16. Kaden #2
She stands unmoving in the driveway, her shoulders shaking with silent tears before she meekly follows my lead.
She settles in behind me, but doesn’t wrap her arms around my waist as I instructed.
I rev the engine, shooting us forward until her hands quickly fumble around my abdomen, taking fistfuls of my shirt with her.
It’s a dick move, but I won’t have her being reckless at a time like this. She can be angry with me all she wants once she’s home safely.
As my bike purrs through the night, she stays as far away as her hold will allow. It’s her first time ever riding one, and I doubt she’s enjoying it. Not with our argument so fresh.
We pull up the long driveway to our home, and all of the lights are off. There’s no more sign of movement. Mom always goes to bed early so she can wake up before her morning shipments hit the store. Which means it’s just Melody and me.
As I roll to a stop, I barely kick the stand out before my sister is shoving away from me and hopping down. She trudges through the yard, pulling my helmet off before tossing it to the grass roughly. She crosses her arms over her chest, tucking her shoulders in as I growl and follow after her.
“What the fuck has gotten into you?” I call.
She whips around, her eyes rimmed red. “You never let me do anything!”
I point a finger sharply at my chest. “I’m trying to protect you, Sunny!”
She uses the sheer sleeve of her shirt to swipe at her nose as sadness pierces her eyes. “Protect me from living my life, Kaden!”
“Living life isn’t getting fucking drunk at a house party!” My voice crescendos, hitting a note I haven’t dared to use in front of her since we were kids.
Her eyes round as she sucks in a breath.
When she speaks, her tone is a soft, melancholy song, laced with something that makes my heart feel like it’s being shredded in two.
“I’ve never even kissed a boy because of you, Kaden.
I can’t do this anymore.” She shakes her head before turning on her heel and shuffling towards the front door.
Something snaps in me. I don’t know what it is, but it’s whatever keeps me sane. The very thing that’s prevented me from locking Melody away all these years. It fractures before my very eyes, unleashing something horrible and sick.
She’s mine.
She can’t leave me.
I close the space between us, a haunting, condescending laugh bubbling past my lips as we step into the foyer, and I slam the door behind me.
Melody whips around, her eyes frantic. “You’re going to wake Mom—”
I place my hands on my temples, hunching forward as it all shatters like broken glass around me. Every ounce of civility, every speck of normalcy, every fucking lie I’ve lived to make sure my sister never saw me as a monster. It all crumbles.
A calm settles over me as I straighten my spine. Darkness curls around me, beckoning me to her. I tilt my chin down, my eyes giving away a faux soft expression. “A kiss? This is all over a kiss?”
Melody shifts from foot to foot, her hands curling into tight fists at her sides as she sniffles. “Yes.”
I close the gap so quickly that her gasp doesn’t see the light of day. My lips slant over hers as I cup her cheeks tightly and hold her to me. Her spine goes completely straight, her body lined with visible tension as the taste of her explodes across my senses.
It’s sweet and soft, her lips tasting of candy and everything holy with the world. She stares wide-eyed at me, unable to think, blink, beyond what’s happening in the foyer of our shared home. Her big brother is kissing her.
I swipe my tongue over hers, taking advantage of her shock. She slowly softens, her body going pliant as her hands wrap around my wrists. I think she’s going to give in, to let us share this, only to be met with her fierce shove.
It all comes rushing back—the darkness, the arctic chill that’s picked and nipped at my skin since I was young enough to understand my diagnosis. My chest heaves with my panted breath, the taste of my sister still lingering on my lips.
Melody is aghast—horrified—as she folds her hands over her mouth. She stares unseeingly at the floor, her expression faraway. “Kaden…” Her voice shakes with uncertainty, the sound tremulous and quiet in the space between us.
I tuck my hands into the pockets of my jeans, rocking back on my heels. “Problem solved. You had your first kiss.”
She turns away from me, her brain buffering before her head swivels to me. “We’re siblings!”
“Not by blood.”
Melody’s mouth gapes, her hands upturning as she gives an egregious sound in the back of her throat. “Congrats! You win on a technicality!”
“Don’t even try to pretend you didn’t like it.” I bite harshly.
She points at me, her lips wobbling. “Don’t do that—”
“Do what?!” I rage, raising my voice. She invokes something profound in me.
I’ve always been confused about the emotions I harbor for my sister, but one thing is clear: this will never be one-sided.
I won’t allow it. “Do what we’ve always wanted?
” I laugh delusionally, my voice echoing off the walls.
“You want me, Melody, and you think it makes you sick.”
She slashes her hands through the air, tucking her chin in as her face screws up. “Stop, Kaden!”
I roll my tongue along my top teeth, sucking sharply. “Well, I know I’m fucking sick. I’ve always been sick, and I’m going to infect you whether you want it or not.”
She presses a hand to her chest, blinking past her tears. “No! This is wrong—”
“It’s always been right,” I interject, stepping towards her. She backs up, holding a hand up as if she can stop me. “We were fucking made for each other.”
“Kaden…” She swallows, her eyes fluttering. “You’re not thinking straight—”
“I’ve never been morally right, little sister. I’ve just gotten so good at hiding that part of myself that you had no idea you were tangled in my web long ago.”
She sucks in sharply, lifting her head as she swipes at her eyes. “We’re going to get some sleep—”
“I don’t want to sleep.” I close the space between us with quick strides until I curl my hand into her hair and make a fist at the nape of her neck, yanking her head back. “I want to watch you break, Melody. Watch you writhe until you can’t think, can’t fight it, can’t stop it. I want to ruin you…”
Her throat bobs in a gulp before she whispers a plea. “Please, Kaden. I-I need space.”
I use my other hand to cup the side of her face tenderly before turning her head and running my tongue up her cheek to collect her tears. They’re salty and so bittersweet. “I am your space.”
The air electrifies and crackles between us, becoming a live wire. She’s enraptured by my dark gaze, her light becoming entirely swallowed by the horrid shadows that cling to me.
The lock of the front door slides open, and Melody stops breathing as shoes scuff outside. As the door handle clicks, I release her, and her knees almost give out. She holds herself up on shaky limbs, wrapping her arms around herself as Dad steps into the foyer and flicks a light on.
“Kids?” He asks, pausing in the doorway. “What are you two still doing up? It’s almost midnight.”
I groan, closing my eyes as that urge to maim and kill grips me. He has the worst timing.
“I…” My sister clears her throat, putting on a wobbly, unsure smile. “I just got back from a party, and we bumped into each other on our way up to our rooms.”
Good girl.
“Oh,” Dad says as he kicks his shoes off. “I’m beat. Don’t stay up too long.”
“Good night, Dad.” Melody mumbles.
He kisses her cheek before taking the stairs and disappearing to his bedroom. The moment he’s out of earshot, Melody releases a breath.
“I’m sleeping with you tonight,” I declare before she can even think of leaving me behind.
“No, you aren’t,” she snips.
I tuck my hands into my pockets, tilting my head. “If you want the security feed wiped of our kiss, then you’ll make room for me.”
She blanches, her sight snagging on the camera in the corner of the living room. It’s in clear view of us as the red recording button blinks brightly.
“Nooo…” she elongates, agony in her voice.
I wrap an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side as I smirk. “Let’s go, Sunny.”