Siren's Mark

Chapter 33

𝔸𝕧𝕒

"He's... He's my brother," I say.

Zane's eyes look in my direction while his body stays rigid, pinning Dylan to the wall.

A few men on the other side of the street are smoking and drinking outside the Ale House. Judging by their laughter, they're probably some of my brother's drinking buddies.

I knew I shouldn't have come back here.

"Your brother?" Zane asks in a shaky low voice.

"Awww..." Dylan slurs with a wicked smile. "You didn't tell your side chick about me? I'm hurt."

"Shut up Dylan," I snap. "Zane, let's go."

I step close enough to put my hand on Zane's shoulder. His eyes are an unusually bright, almost terrifying shade of green. He's shivering with rage and I can tell he's struggling to maintain control, but he doesn't move an inch.

"You threw a bottle at your sister's head?" Zane growls through his teeth.

"That's between her and me," Dylan says with the same kind of smart-ass attitude that has lost him a few teeth over the years.

A low growl rumbles from Zane's chest as he tightens his grip around Dylan's neck. Dylan's face starts to turn a purplish-red as he struggles against Zane's hold.

"Zane," I say, pulling at his arm. "It's okay. I can handle Dylan."

With a shiver, he manages to pull his hand off and drop Dylan to the ground.

"Shit man, is this fucker on PCP or something?" Dylan asks rubbing his neck. "His eyes are nuts and he's really strong and he's having some major shakes."

Zane continues to tremble with anger as I rub my hand across his back to calm him down.

"This guy seems like a real winner," Dylan says.

"What do you want?" I ask, ignoring his usual bullshit.

"What do you mean, what do I want? I've been calling you for fucking ever, you know what I want."

It's true. He wants me to start talking to dad again. That's a hard pass.

"Not gonna happen," I say.

I try to pull Zane in the direction of the parking lot, but he manages to take just a single step back toward me.

"Then I guess I'll just tell your boyfriend about this then?" Dylan says with a sneer.

"Tell Mike whatever you want," I say. "He and I have been done for a long time."

"Of course," he says. "You never could keep 'em around long."

"Ava," Zane says in a low, quiet voice. His tone lets me know that Dylan is very close to becoming mincemeat.

"We're done here," I say, pulling Zane again as he reluctantly begins to follow.

"We can't talk?" Dylan says, following behind.

"About what?" I ask, stopping and whipping around.

"I just want to see how life is on the other side. What made Princess abandon her fucking family."

"I don't owe you an explanation, Dylan."

He knows exactly why I don't speak to him or Dad. Being nine years apart, he and I were never particularly close, and he turned out exactly like our father: violent, substance-addicted, and pissed off at the world.

The best thing I ever did was cut them both out of my life.

"I don't care if you take my calls, but you need to make up with Dad," Dylan says. "He has a heart condition. You're so selfish that you're just going to let him die and never let this go?"