dark skin would be blue. A smile would grace his lips and he would leave, pleased with mother nature.
The hall came to an end. Going left would take him to his room, going right would take him to Lyne’s. Knowing that his brother was busy cooking, the choice to go right urged him forward until he was in front of Lyne’s door.
Auro was not known for snooping. He didn’t know what drove him, but as he opened the door, he shook the blood that he had forgotten about off his fingers. The act was done in less than a second, and the door was opened immediately after. He covered his presence, lest Lyne be suspicious or wary enough to notice it.
With a wave of his hands, candles took flame and lit the dark interior of the room. The bed was grand, a king size of pure down. A deep violet duvet covered the massive space, with several pillows of the same design placed immaculately against the head board. There wasn’t a thread out of place, not a wrinkle to be seen.
He smiled at how alike they were. Feeling mildly curious, Auro stepped further into the room. It was only a second before he was drawn to the dresser. The curtains over the window were pure black. The satiny curtains reached the floor and rustled as they fluttered in a chilly breeze.He made them stop, unsettled by the sound.
Auro felt as if he were snooping. He felt as if he was defying his brother, or maybe betraying him. Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable and he hated it, yet he couldn’t stop his hand from opening the top drawer. His senses were starting to override. His heart, dead inside of his chest, would have been bursting with trepidation.
The wood creaked as he pulled it open slowly. Looking inside, he had no clue what he would find, didn’t even know if he was trying to find anything. It was empty. For some odd reason, the pressure in his chest eased.
He closed it—then froze, eyes drawing downward. There were more drawers, he told himself. He didn’t want to do it, he really didn’t…but he did. His pale bony fingers wrapped around the second handle.
The haunting flicker of the candle light made it all the more suspenseful. He told himself not to worry, that his brother was busy and he was being foolish for thinking that Lyne would dare hide something from him. A soft rasping sound had his eyes snapping to the curtain. He hissed softly, forcing it to be still with a slash of his hand.
When he turned his eyes back to the drawer, it had already opened.
His heart pounding, seeing the picture frame face down, hiding what he knew would not please him. A trembling, thin hand turned it over.
Auro hissed angrily, eyes flashing to a bright bloody red. The betrayer! his mind screeched, hand jerking back as if he had been burnt. The drawer slammed closed. The face in the picture stared at him, their eyes burning into his skull as he whipped around.
He did not see his brother. He saw the traitor.
Lyne walked in calmly, his face, so alike to Auro’s, expressionless. His hand landed on the bed post, watching Auro calmly. “Brother,” he said cordially.
Auro could not return the endearment. His chest was tight, the image seared into his mind’s eye. He moved from the dresser, making to walk past Lyne. He wasn’t about to admit that he had been looking through Lyne’s belongings, wasn’t about to admit that he was so hurt and traumatized by what he had found.
“You should have known,” Lyne started, putting up a hand as Auro made to leave.
“Known what?” He stopped, wanting to exit but not wanting to touch Lyne.
“That,” he said, gesturing to the dresser. “You should have known. I don’t understand why you look and think as if I have betrayed you.”
Auro turned cold, bloody eyes to Lyne. “After all this time, Lyne?” he asked bitterly, turning from him. The draping curtain was once again scraping against the ground, the sound grating on his nerves.
Lyne’s pale face turned cold. “One does not easily forget the tragedy of losing a loved one.”
“She was a whore,” Auro spat, crossing himself even though he was a creature of the devil. “She used us, betrayed us. Betrayed you!”
“It does not matter!” Lyne shouted hoarsely, his anguish filling the room. “I loved her!”
“She loved another man,” Auro hissed, disgusted with his brother. “I knew from