Peering over my brother’s shoulder, I determined that he was making some sort of meat and macaroni dish. Grudgingly, I had to admit that it smelled decent. Leaning against the counter, I stared at my brother’s profile, which was identical to mine. I wondered, and not for the first time, if that’s why I had chosen not to kill him.

“You need to lighten up, man. You’re always so…” Abel waved the spatula around, and I watched the little droplets of sauce and meat drip onto the floor. “That, right there, that look on your face. You’re uptight, bro. It’s a little bit of sauce on your floor. It’s not the end of the world.”

“That’s a matter of opinion. Do you see me going over to your house and messing with the things you like?” Unable to stop myself, I grabbed a piece of paper towel and wiped up the red speckles from the white tile.

“Whatever. So when are we going to play with the new girl? I really wanna make that bitch gag on my cock. Ahhhh! What the fuck?” Abel yelled as I snatched my brother by the throat. Pushing him up against the counter, I held him firm and snagged the knife from the counter, pressing it against his cheek. “Have you gone fuckin crazy?”

“I know you don’t normally listen to me.” I pressed the flat cold edge of the blade harder into his skin. Abel’s eyes flicked between the sharp point of the knife near his eye and my face. “So, I’m going to say this really slow, so you have time to process it. If you touch my prize, if you so much as breathe the wrong way near her—I’m going to gut you, and then I’m going to desecrate your corpse. She is my prize, and I’m not sharing her with you. If you have a problem with that, you know where the door is, but don’t fucking test me, brother.”

I pressed the sharp edge into his cheek until a single droplet of blood formed on the tip of the blade.

“Even our bond has limitations.”

His eyes went wide, and I held still as I watched the words swim around his thick skull. Once I was certain he wouldn’t push this subject anymore, I stepped back and went to the sink to wash the blood off.

“Fuck man, what has gotten into you?” Abel dabbed at the dot of blood, smearing it down his cheek before looking at his fingers. In true Abel fashion, he licked it off his fingers as he glared at me.