Page 64 of Clouded by Envy

“It’s a rather dull story, but thereisa painting. His grows hideous, though, while yours still looks like you.” Luca glanced from Brenik’s face to the portrait.

“I don’t have an answer for that.” He wished he did. Brenik paced back and forth, practically digging craters into the floor.

Luca closed the book. “You didn’t ask the Stone any of these questions?”

“I don’t know, kid. I honestly didn’t even care about the staying beautiful forever aspect. All I know is that I didn’t want to wither away like Ruth—the woman who took care of Bray and me. I just wanted to be human. That day, I was so overcome with emotion that I wasn’t even thinking straight. I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t know what I wanted until I met Rana.”

Luca winced when Brenik spoke Rana’s name but recovered quickly. “Anyway, in the book, Dorian stabs the portrait and that’s what kills him. You aren’t going to try that though, are you?”

I just might, he thought, but pounding on the door stopped him from pursuing the idea further.

“Wait here,” Brenik said.

“I think I’m in trouble,” Luca mumbled.

Brenik pulled open the door and Wes stormed in, followed by Bray. “Where is he?” Wes boomed.

“I’m over here, Wes,” Luca said. He raised the book in the air, and Wes sighed in relief.

“Brenik, why is he here? Why would you bring him to your cabin?” Bray asked, marching up to Brenik.

He took a step back. “I needed Luca to read something for me.”

“I could have read for you,” she insisted. He knew his sister would have, but it wasn’t something she should concern herself with.

“Not this. You’ve already helped enough. I needed to figure out a way to end this.” Brenik’s eyes flickered toward the ceiling.

Bray reached forward and gripped his arm, catching a glimpse of the closed wound from the night before. “Did you do this to yourself?” she gasped.

Ripping his arm out of her grasp, he took several steps back. “It’s none of your business.”

“It is her business—she’s your family. And it’s my business because you kidnapped my little brother.” Wes pointed one too many times at Brenik’s chest.

“Hold on. Nobody kidnapped your little brother. He came of his own free will, so you can get the hell out of my house,” Brenik sneered.

Wes worked his jaw back and forth. “This isn’t evenyourhouse.”

The pent-up rage was boiling inside him, ready to erupt, and he couldn’t hold anything back. “Who the hell do you think you are walking in here and into my life like you own everything—like you own my sister? Let me guess, you have her as a pet to fuck because she can’t live on her own, so it’seasyfor you.”

As soon as he said the words, Brenik knew they weren’t true from the way Wes had looked at Bray the other day. Before he could take anything back, a fist collided with his face, causing him to stumble backward.

The strike stung but it felt good, and he wasn’t sorry anymore for saying those words. Brenik brought his hands up and shoved Wes in the chest—both their faces were contorted with ire.

“Brenik, you can’t say stuff like that in front of Luca,” Bray yelled. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting this asshole away from him.

Brenik lunged forward and knocked Wes against the sheetrock, striking his face with his closed fist. He pounded him several times while Bray tried to pull him off Wes, but Brenik pushed her to the side.

Wes shoved him back, and Brenik took hold of Wes’s shirt. Bray was pulling at Brenik’s arm again to stop him. With a little too much force, he shoved her back as hard as he could. He needed her to leave him alone for a minute.

A loud crack reverberated in the room and Brenik turned around, releasing Wes’s shirt. When he looked down, it wasn’t Bray he had pushed back, it was Luca. The tiny kid lay on the floor next to the coffee table, knocked out cold. Something about his still body wasn’t right. Then Brenik realized it. The kid was dead—there was blood on the edge of the table where his little head had struck.

No one said anything. No one moved an inch, until Bray cried, “No!”

Wes ran forward, shoving Bray softly to the side as he pulled Luca into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Brenik stood there frozen in pain for what he had done to the small child. A kid he wasn’t sure if he even liked, but had developed a slight fondness for. He felt—he felt sickened.It should have been me instead.

Bray looked at Brenik. He found no trace of anger on her face, only genuine hurt as tears rained down her face. “Brenik, why do you have to be soselfishall the time? Why do you have to destroy everything that’sgood?” Her voice sounded lost and heartbroken. It reminded him of losing Ruth—it had him thinking about leaving Junah. But most of all, it had him wishing he had never existed.

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