Kiss My Sass [Books 1 & 2]

[book 1] chapter twenty-six: niko's dirty little secret

"DAMN IT, I said hold still!"

    "But it stings!" I whined.

    "Stop being a baby," Niko barked as he applied the antiseptic spray on my cuts. Yes, cuts. Monica was a deranged psycho who had no opposition to scratching up my perfectly nice face. Niko finished up the last cut before putting a little Cars bandage on top. "Good as new."

    "Ow," I hissed when I felt the bandage make contact with my skin.

    "Don't you mean ka-chow?" Niko said with a chuckle, laughing at his own joke like the loser he was.

    I scowled at him. "I can't believe your girlfriend attacked me like a rabid squirrel."

    He cringed at my choice of words. "Don't call her that."

    "Didn't seem to bother you before," I countered.

    "Things change, okay?" he snapped.

    "Looks like I struck a nerve," I murmured.

    Niko ran his hand through his dark brown hair. "I'm sorry, Dan."

    "Are you okay?" I asked concernedly. Niko was home on a weekday and he seemed stressed the hell out so there must have been something wrong.

    He took a seat on a barstool in the kitchen and I mimicked his actions, sitting on the one beside him. "Remember when we got back together and I brought Monica home to tell Mom?"

    "I don't remember," I admitted.

    He raised his eyebrows. "Mom flipped out and we got into a fight."

    I shook my head. "Not ringing any bells, brother."

    "I made pecan pie."

    It was as if a light switch flicked on inside my brain. "Oh, yeah! Why didn't you start off with that?"

    Niko rolled his eyes at me, but could he blame me? His pies were out of this world magnificent. "Remember when we were in the kitchen and I was about to tell you something but I didn't get to finish?" 

    I nodded as the vague memories resurfaced. That night was so long ago I was confused why he was bringing it up now. What did that have to do with Monica being a nut job? Did she fall and hit her head on their way out or something? 

    "Mom didn't brainwash Monica to try and murder you until I broke up with her if that's what you're thinking," Niko said. Technically it wasn't what I was thinking, but I didn't necessarily disbelieve the theory either. "I found out some news about Monica which was why I brought her home. I wanted to tell all of you."

    My eyes widened and I gaped at him. "Dear God, don't tell me you're expecting a demon child with her."

    "No!" He shook his head profusely. "She's not pregnant, okay? I found out something a lot worse..."