Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
"Put the goddamn remote down, January," Titan growls, scowling daggers at her. There's a red mark on his cheek that looks suspiciously like a handprint.
"Stay out of my room and out of my business!" she shouts right back and stomps her foot. She lifts the remote over her head to throw it at him.
I take three quick steps in her direction and snatch it out of her hand before she can launch it at his head. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her to me. She fights me, trying to break out of my hold as Titan rattles off a string of curses.
"Calm down, little monster," I murmur in her ear, worried she's going to hurt herself trying to break free of my grip.
She immediately stops fighting me and huffs. And then she cries out in alarm.
I glance up just in time to see Titan charging at us like a bull, his face a thundercloud. I pick January up and toss her onto the couch out of harm's way. Titan plows into me a second later, knocking me into the wall. The television stand slides across the floor, careening into the movie shelf on the other side. DVDs crash to the floor in a pile.
"She's sixteen years old, you bastard!" he yells, pinning me to the wall. His face is red with rage, a vein in his forehead throbbing.
"Titan, stop it!" January demands. Another remote sails through the air toward us.
It cracks Titan in the back of the head before crashing to the floor. A split second later, she comes flying at him like a winged demon. She pounds on his back with her fists, yelling at him to stop being an asshole and to let me go. Her eyes are rimmed in red like she's been crying, but her face is flushed with anger.
I have no fucking clue what's going on with her and Titan, but I haven't seen her in a week, and I'm not in the mood for this shit today. My classes are kicking my ass, Ma Lucia is sick and dying, and I'm exhausted from running back and forth between campus and the hospital.
"January, knock it off now!" I bark at her.
She jumps backward, her mouth open in a shocked little "O". I've never talked to her like that before. I feel like a dick for doing it now. But it gives me enough room to get Titan off me without hurting her, and that's all I need.
With a frustrated curse, I push him, throwing him off me. As soon as he stumbles back a step, I spin, putting his back to the wall and my elbow against his throat, effectively pinning him in place and putting myself between him and January. She's so mad she's liable to hurt herself.
"Settle the fuck down before you hurt her," I bark, holding him to the wall until he meets my gaze.
His dark green eyes are hard, his jaw clenched tight. The vein in his forehead still pulses with the force of his anger. He jerks his chin in a nod though, letting me know he's willing to back off so she doesn't get hurt. He's my best friend, but I will lay him out if she gets injured trying to murder him for whatever dumb shit he did to piss her off this time.
I loosen my grip on him slowly and step back.
January immediately pushes her way under my arm and nestles into my side. The two of them glare daggers at each other. They're both panting from exertion. But at least they've stopped trying to kill each other for the moment.
"Either of you want to tell me why I could hear you yelling from the street?" I ask, glowering at both of them.
January's cheeks turn pink, but she doesn't answer me. "It's my business, Titan," she says instead, still glaring at her brother. "Not yours. Stop being a hypocritical asshole and mind your own damn business."
"Man, fuck this shit," he snaps and shoves past me, knocking into my shoulder. He stomps to the door and storms out. The door slams so hard behind him, the windows rattle, and a picture falls off the wall.
January immediately bursts into tears.
I pluck her up from the floor and into my arms. She wraps around me like a blanket, her entire body shaking. I carry her to the threadbare couch, holding her to my chest. When I sit down with her in my lap, she cuddles into me, burying her face in my throat. Her hot tears soak into my skin.
I have no idea what to make of her reaction, but it's freaking me out a little. I fucking hate it when she cries. And I have never seen Titan so pissed before. I've never seen them fight like that before, either. He riles her up just to get her going sometimes, and they have typical sibling spats, but they've never resorted to violence. Titan is as protective of her as I am. For him to act like that, whatever they're fighting about has to be serious.