He approaches me with the knife, and I use my body to shield June's. At this point, I don't even know if she's fucking breathing, but I'll do everything in my power to protect her from my twin.
"Don't hurt her," I hiss. "Don't you fucking dare."
"Then get out of my fucking way."
"No."
"You're fighting a losing battle, Kade," he spits out. "I'm going to win. It'll be easier for all of us if you just accept that right now."
"I'm not accepting anything." He lunges forward with the knife, but I'm too fast. His blade gets my shirt, and a button flies off, the fabric hanging open where he's slashed at it. "Are you fucking crazy, Parker? You're going to really hurt someone if you don't watch out."
"No shit." His eyes glitter with madness. The darkness has descended. The darkness that's been a part of us both since we were born. The one I've been fighting back my whole life—but not him, not Parker. He's embraced it now, showing me firsthand how dangerous that can be. "Move, Kade. Fucking move and you can die like a hero from fucking starvation instead of by my hand."
"You'll have to kill me yourself," I grunt. "Because I'm not letting you have her."
He lunges again. This time, his knife nicks me, and a thin trickle of blood pours down my chest.
"That'll scar nicely," he tells me with a crazed smile. "Maybe we can have matching scars now..."
Guiltily, I remember his scarred torso. Is there any truth to what he told June? Is it possible Dad did all this to him? Ignited the spark of madness inside my brother? If it's true, I'll forever blame myself. I should have noticed. I should have known and helped him. But it's too fucking late now.
"Parker, give me the knife," I try again.
"Dream on," he hisses, lunging again. He misses this time, and the rage registers on his face, distracting him. That's when I take my chance and tackle him.
The knife rattles to the floor, and my twin yells my name in the ensuing battle for it. I grab him by the collar, his shirt ripping, his screams echoing in the tomb. We wrestle on the floor, both of us grabbing for the knife, both of us struggling to break free. But I win this time. I always was stronger than Parker.
I grab the knife, and we spring apart, Parker's incredulous expression changing to disbelief.
"You'll have to kill me with your bare hands now, brother," I hiss. "Because I'm not letting you have her."
His gaze dances between June's unmoving body on the floor and me. He's weighing up his options, but he doesn't have any because the moment we're out of here, I'm going to make sure he pays for all the shit he's done to us. But then I remember my father. I see his gravestone before me with that Latin phrase he was so fond of.
Family over all.
"I'm going to give you a chance now," I say even though I can barely believe I'm doing this. "The chance to run like the fucking coward you are."
Parker stares me down silently, waiting for me to continue.
"You can leave right now," I continue. "But I never want to see you again. Never. You fucking got that?"
He nods wordlessly.
"Then fucking go," I hiss. "Make a new life. I don't care how. But you'll never make contact again. Fucking understand?"
"Mercy." He laughs. "What a wonderful thing." He glances over his shoulder at the stairs and the tombstone.
"Shut the fuck up. And don't even think about locking that door behind you when you leave," I hiss. "If you do, you don't just kill me, you kill June too. And I know you don't want to do that."
His calculating gaze takes in our stepsister's body. He's accepting defeat now, realizing he can't get his way, not this time. Then he gives me a single nod. My heart fucking breaks for him. For us. For what's left of our family.
The knife clatters from my hand as Parker takes the stairs two at a time, reaching the top and looking down at me. I wonder just how sick he actually is. If he'd risk June's life to end mine. We stare at one another, once brothers but now rivals. And then his figure disappears in the dark night, and it's just June and me.
And it might be too late to save her already.
24
Kade
It takes ages for the ambulance to arrive, and June doesn't open her eyes once. She's still passed out, lifeless and pale in my arms as the maids rush around us, calling for help frantically.
The paramedics finally show up what feels like hours later. They try to prevent me from getting in the van with them, but I shove some money in one of their hands, and he backs off. I sit next to Junebug on the ride to the hospital, my heart pounding. Every beat of it is a new worry, a new horrible, twisted thought that makes me feel like I'm going to be sick.
They rush June inside, and I follow as fast as I can. But once we arrive at the examination room, they shut the doors in my face. This time, I don't fight the nurses and doctors. I just want what's best for June.
Waiting is fucking agonizing, and my thoughts are all over the place until the head doctor finally comes out of the room, taking off his gloves.
"So?" I bark at him. "She's going to be okay, isn't she? She's going to be fine?"
"She'll be okay," the doctor mutters, not quite meeting my eyes. An awkward pause follows.
"What are you not telling me?" I hiss.
He groans, running his fingers through his hair. "We're doing everything we can, but... we aren't sure if we'll be able to save the baby."
"The baby?" My eyes widen. My pupils dilate. I'm in fucking shock because this can't be fucking real. "There's a baby?"
"You didn't know?" The doc regards me with pity, and I want to knock that look off his face. I restrain myself, though, hands forming fists and my nails digging painfully into my palms. "She's pregnant."
I nod wordlessly. I can't think of anything to say, but my heart is fucking swelling, afraid of losing something I never knew I had. Finally, I ask the most pressing question on my mind. "When can I see her?"
"In a few hours," the doc responds. "We've got her on an IV drip, and she's still unconscious. She was severely dehydrated. She’ll need to be on bed rest for a while." He gives me a long look before leaning in closer. "I have to ask. What happened? A woman in her condition shouldn't be exposed to this. We still don't know if we can save the baby."
"A mistake at our home," I mutter. I'm not going to sell Parker out. My father's motto still rings in my ears, reminding me family needs to come first. "She was locked in the family tomb for almost a full day because of... a mistake."
The doc's eyes bore into mine. I can tell he doesn't believe me, that he's fighting himself trying to decide whether he should doubt my words out loud or not. Finally, he just nods. "That's what we'll tell the police then. But Mr. Miller... If there's someone out there that's a danger to your stepsister, it would be wiser to let us know now."
"There's no one," I reply, a beat too fast. His doubtful eyes speak volumes and I know he's not buying it. But he doesn't follow up, merely nodding at me and disappearing back into the examination room.
The next few hours of waiting are excruciating. I ask every person who leaves the room for updates, but they won't tell me much except that I should wait until they can give me more information. Finally, another doctor emerges, and I race up to her, making her raise her hands to warn me off.
"Both your stepsister and the baby are stable," she tells me firmly, and a weight that's been crushing my chest falls off, making me grin. "She's waking up and asking for you, so I'll let you see her now. If you could come with me, please."
I follow the doctor into the room. June looks fucking tiny in the huge hospital bed with the IV dripping into her system and hopefully making her better. I rush to her side, squeezing the hand that doesn't have the drip in it and whispering her name. June looks tired, but her eyes light up the moment she sees me.
"You're here," she whispers weakly.
"Of course I am. How are you feeling?"
"I'm... okay." She clears her throat, glancing at the doctor. We can't talk freely while th
ere are other people here, and I glare at the woman until she leaves us alone with a sigh. "What happened, Kade?"
"It was..." I swallow the lump in my throat. A part of me still doesn't want to admit it. If I say it out loud, it'll be true. "Parker left you in there by mistake."
"It wasn't a mistake," June argues. "It was on purpose."
"June, please." We stare at one another, and my heart pounds as I pick the right words to use. "I know you must hate him right now, but he's... he's not doing well. We need to protect him. Remember my father? He would want us to have Parker's back."
June's mouth forms a thin line. I can tell she doesn't like this one bit, but I need to insist—if for nobody else's sake, for my father's—to respect his memory. And as much as I want to fucking kill my brother for what he did, I can't help but respect my father's wishes.
"Is he gone?" June whispers, and I nod, my hands fisting.
"I made him leave. I don't think he'll ever bother us again."
"Good." She looks so relieved as she leans back on her pillow, breathing a sigh of relief. "I never want to see him again, Kade. Never. Again."
"Me neither," I mutter. It's the truth, and even though I thought my brother could never push me away completely, I now understand he's taken this too far. The darkness that's running through his veins has taken over, and he needs time to think. Still, a part of me is desperate for Parker's return. I'm not complete without my other half, and the loss of him pains me.
But now's not the time to worry about my twin. Instead, I palm June's hand, wondering whether she knows about the baby. She hasn't asked about it once, which makes me think she doesn't even know she's pregnant. I finally speak up.
"June, there's something else. Something the doctors told me."
Her brows knit together in worry, and she pulls herself up in the hospital bed. "What is it?"
"Well..." I don't know how to deliver the news. I'm not great with delicate matters, so I just blurt it out. "The doctors told me you're pregnant."
"What?" Her shell-shocked expression tells me there's no way she knew about this. "Oh my god."
"I just... have to ask," I continue. "Is it mine?"
She looks at me, eyes filled with rage as she pulls her hand away from mine. "How can you ask me that, Kade?"
"Well, you told me you slept with my brother," I hiss, the mere thought pissing me off. "How am I supposed to know?"
"It was a lie," June whispers. "A stupid lie to make you jealous."
"So it..." I swallow thickly. "It is mine?"
She looks up at me, eyes wide. "Of course it's yours."
I'm finding it really fucking hard to fight the grin off my face now, and June starts laughing at me. I join in. This is the first bit of good news I've gotten in fucking months.
"I'm going to be a dad?" I ask next, shaking my head in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious?"
"We might need to watch that mouth of yours." June giggles. "The baby will pick up on that... I don't want its first word to be fuck, you know."
"It won't be." I laugh out loud. "It'll be Junebug. I'll make sure of it."
We stare into one another's eyes. For a moment, I almost manage to forget about the mess Parker's dragged us into. For a moment, everything's normal, and we're just a regular couple who found out they're expecting their first child together. It may just be a moment, but I know it's the promise for a lifetime of happiness.
2 weeks later
June's time in the hospital extends from a few days to two full weeks. They insist on keeping her there until she's fully recovered, and finally, two weeks after the tomb incident, she receives her clean bill of health, and we're allowed to leave.
I've used the time she was away wisely. I've spent every minute of my time when I wasn't with June in the hospital to work on the surprise I have waiting for her when we return to our family home. Even though I've used up all my savings, what little I had of it, I'm so excited to show her, and I keep grinning on the drive back like a fool.
"What are you smiling about?" June asks, tugging on my hand.
"You'll see soon enough." I grin at her just as we pull up in front of the house. I rush out of the car, opening the door for her before the driver can. I help her into the house even though she insists she's strong enough to do it on her own. But I can see she's still exhausted. The pregnancy's starting to take a toll on her, and she excuses herself to take a nap while I finish up her surprise.
By the time she's up again, I'm waiting downstairs, and everything's ready. June yawns as she climbs the stairs, stretching her limbs.
"I really needed that," she mutters. "I was exhausted."
"It's good that you got some rest," I tell her. "Something tells me your night is about to get a lot more interesting."
"Is that so?" She laughs. "What did you have planned? Are we going out for dinner?"
"No, we're doing something right here." I take her hand and head to the French doors that lead to the vast garden behind the house. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
June follows closely behind. When we step outside, she gasps when she sees the porch decorated in fairy lights. The atmosphere is special, magical—you can just tell something extraordinary will happen here tonight.
"Did you do all this?" she asks when she sees the lights. "It's like a fairy tale!"
"There's more." I grin, taking her hand in mine. "Follow me."
I lead her through the garden, into the back where the new structure is waiting in the darkness. With the flick of a remote control, I light up the new glass house just as we round the corner, and June gasps when she realizes what I've done.
The glass house is lit up from the outside. As we enter, the heat and humidity reach my bones, making me feel like it's the first time I've been warm in months. The vegetation in the house is rich and lush, and once the lights start, the butterflies flit from one branch to another. One of them lands on June's hair, and she laughs with wondrous delight.
"They're all the same kind you tried to save," I tell her. "It's very common. If you want different kinds of butterflies, though, it's all set up for that."
"Are you kidding me?" she asks, turning her eyes to mine. "Kade, this is... I have no words."
"Do you like it?"
"Like it?" She laughs incredulously. "This is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever done for me. But how... how could you afford this?"
"Don't worry about it." I shake my head dismissively.
"Kade." She takes me by the shoulders. "Did you spend all this money just to make me happy?"
"It doesn't matter," I say firmly. "As long as you are happy."
"The happiest," she whispers, and I smile in return. Little does she know the surprises aren't over yet. As I kneel in front of her, her eyes grow wide, and her hand flies up to cover her mouth. "Kade, what are you doing?"
"What I should have done when our parents died," I say firmly, producing a small velvet box from my pocket.
"Kade, I..." She bites her lower lip. "We've only... you know... once, and I..."
"Would you let me ask you first before you start objecting?" I smirk, and she chuckles nervously. I open the little box. Inside, the Miller family ring rests amid the velvet. It's beautiful, at least two hundred years old, and has been passed down for generations. Dad proposed to Mom with this ring and then to Rachel. He gave me the ring a year before he passed away. And now, I'm using it to ask June to be my wife. More butterflies land on us as June gasps at the sight of the ring. "June, I'm done fighting my instincts. I'm done pretending I feel nothing for you... because I love you, and I always have."
She laughs, the sound melodic and like balm to my ears. "Oh, Kade..."
"You would make me the happiest man alive if you accepted. And I swear if you do, I'll spend a lifetime making you as happy as you make me. So, June Wildfox, will you marry me?"
She hesitates, biting her bottom lip. I know she's fighting this because Rachel told her to. But her mother is gone now
. Nobody is stopping us from living out our dreams. It's just June and me against the world now. And I pray she sees that too. That she agrees to be my wife. Because it's all I've wanted my whole life.
"Y-Yes," she finally whispers. I slide the ring on her trembling finger, and the sapphire glints in the light of the butterfly house. I pick myself up and embrace June. Her lips find mine, and I kiss her deeply, making up for all those lost years, all that time that we should've had together. "Oh, Kade. Thank you so much."
"You've made me so happy," I mutter against the shell of her ear. "You've made life worth living again."
"Anything's worth it if you're there to experience it with me," she whispers back.
25
Parker
As I roam the streets, I see everything. Inhaling the city's nasty scent, I try to discern people's dirty little secrets from the strained expressions they wear as they pass me on the street. So many fucking filthy secrets written all over their faces, hidden behind expensive clothes, layers of makeup, and untruths spilling from their lips.
Passersby are my favorite kind of amusement. The only thing I have left because I can't deal with the rest yet. It's too fucking much. Eventually, I'll have to admit I've lost this battle even though it’s far from over. But not yet. Until then, I'll remain here, on the streets. People watching. Hating them.
I walk around until it starts to get light outside as morning breaks. I walk until my stomach starts to rumble. I get a takeaway coffee and a sandwich with the last money I have, knowing I'll have to deal with the mess I've made sooner rather than later. But I’m unwilling to admit how fucked up things are just yet.
I think of the painting I left in June’s attic. Her beauty, smeared with blood and guts. My perfect little sis painted the way I see her. Used to her full fucking potential as the puppet she is, has always been. Dark, disturbing, messy... That's the way I see the world through my black-tinted glasses. And June could be a part of it, should be a part of it, if Kade hadn't fucking taken her away from me.
Tyrant Twins: A Dark Twin Romance Page 18