The Devil You Know (mk-2) by Jenna Black

Author:Jenna Black [Black, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_horror, sf_fantasy_city
Published: 2008-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

After Adam and Dom left, my big brother once again abandoned me to the wolves by running off to his own room. I wanted to remind him how well it had worked out last time he’d left me alone with Brian, but I managed to refrain. When the door thunked closed behind him, silence, dense and oppressive, settled on the living room.

Brian was still sitting on the couch, but I was far too antsy to hold still, so I wandered around the living room pretending to tidy up while I tried to gather my wits about me. And convince myself that leaping into Brian’s arms and kissing him senseless was a bad idea.

His quiet sigh made something clench in my gut.

“So, are you planning to look at me or speak to me?” he asked. “Or are you just going to ignore me and pretend I’m not here?”

I’d gathered a pile of magazines from the coffee table, but at Brian’s gentle rebuke I dropped them onto the end table and forced myself to sit back down and face him.

“Sorry,” I said. “This is kind of awkward, you know.”

He crossed his arms and leaned back into the cushions of the couch. I realized neither one of us was being terribly watchful, so I picked up one of the Tasers and shifted position so I’d have a clear shot at the door if I needed it. That didn’t save me from Brian’s questioning glance.

“Your friend Adam seems to think you still love me.”

I winced, remembering Adam bellowing something to that effect when he’d brought Brian back to the apartment. I’d hoped Brian was too distracted by all the rest of this mess to have noticed. I just couldn’t seem to catch a break these days.

“If he’s right,” Brian continued mercilessly, “then why are you so determined to push me away?”

I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat. I could try to deny that I loved him, but who the hell would I be kidding? Certainly not Brian! “Because I didn’t want you to get sucked into this shit.”

He cocked his head, his lawyerly instincts perking up. “In other words, you knew you were still in trouble even after that demon abandoned your brother.”

Reluctantly, I nodded. I stared at the Taser in my lap. “And I know it’s not going to go away anytime soon.” I forced myself to look up, to meet Brian’s eyes. “You’ve gotten hurt because of me once before. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

His jaw set grimly. “You’re really a piece of work, you know? Did it ever occur to you that I’m a big boy and can make my own decisions about what risks I want to take?”

For someone who was supposedly trying to push her ex-boyfriend away, I sure was saying things better suited to the opposite purpose. I shook my head in frustration.

“You can’t make an informed decision about this. There are too many things I can’t tell you. All I can do is beg you to listen to me and keep away.

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