In Other Worlds by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page B

hurt his feelings. But it was too late. He was closed off from her again.

SIX
    By the time they dressed, it was nearly dinnertime.
    â€œYou want to go out to eat?”
    Adron’s question startled her. It was so unlike him to volunteer to leave. Normally she had to pull him out while he threatened and protested every step of the way.
    She wanted to go eat, but he’d been doing really well with his pain today. He’d taken only half his normal dosage of medication. The last thing she wanted was to tax his strength and make him hurt again. And going out always made him tense. He didn’t like the way people stared at his face or his cane.
    But it was nice of him to offer.
    â€œNo, it’s okay.”
    He looked at her skeptically and used her words against her. “C’mon, you can’t spend your life locked in this apartment. The fresh air will be good for you.”
    â€œAre you sure you feel up to it?”
    â€œTruthfully? I hate being stuck here all the time. I was never a homebody before.”
    â€œYeah, but I know how much you loathe being in public.”
    He shrugged. “I’ve learned to like going out with you. People don’t bother me as much as they used to. And I don’t really see them when I’m with you anyway. I’d much rather look at you than anyone else.”
    How could she say no to that?
    â€œOkay.” She got up and put on her shoes while Adron got her coat and held it for her.
    They didn’t go far, just a few sectors over to a quaint restaurant she’d discovered with Zarina and his mother a few weeks ago.
    Adron sat beside her with his arm draped over the back of her chair as they waited for their food. For some reason he liked to twist a lock of her hair around his forefinger. She wasn’t even sure if he realized how much he did it . . . if he even knew he did it at all. But anytime she was near him, he played with her hair.
    And it always warmed her.
    â€œI don’t believe it.”
    Adron went rigid at the unfamiliar deep voice.
    Livia turned her head to see a man who looked so incredibly similar to her husband that she knew he must be the elusive brother, Jayce—the only member of Adron’s family she had yet to meet.
    Jayce’s green eyes were warm with friendship as he paused beside her chair. His long blond hair was braided down his back, and he wore a black League assassin’s street uniform. Something so dark, it seemed to absorb light. Dark-red daggers were engraved down the sleeves, and each was topped by a crown that marked him as the most lethal of his kind. A command assassin of the first order.
    But for his playful eyes, he would have been terrifying to meet. They, however, softened his features and made him appear almost human.
    Smiling, he extended a gloved hand to her. “You must be Livia. It’s great to finally meet you. My parents think the world of you.”
    Before she could move or speak, Adron knocked his arm away. “You’re not welcome here. Why don’t you slink off into the hole you crawled out of?”
    Jayce curled his lip. “Oh, that’s real original and mature. Why don’t you call me Mr. Stinky Pants while you’re at it?”
    â€œFuck you.”
    A tic worked in Jayce’s jaw. To his credit, he kept his cool and took a deep breath before he spoke again. “Look, can’t we just put the past behind us and be brothers again?”
    Adron’s response was so crude that it sent heat over her face.
    Jayce went flush with his rage. “Fine, wallow in your self-pity, you disgusting asshole.”
    He turned to leave.
    â€œThat’s right,” Adron snarled, “turn your back on me, you coward. That’s what you were always best at.”
    Jayce whirled about and grabbed Adron out of his chair.
    Livia gasped as she rose to her feet to stop them. “You need to let him go.”
    Jayce ignored her. “Don’t you ever