EVIL VILLAIN (The Royal Court #3) - Rebel Hart Page 0,78
I’d do, I pulled Nathan into a huge bear hug. I closed my eyes and breathed in the moment—actually bonding with a brother I hated. We had something that bonded us more than anything else ever could.
The manipulation of Connor Loche.
“So,” Nathan said, pulling away. “How about that dad of ours?”
I shrugged. “I don’t see him as my dad.”
Nathan nodded. “Oh good, I don’t either.”
Colette raised her hand. “Don’t you have to acknowledge that he’s your dad to some extent? Otherwise you wouldn’t be brothers.”
“No,” Nathan and I said in unison, and it brought that concept to an end in a flash.
“He’s done all he needed to do in making us brothers by spreading his seed,” Nathan said.
I nodded. “And now it’s time to stop him so he can’t bring that level of harm to anyone else.”
Cherri and I were understandably hungry given our torrent for the past few hours, so after Felicity made us a full breakfast each, despite it being nearly lunch time, we all adjourned to the much roomier living room. I took my normal armchair, and when Cherri tried to sit on the floor in front of me, I pulled her down in my lap instead. Nathan, Nikita, Colette, and Jaxon all squeezed on one couch, while Kyle and Brayden sat next to one another on the other, with Felicity in her regular spot at the end of that one. Sicily sat on the floor and Avery and Alistair joined him, though they quickly curled into each other as expected, and I noticed how close everyone else seemed.
“So, everyone’s paired off then?” I said.
Kyle looked around nervously, “Well—”
“Yeah,” Brayden said. “Everyone’s paired off.”
Kyle looked at Brayden with glowing eyes and it brought a smile to my face. I never suspected that Kyle was into guys, but it also didn’t shock me. He was never the kind of guy who seemed to give a shit about stuff like that when it came to who he chose to spend his time with. The fact that he was into Brayden as an individual was a little more surprising, but it seemed Brayden had mellowed out at least.
“Is that an admittance?” Avery asked, leaning in. “Is that what that means?”
“No,” Colette said quickly, then looked at Brayden. “No, right?”
Brayden shrugged. “It doesn’t have a title or anything, but…”
Avery clapped her hands. “Yes! Yes!” She stabbed a finger out at Colette. “Suck it, Bentley!”
Colette crossed her arms. “Fine. I owe you $50.”
“Did you bet on us?” Kyle said with his nose wrinkled up. “That’s pretty shitty.”
Colette sat up straight. “Oh no! We didn’t bet on your success or anything. We all knew that was happening. It was more a matter of how long it would take you to come out and say it.” She put a hand on her chest. “I’m the better friend, because I wasn’t going to rush you into anything.”
“You are not. You said they’d keep flip-flopping between who would be willing to say it,” Avery said.
“Rude,” Colette snapped. “That was supposed to just be between us.”
“Technically, that’s what happened,” Alistair said. “I mean it was Brayden who confirmed it just now, not Kyle.”
Avery turned around and looked at Alistair. “Whose side are you on?”
Alistair shrugged. “What? I’m just saying—”
“WAIT!” Sicily screamed, bringing all the attention to him. “You two are together?!”
Colette looked over at Avery with a grin. “Ooh, I do believe that brings us back to even.”
“Goddammit, Sicily,” Avery hissed. “Did you really not know?”
“No,” Sicily whimpered, deflating. “Dang it. So I really am the only single one? No love for ol’ Sis?”
“You’ll find someone, Sicily. You’re so wonderful,” Cherri said.
“You really are,” Avery tacked on. “I meant what I said at the beginning of the summer.”
That seemed to light Sicily up. “Really?”
“Wait,” Alistair said. “What’d you say?”
“Yeah,” Avery replied, totally ignoring Alistair. “You’re a catch.”
Alistair poked Avery in the back. “Avery, what’d you say?”
“Oh! Do you mean when you said you’d put him on your list?” Nikita asked.
“Nikki!” Avery yelped.
Nikita slumped further into the couch. “Oh… is that not what we’re talking about?”
“List?” I asked.
“A list of people other than your partner than you can sleep with, but it’s usually celebrities that you’d never meet,” Cherri explained quietly to me before looking at Avery. “Did you really say that? I thought you were talking about when you said if it wasn’t for Alistair—”
“Oh my god! Both of you shut your fucking mouths!” Avery hissed.
“No, no. Please continue,” Alistair said with a stone-serious face.