’s badass like that, my sister.
“Incoming boy toy,” Killian says with apparent disdain.
For a second, I’m confused as to why Bran would be here and why Kill knows about him. Only to remember my lotus flower isn’t a boy toy and there’s no way in hell my cousin figured out things.
Sure enough, Maya is pulled away from my side and a slender, pretty guy sits on my lap, batting his lashes. “Missed you, Daddy.”
“Eww. You’re so cringe,” Kill says.
“Can’t believe I’m agreeing with Kill, but you so are.” Maya jams her finger in her mouth and makes a vomiting sound.
Simon holds out a palm without looking at them. “Talk to the hand, bitches.”
“Get off. And don’t call my sister a bitch or I’ll choke the fuck out of you.”
“Love it when you choke me, Daddy.”
Jesus. I’m getting flashbacks. Do I sound this desperate when I talk to Bran?
“You’re, like, a year younger than him,” Maya says. “In what world is he your daddy?”
“Daddy is a state of mind, ignorant.”
“Simon, stand up before I knock you off,” I say.
“But I missed you. You haven’t been replying to my texts. I’m so lonely without you.” He leans in to whisper in my ear, “I can’t wait to have your monster cock rail me all the way to heaven, Daddy.”
I swear this used to do something for me.
Now, he’s just annoying and clingy.
You’re annoying and clingy, too, in someone else’s eyes.
I start to push him away but pause when I sense eyes digging holes into my skull.
Who has the audacity to glare at me—
I lift my head and my gaze clashes with none other than Bran’s.
He stands at the cashier with his cousin Creighton and friend Remington. The latter is talking animatedly. Creighton doesn’t seem to be listening, but Bran…
Bran’s entire attention is on me.
Fuck me.
He’s watching me, openly, his body turned in my direction as he narrows his eyes on me. And for a second, I think he’ll come over here and remove Simon or something.
I think he’ll stake a public claim on me.
Instead, his walls build around him one by one. That stupid fucking fake smile curves his lips as he turns to his friends, grabs his drink, and walks out of the coffee shop as if nothing happened.
As if he didn’t even see me.
That fucking—
Rage swirls inside me and I knock Simon over, needing to peel his fingers from my clothes before he finally lets go.
I’m thankful to Maya and Mia, who stop him from following me, because I can’t be responsible for his safety if he gets in the middle of the hurricane coiling inside me.
By the time I get outside, there’s no trace of Bran.
Motherfucking fucker.
I pull out my phone to send him a text and then stop. What the fuck will I say? Offer excuses?
Why the fuck would I when he obviously doesn’t give a fuck?
Jesus fucking Christ.
I feel myself spiraling down that black hole.
Fuck this.
I need to find Jeremy and go on a goddamn hunt. Either that or I will actually hunt my Prince Not-Fucking-Charming down.
And I’m not that desperate.