Billionaire Bear Brotherhood Box Set

by Lily Cahill

  Blayze nodded and then blew out a breath. He leaned up against the counter. Behind him stood the coffee maker and the toaster, the only other real appliances in the room. Everything in the kitchen was tidy, neatly in its own space, but sort of--impersonal. Damien had never done much decorating. It was better not to get attached. If someone even came close to discovering the family secret, then they would need to pack up and leave as quickly as possible. Attachments were trouble, in Damien's experience.

  But Felicity--even now, thinking about their brief encounter made Damien feel alive in a way that he had never before experienced. It was like after a lifetime of only seeing in black and white, his world was full of color.

  "I think I ...,"Damien started, then stopped. He looked away from Blayze's curious glance, suddenly feeling self-conscious. But he'd started, now, and he knew his brother well enough that he couldn't change the topic now.

  "You remember those stories Father used to tell us? The ones about--destiny and all that?"

  Blayze snorted. "The prophecy? Blah blah, sins forgiven, only then will peace be returned...." He quoted, shaking his head. "That prophecy is wrong, and it always has been."

  "You don't actually believe that."

  "Sure, I do."

  "It predicted Mother's and Father's deaths," Damien argued.

  Blayze's stare was impatient. "And ours, you'll recall. Yet here we are, twenty years later and still kicking."

  "We've gone over this. There aren't expiration dates on these things, and it clearly says the sons will follow, and ... it doesn't matter. You didn't complain about the prophecy when you thought that girl in Odessa was starting to figure you out. As I recall, you were the first one to demand we move."

  Blayze flipped off Damien.

  "I'm off track." Damien ignored the gesture. One of them had to be an adult. "I wasn't talking about the prophecy."

  With a shrug, Blayze went deeper into his leather jacket. He was immaculately dressed, just as he always was. "Then--what? The old legends? The stories? The ascension of the first Dragon King after he beat the evil warlock Matharai? The Dragons' role in the Crusades? How Timonius found his fated love, Grizelda?"

  The silence hung heavy between them, and as it grew longer and longer, Blayze stared incredulously.

  "You can't be serious." He blinked. "I don't even know which one you're talking about, but they're all so equally ridiculous that I have to believe you're not serious."

  Damien shook his head. "If I were you, I wouldn't believe me, either. But Blayze, this is--she is ...."

  "A girl? This whole thing is about a girl?" Blayze shook his head. He gave a mirthless laugh. "You've lost your damn mind. That legend is a myth, man."

  "Father said--"

  "Father's dead. Mother's dead. And why? Because they were like us. Because they were dethroned and murdered so that family of usurpers could take our rightful places. We barely made it out--I honestly thought the prophecy was right, and we would follow our parents into death. If you pursue this girl, you risk exposing us to everyone. You risk all of our lives."

  Blayze stalked out of the kitchen, and Damien followed on his heels. He tried to control his anger, the part of him that demanded that his brother be made to understand: Felicity was not some girl. Felicity was so much more. She was his fate. Every moment he thought of her, he felt more sure.

  He could still remember the delicious dips and curves of her body, the fierce intelligence in her eyes--he had to see her again. It felt like half his soul was missing without her there.

  As Blayze reached the front door, he whipped around. His face was a mask of anger and disappointment, and Damien was hit with a wave of guilt, despite everything. Blayze wasn't wrong--trusting was dangerous. Growing up, he had been the one to preach that doctrine to his brothers. Trusting could kill them, if they put their faith in the wrong person. But Damien didn't know how to explain his absolute certainty that Felicity was the right person. It was something instinctual, that he knew in his bones.

  It was impossible to describe without experiencing it.

  "I won't tell you how to live your life," Blayze muttered between clenched teeth. "But please remember that if you tell someone, it affects all four of us, not just you."

  Damien nodded. Blayze was right. This wasn't just his secret. He wasn't the only one in danger. There was a reason he and his brothers had been hiding for twenty years. If the knowledge of their secondary forms became clear to other people, there was no telling what would happen.

  Secrecy had saved them, and Damien couldn't betray his brothers' trust. But he also couldn't walk away from Felicity, this beautiful girl who had managed to capture his attention in just a few moments. He had to figure out a way to make this work.