Chapter 5

Ellie.

I deeply inhale the addictive smoke and tiredly sigh.

"You smoke?" I quickly turn around and look at Justin. That was close. F*ck.

From the looks, he is the opposite of his brother. I watch the countless tattoos adorning his arms with great interest.

My mum has tattoos too, but anytime I want one, she refuses instantly.

"Just when my mind can't handle things," I respond. Actually, I stole one of my mum's cigars. I can't imagine the look on her face when she finds me smoking her weed. But Justin doesn't have to know that.

Hey, I am a badass too.

"I can tell it's your first time, though," he knowingly smirks and sits beside me.

"What gave it away?" I chuckle and dump it in the ashtray. It's awful anyway.

I feel disoriented. I was fine before I joined that school.

But since I looked into his eyes, I can't help but keep thinking about him. I miss the way he smells. I miss that guy, and it's driving me crazy.

My heart aches more when I remember I can't even go near him because he doesn't belong to me. My head hurts from overthinking.

"A real smoker doesn't cough every time they inhale the smoke. They don't scrunch their faces as if disgusted either." Justin says, and I shrug.

"How long have you been there?" I look behind me in case there is another presence. Especially my mum.

"Long enough," Justin sighs and leans back in the seat. F*ck, isn't he handsome? I noticed they look like that man.

Justin has ear piercings and diamond studs in both ears. He also has rings on his fingers, and I find it amusing because his brother is spotless.

They must have grown up in an ocean of wealth.

"If I had known you were out here, I would have done everything to find you. They told us mum died." He sneers and shakes his head in disappointment.

"Goddess, all our lives, we grew up depending on each other. My brother and I. The only thing dad provided was money, and he never set foot in the house he bought us when we were merely three."

"What are you saying, you didn't stay with your dad?" I ask, as I remember the witch's words.

"His wife felt uncomfortable with our presence in their home. So he hired a nanny to take care of us from then until now." My eyes slightly widen, but I don't comment.

"Your grandma..."

"She is a snake. She tells Dad sh*t, and that's what he does. He can't even decide a simple thing for himself, " Justin grumbles, and slight fur appears on his skin.

He is angry again. I don't understand why they want kids but fail to take care of them. Now I feel lucky my mum ran with me. These boys must have suffered for so long.

"You can stay with us if you want," I whisper, even though they haven't left from the moment they found Mum. Mum already gave them personal rooms and not the guest room. That means something, right?. I will just learn to share her with them.

"You won't mind?" Justin looks at me, and I gently smile.

"Only if you don't tell mum I stole her weed, and you have to promise to do the dishes from now on." I look at his hands, and I can bet he hasn't done any chores in his life.

Mum is strict. We are not poor, but she doesn't hire people to do stuff around the house. She does everything by herself, and doing dishes has been my job since I was ten..

She doesn't trust people so easily. Now I know why.

"What about me?" Derek sounds behind us, and we turn in unison to look at him.

"Oh! I want your sports car," I exclaim, because I have been eyeing that beauty since it was parked in our garage.

"Done," he says without hesitation, and I instantly jump up. For a moment, my heart forgets the sorrows that have been drowning me.

"No. You can have mine and let him do the dishes." Justin whines behind me, but I am long gone to respond to him.

*

I park my new Bugatti Chiron in the empty spot and smile in satisfaction. I gently caress the steering wheel, and the grin on my face refuses to go away. Maybe all I needed in my life was two brothers who are as crazy about cars as I am.

Thank God their stupid father has money. My bike can finally rest.

I am going racing after school, or maybe I should skip afternoon classes so my mum won't suspect anything.

However, my smile instantly fades when I get out of the car and come face to face with the reason for my pain.

"We need to talk."

His eyes are a dark shade of green, and unlike the first time I looked into them, today they seem dull. They say the eyes are the window to our hearts. That's why I tend to judge people by looking into their eyes.

"About what?" I look behind me, and my brothers haven't arrived yet. Of course, I broke every traffic rule, and that's why I arrived first.

People start to assemble in the parking lot, and I wonder if there isn't a sense of privacy in this d*mn place.

Zane pushes me back in the car and follows suit. Before I can blink, I am shifted in the passenger seat, and the car instantly revs.

D*mn! How fast?

I stare at Zane in surprise, but his focus is solely on the road ahead of us. His hands are clenched around the steering that his knuckles are white.

Like Justin, Zane has tattoos too and rings on his fingers. Isn't it ironic? A bad boy who can't make decisions for himself.

"Where the f*ck are we going?" I ask when I remember he is the reason my heart feels uncomfortable these days. Zane wordlessly takes a more deserted route. The single road is between thick trees and bushes.

"Where are you taking me, Zane?" I raise my voice, and my hand instantly finds the car's door. Everything is rushing through my mind right now. The things they did to my mum. Is he kidnapping me? Lock me up and get me pregnant?

As if he can read my mind, the car instantly stops with enough force that I forcefully jerk forward. His angry eyes find mine, and I cautiously watch his clenched jaw. It's as if he can eat me whole within the snap of a finger.

I don't wait any longer, I quickly push the door open and rush out. My first instinct is to run, but as if he senses it, Zane grabs my arms and pins me to the car.

"Let me go, please," I murmur, and his eyes soften instantly.

"I am not my father." Zane tries to sound soft, but his voice betrays him. His jaw is still clenched, and his eyes keep shifting from green to black.

He looks quite dangerous.

"I can never hurt you." The words forcefully come out, and he growls loudly. Why is he angry? The veins on his forehead are extremely popping as if they might burst any second.

Suddenly, Zane dips his face into my neck and hungrily inhales. I place my hands on his chest to push him away, but I am startled at the warmth and the sparks that erupt from our contact.

His heart is wildly beating against my chest. It matches mine.

"I can never hurt you." his voice is now soft, and his breathing is more controlled. After a moment, he takes a step back and stressfully runs his fingers through his hair.

I silently watch Zane pace in front of me. He looks unsettled. More frustrated. The guy is oozing anger, and I wonder what happened wherever he came from.

"Everything is beyond my control, but I am willing to fight for you, Ellie. They are gonna come, monsters you've never seen. They are powerful, dark. F*ck..." he punches the car so hard it forms a big dent.

On a normal day, I would have screamed at him for ruining my car, but his words, d*mn. His words just made me more uncomfortable.

"I want you to trust me, okay?" He holds my shoulders as he gently whispers.

"What's going on?"

"Whatever happens, I won't let them touch you. Trust me, baby. I will protect you with everything I have."

"Zane?"

"They are..." Just then, his attention shifts behind me, and two cars roughly stop beside us. Justin and Derek approach us looking as angry.

"We are going home, Ellie" Justin takes my hand and slightly nods at Zane.

"Why, what is happening?" I stare at the boys as Justin pulls me to his car. Why are they angry, and why are we suddenly going back home?