Chapter Twenty
When they entered the mansion, Verena stayed close to Praxis. She had begun to feel safe around him, which scared her. She didn't want to trust anyone. It never ended well when she trusted someone. She trusted Carter, and then she killed him.
Praxis had been nothing but kind and comforting to her, and he was the one who took her away from that horrible place.
It had to count for something. She prayed it meant something.
That someone finally cared about her. That the brothers she had desperately wanted to love her had finally shown some type of care for her.
Cyprian burst into the living room upon hearing his siblings return home. "Hello, family!" he cheered, causing Davian to roll his eyes.
When he saw Verena, he smiled at her. "Did you like meeting your other brothers?"
Verena hesitated before slightly nodding at him. She was nervous about upsetting him. She didn't want to be in a position where she would have to choose between Praxis and her other brothers.
Praxis continued to look at Davian, who had looked distressed all day. Like something was wrong. He assumed it could be unease from the meeting today, but it hasn't changed since they got home. Something was deeply troubling him.
"They were nice." Verena let out quietly.
Cyprian tilted his head before crouching down to her level. "Not as nice as me, though, right?"
Verena looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. She thought Cyprian was joking with her, but she wasn't sure. Her brothers were acting so different now and it made her uneasy.
"Cyprian leave her be," Praxis warned.
"It's just a question, Praxis, I'm not terrorizing her." Cyprian glared at Praxis.
"You are like Lycus." Verena quietly blurted out, finally thinking of how to answer his question.
Cyprian raised his eyebrows in surprise and then looked at Praxis and then back at Verena. "Is that a compliment?"
"He was nice." She shrugged nervously, feeling her heart starting to race.
"Hm, I will take it as a compliment then," Cyprian said as he stood back up and looked at Davian. "So all went well, I assume?
"It wasn't terrible. Learned some new things about Riven from Verena, though." Davian nodded.
Cyprian smirked while Verena's face reddened. She really was starting to regret her words. What was she thinking? Riven will be pissed that she told their brothers.
"Oh, really? I'm dying to hear it." Cyprian chuckled.
"Don't tell him, please," Verena whispered while looking at the floor.
"Do you think he would harm you if he knew you told us something that would incriminate him, Verena?" Cyprian asked, looking down at her.
She refused to look at him as she fiddled with her sleeves, which answered Cyprian's question.
"He will do no such thing." Davian snapped.
Cyprian shrugged. "I feel bad for him, honestly. Being so blind to what is right in front of him must be so frustrating."
"What does that mean?" Praxis asked.
"Cyprian!" Davian snapped while clenching his teeth.
"What is going on? You have been acting weird all day." Praxis pointed out.
"Later," he sighed before looking down at Verena. "She looks exhausted. You should take her upstairs to rest."
Verena was just as confused as Praxis. Something was going on, and it made her paranoid.
Praxis was about to argue before he noticed the look of distress on his sister's face. Praxis sighed and held his hand out to her. "Come on, let's go upstairs, Verena." He coaxed gently.
Verena took his hand, wanting to get away from the tension that was beginning to take over the room. Davian's obvious anger scared her.
When they got upstairs, Azryn appeared in the hallway. "How did it go?" he asked.
"Fine," Praxis responded as Verena went into her room.
"And by fine, you mean...?" Azryn inquired.
"Just that. She was nervous, but Lycus managed to get a handshake from her." Praxis smiled.
Azryn raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Good for her. So, are we being replaced now?"
Praxis sighed. "We agreed with Verena's approval that I would accompany her on frequent visits to their house."
"You're going over to the Nicoletti's house? Seriously?" Azryn asked in disbelief.
Praxis nodded. "They deserve to get to know her and vice versa. She seemed okay with them."
Azryn stayed quiet for a moment. "And what if she ends up liking them more than us and wanting to live with them instead?"
Praxis didn't look at him as he responded, "Then we let her go."