thought of Snow telling them and he could only stare at his cousin, fighting to find his voice and lie to him by saying that he had told them about his problem in order to stop Snow from informing them.
Snow threw his hands up in the air. “How can you not tell them? They’re your brothers.”
He didn’t have a good answer to that question. There were countless reasons he was keeping his situation private, but only one that Snow would understand.
“I did not wish to worry them. I will fix it.”
A vein in Antoine’s temple throbbed. “Fix fucking what?”
Snow looked down at him. “Grave’s hand went straight through me.”
“What?” Antoine’s blue eyes widened.
“It is not a problem.” Grave looked away from his cousins and curled his lip at the oil paintings hanging on the walls, depictions of colourful sunsets and landscapes. What sort of vampire decorated their office with such scenes? Daylight was hardly something a vampire should enjoy looking at. It was synonymous with death after all. “I am dealing with it. Let it go.”
Snow grabbed him again and slammed him back against the wall near the door. “No. Tell me what happened. Is it a witch’s curse? We have a witch. She might be able to fix it.”
Grave closed his eyes.
Snow was a rabid dog with a bone and he wasn’t going to let it go.
The bastard had had a thing about family since killing most of their one, an obsession with protecting them that didn’t quite mesh with Antoine’s since it turned out Snow still included Grave in the circle of people he considered family.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked into Snow’s, catching the pain that danced in them, the desperate need that a part of Grave was familiar with and understood.
Snow needed to repent, and now he was turning Grave’s sins into his own.
He sighed and another war ignited inside him, a battle between doing what his pathetic heart desired and shoving his cousin away, keeping him at a distance.
The weak part of himself won.
“A woman tricked me.”
CHAPTER 8
I t wasn’t the whole truth, but it was as close as Grave could come right now to confessing what had happened to him and hopefully it would be enough for his cousin.
“I will deal with her and what she did after I deal with the demon.”
He hated the look in Snow’s eyes, the pity. He dared a glance at Antoine and could almost fool himself into thinking that Antoine felt sorry for him too.
“I will help you track this demon down.” Snow held up his hand when Grave went to speak. “You are in no condition to fight him alone.”
Fantastic. He wanted Snow’s help, but at the same time he wanted to keep Snow in the dark about the full details behind his problem. He had intended to lure the demon to somewhere in the mortal plane and then contact Snow so they could deal with him together, but now Snow was bent on venturing back down to Hell with him to hunt for the demon.
Isla was still down there, searching for a phantom mage. What if she couldn’t find one, highly likely considering how rare they were now, and showed up on his doorstep again?
Snow would find out all about what had happened.
He debated telling his cousin now and getting it over with, but he couldn’t. Snow had said that he had changed, but the reality was that Snow had changed too. He was no longer the male that Grave had been able to confide in, the one who had fought in his corner whether he was in the right or whether he was in the wrong. Only a few minutes ago, he had treated him as if they weren’t family, and now he was acting like a big brother to him?
“No.” Grave pushed him away and stalked across the office, getting as far away from his cousin as he could in the small space. He stopped near a set of filing cabinets in the corner behind the huge mahogany desk. “I do not need your help.”
“You never do,” Snow muttered and shook his head. “But you are getting it whether you like it or not. What happens when you
Snow threw his hands up in the air. “How can you not tell them? They’re your brothers.”
He didn’t have a good answer to that question. There were countless reasons he was keeping his situation private, but only one that Snow would understand.
“I did not wish to worry them. I will fix it.”
A vein in Antoine’s temple throbbed. “Fix fucking what?”
Snow looked down at him. “Grave’s hand went straight through me.”
“What?” Antoine’s blue eyes widened.
“It is not a problem.” Grave looked away from his cousins and curled his lip at the oil paintings hanging on the walls, depictions of colourful sunsets and landscapes. What sort of vampire decorated their office with such scenes? Daylight was hardly something a vampire should enjoy looking at. It was synonymous with death after all. “I am dealing with it. Let it go.”
Snow grabbed him again and slammed him back against the wall near the door. “No. Tell me what happened. Is it a witch’s curse? We have a witch. She might be able to fix it.”
Grave closed his eyes.
Snow was a rabid dog with a bone and he wasn’t going to let it go.
The bastard had had a thing about family since killing most of their one, an obsession with protecting them that didn’t quite mesh with Antoine’s since it turned out Snow still included Grave in the circle of people he considered family.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked into Snow’s, catching the pain that danced in them, the desperate need that a part of Grave was familiar with and understood.
Snow needed to repent, and now he was turning Grave’s sins into his own.
He sighed and another war ignited inside him, a battle between doing what his pathetic heart desired and shoving his cousin away, keeping him at a distance.
The weak part of himself won.
“A woman tricked me.”
CHAPTER 8
I t wasn’t the whole truth, but it was as close as Grave could come right now to confessing what had happened to him and hopefully it would be enough for his cousin.
“I will deal with her and what she did after I deal with the demon.”
He hated the look in Snow’s eyes, the pity. He dared a glance at Antoine and could almost fool himself into thinking that Antoine felt sorry for him too.
“I will help you track this demon down.” Snow held up his hand when Grave went to speak. “You are in no condition to fight him alone.”
Fantastic. He wanted Snow’s help, but at the same time he wanted to keep Snow in the dark about the full details behind his problem. He had intended to lure the demon to somewhere in the mortal plane and then contact Snow so they could deal with him together, but now Snow was bent on venturing back down to Hell with him to hunt for the demon.
Isla was still down there, searching for a phantom mage. What if she couldn’t find one, highly likely considering how rare they were now, and showed up on his doorstep again?
Snow would find out all about what had happened.
He debated telling his cousin now and getting it over with, but he couldn’t. Snow had said that he had changed, but the reality was that Snow had changed too. He was no longer the male that Grave had been able to confide in, the one who had fought in his corner whether he was in the right or whether he was in the wrong. Only a few minutes ago, he had treated him as if they weren’t family, and now he was acting like a big brother to him?
“No.” Grave pushed him away and stalked across the office, getting as far away from his cousin as he could in the small space. He stopped near a set of filing cabinets in the corner behind the huge mahogany desk. “I do not need your help.”
“You never do,” Snow muttered and shook his head. “But you are getting it whether you like it or not. What happens when you
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