Page 54 of Hell on Wheels
“I don’t know if this asshole ever told any of you this story,” I whisper as I twirl a piece of hair, studying it intently. “But when I was twelve, I realized I liked… well, anyone who drew me in with their personality and their heart. It didn’t matter what gender or species; hell, it didn’t even matter what age. All I needed to be attracted or get a crush was to feel their soul. Of course, as I got older, the wants of my heart and needs of my body in puberty diverged, but the lack of targeted predilection didn’t.”
“Uh, Wheels, we knew you’re bi. We’ve met Winnie,” Archie says, his brow furrowed in confusion.
I chuckle and shake my head. “I don’t use labels becausethathad me in knots. I’m sure someone out there would label me something more like pansexual, but what helped me make peace with who I was? It was my dick stepbrother telling me no one gave a shit who I fucked and to get over myself because labels are for soup cans.”
Javi blinks for a moment and a slow smile creeps over his face. “I don’t remember that. Both of you kept that bump in the road close to the vest.”
“Graciella said some shitty things, as always. Wonder Twins shit made me realize my idiot step sister was going to bail on me and our duty.” He shrugs uncomfortably, looking out towards the ocean. “I knew I couldn’t let that happen for a bunch of reasons—including how much it would suck to be here without her.”
I blink.Holy shit, that was almost an emotion.“You told me I couldn’t leave because of the oath ripping us up, and you wouldn’t have anyone to pick on with your friends.”
His lips curve, but he still doesn’t meet my eyes. “None of that was a lie. You know we have to be very creative to get around that shit.”
Damon snorts. “We’re aware, bro. Imagine what kind of tap dance she’s been doing for the past week.”
“That’swhy you wouldn’t let me into your room!” Rebel throws his hands up and straight growls at the group of his friends. “Every one of you assholes was in there and you pretended I was off my bird.”
They give him guilty looks and I roll my eyes. “Now is not the time to coddle him, boys. Yes, they were in there. No, we didn’t do anything untoward that night. And yes, they gaslit you because you know I can’t lie.”
His eyes widen. “I said yourname. Mates have mental links.”
“Yeah, way to go, jackass,” I mutter, and he glares. “Though, I suppose as mates, they were bound to find out, eventually.”
His posture sags a little, and he nods, his expression sad. “It’s just something only we shared. I won’t have that with you now that you’ve got…” He waves his hand at his friends. “... this.”
Is he shitting me? Did he not listen toanythingthat creepy ass spider said?
“Rebel, you may be the dumbest motherfucker I know.”
Everyone swivels their heads to look at the quiet chaos demon in surprise. Damon rarely gets that aggressive, even when they’re all bickering, but the look on his face is downright murderous right now. “We just had every bit of our future thrown in our face by an ancient arachnid, and you’restillsitting around with your head squarely up your ass. What the hell is it going to take to get you to pull it out, man?”
My stepbrother rises to his feet, stalking over to the demon with a dangerous look on his face. “You have no room to talk! You mated with my fucking sister first and didn’t think to give me a heads up. And you have the hots for two other dudes in this group, apparently, so maybe I’m not the one with my head up my ass!”
“Fuck. Off. Reb.” My snarl has a dark tone as I roll out of my chair with the tequila buzzing through me. I yank him back from Damon, looking into his eyes with the fury of a woman tired of playing games. “Stop attacking them and deal with me. He’s right—now is the time where you need to decide if you’re in or out.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare at the one last man who has the power to break my heart into a million pieces.
We Are Family
Now is the moment—the one I’ve been terrified of for years.
The attraction I’ve always felt for Rogue was taboo in my mind and I was okay to hide it because she would be repulsed by me. But she’s not and neither are my friends. We don’t share a drop of blood in common, after all, other than both being Faerie. Graciella and Odrhan aren’t either of our biological parents and we’re related by being brought into the same house, not by actual genetics. My heart has screamed that since I first fell forher, but my brain always convinced me people would look down on us.
But the only people who matter are right here, looking at her as she confronts me with supportive expressions.
I know what I have to do; I have to admit the thing I’ve feared since I was a kid. Otherwise, I’m going to fuck up my entire universe and that’s not what I want. Swallowing hard, I look into the eyes of my stepsister, seeing the plea for me to make this right shining in them. Her stance and words are aggressive, but I can feel the fear radiating off of her like a force field. She’s nervous and afraid as well, but she’s standing here putting herself on the line because this is important to her.
“Kiera,” I whisper as I close the distance between us. My lips graze her forehead as I lean in and breathe in her scent. “I’m not sure how to do this. It’s been buried so long.”
Her smile echoes through our bond. “No shit, asshole. Now that you aren’t hiding it, the emotions are telling the story for you through the Guardian bond.”
Motherfucker. I forgot about that.
“I’m kind of impressed you stayed focused enough to keep it from getting in for all this time. We both know you’re not exactly a Jedi Master,” she teases.
That gets a chuckle from my friends, and I scowl. “Fuck you guys. Underestimating me is always a mistake.”
“Unless you’re in rage mode,” Angelo offers. “Then you tend to completely fuck up everything because your vision is foggy.”