out of the way. "You two can finish painting this wall together." She smiled sweetly, picking up a paintbrush and planting it in Ethan's hand before she disappeared into the tunnel.
Both of our eyes watched her round ass disappear into the tunnel and I cursed myself internally for never being able to stop staring.
Ethan shot me a sideways glance like he hadn't been planning on staying near me, but now she'd put a brush in his hand, he would have to admit he didn't want to be around me if he was going to leave. I sure as shit didn't want to be around him either, but I wasn't going to stop what I was doing. And I had the feeling Ethan wasn’t going to lose face by letting me know my company bothered him enough to make him leave.
I ran the roller up the wall and Ethan sighed, dropping down to kneel on the sheeting on the floor and started painting along the skirting boards. It didn't matter if we got our jumpsuits splattered, they just gave us new ones once we got back to our cells anyway. And there wasn't much point in giving us workmen's clothes because that was essentially what we were wearing to begin with.
The silence stretched between me and Ethan for so long that it became deafening. I knew he meant something to Rosa, even if she'd never admit it to me. My brother's mate was his whole world, the pull he felt towards her was unrivalled by any other force on earth. So if Rosa was suffering like I suspected she was over Ethan, then he must have been in the same boat.
"So er...what's your plan when you get out of here?" I asked, deciding to make an effort for Rosa's sake. Not that I was sure why I wanted to do that exactly, especially when she wouldn’t even admit that she liked him herself. But I had told myself I wanted the best for Rosa. A mate who cared for and protected her. So if she was stuck with this guy then maybe I’d better figure out if he was worthy of his moon-chosen place at her side.
I was from a family of Lions and had been surrounded by my three moms and my dad’s influence my whole life. I knew the power of mate bonds. And it went deeper than just a celestial being forcing them together. On some level, they were made for one another. And as much I didn’t like it, I was far more aware than Rosa was that Ethan wasn’t going anywhere. She may have thought her moon gifts could break the bond between them, but I begged to differ.
Despite that, I'd spent far more time than I wanted to own up to envying Ethan for his bond to Rosa. I was still furious at him for not being Fae enough to claim her outright. Not that I wanted her attention stolen by another man or anything. But she'd said herself she wasn't like other Alpha Wolves. She didn't want one mate. Great, so she can mate with a bunch of other Fae and you can be her supportive 'friend' whose balls turn so blue they fall off.
"I'm going to go home and be with my sisters," Ethan said. "They've all had pups I've never met and most of them have married guys I've never vetted."
I released a breath of amusement then hooked on that one thing we had in common. "I haven't met my niece and nephew either. And the last time I saw my brother, he was hoping his wife was pregnant again. If they have another one before I get out of here, I'm going to lose it."
Ethan looked up at me from the floor with a frown. "It fucking sucks, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," I muttered. "But I guess we'll see them soon enough."
He smiled at that, hope shining in his eyes. "I was never even meant for prison," he sighed. "But I'd do anything for family."
"What did you do?" I asked offhandedly, but I knew the weight of that question in here. Most people didn't share their crimes unless they wielded it to scare people, it was big in the news, or you were just plain dumb.
"I didn't do anything," he admitted, surprising me. "I covered for someone I love."
My brows arched at that and though my instinct was to call bullshit, I could see the truth in his eyes and there was no