“Because she loves my brother. Alex just needed to hear Luca say the words.”
“Only took the bastard ten years,” he snapped. “I know he’s your brother, but I can’t stand him. He treats my sister like shit.”
“He’s not as bad as you think. Almost losing Alex to me changed him.”
“I hope so,” he groaned.
A moment of silence passed between us. We stared at the wall we’d spray-painted to look like a scene from Greek mythology. It was the battle scene between Achilles and Hector in The Iliad.
“You could paint under a pseudonym like Alex,” Aiden suggested. “No one knew she was Queen D for a long time.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t long before my brother exposed her.”
Luca had given Alex the nickname because he called her Drea, and she would become his Queen. She posted her art online under a screen name, and because of my brother and our family’s connections to the art world, she became an overnight success. But, of course, it didn’t hurt that she had the talent to back up her instant notoriety.
“It will never happen,” I told him. “Not as long as my father is alive.”
“No offense, but your dad is a dick. And you’re too old to let him tell you what to do.”
I waved a dismissive hand at him. “You don’t understand what it’s like to be a Salvatore.”
“Can’t be any worse than being a Wellington.”
I shrugged. “Your grandfather disapproves of your art. My father outright forbids it.”
Aiden sneered. “I agreed to join the Knights. My sister thinks I’m dead because of the stupid nine month Initiation. She’s suffering, so I can make my grandfather happy. What more could he want from me?”
I knew firsthand that the men who controlled our families would never allow either of us to become anything other than a Knight. It was Aiden’s birthright as a Wellington to become one of us. We never had a choice.
Aiden tipped his head down the long, dark alley. “You ready to head home? I have to meet with Hades and Morpheus to discuss the final task on Luca’s list.”
I bobbed my head.
Aiden bit his bottom lip. “Am I making the wrong decision?”
“No,” I said with certainty. “You’re a Knight.”
“Alex is suffering because of my choices. She thinks I’m dead.”
“She doesn’t know what to believe.” I patted him on the shoulder. “When all of this is over, she will understand.”
“My sister has trust issues because of our parents. And Luca’s done nothing to make her feel safe or secure. We’ve never been apart for this long.”
“I’m taking good care of her. Trust me.”
Aiden shoved his blond curls behind his ears. “This is hard on both of us. Alex’s mental state is fragile. I’m afraid of what she’ll do if she doesn’t see me soon.”
“Look, Aiden, I won’t lie to you. Alex is not in the right frame of mind. She’ll do anything to find you.”
Aiden’s gaze lowered to the ground. “I fucked this up, didn’t I?”
“You’re making up for the past. The initiation phase is almost over. One more month until you can see Alex.”
He looked at me with tired, watery eyes.
“Please tell me you’re not doing drugs again.”
Aiden had a history of drug addiction, which heightened when he was stressed. We’d kept him clean since the accident that almost killed him. The Knights didn’t tolerate that kind of shit. Addicts were too weak and undisciplined, which would only put our organization in danger.
Aiden shook his head. “No, not anymore. I’m just tired.”
“That’s how you got yourself into this mess. Staying up too late, not getting enough sleep. Like your sister, you have a habit of doing stupid shit you regret later.”
“I’m not taking pills.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I swear.”
“You can’t see Alex if you start up with that shit again. And you will never become a Knight. Luca won’t allow it.”
“I don’t even want to be a Knight,” he shot back. “This secret society bullshit is just that—fucking bullshit. I have no interest in your stupid rituals and boys’ club shit.”
“The Knights are a brotherhood. You’ll understand after you are Knighted.”
“One more month,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand across his jaw. He had a beard, his once short hair now down to his ears and as curly as his twin’s wild hair. “I’m doing this for her.”
For Alex.
“I know.”
“I would give anything for Luca to let Alex go.”
“You know he can’t do that. Luca has to produce an heir with her.”
“If there was any other way,” he groaned.
“There’s not.”
“I wish it were you instead of Luca. You’re a better choice for my sister,” Aiden insisted. “She loves you. I know she does.”
“Not the way she loves my brother.”
“That’s not love,” Aiden fired back. “Luca treats her like a dog.”
“In his way, Luca cares about Alex. He’s just allergic to feelings.”