Lost in Salvation

14. Devils Advocate

Kenzo

Left, right, duck. Right, left duck. Left, right duck. Over and over again my fists collide with the punching bag, persistently causing the bag to swing back and forth with a mind of its own. Even still, my assaults never relent, sweat coating my entire body as the burn ripples from the point of contact down through my arms. My core aches with each movement, legs working just as hard to create one wicked combination. 

My breaths come out in hurried pants as the energy pulses through my veins, chest burning through each round. 

"You trying to kill the thing?" A low chuckle snaps me out of my trace, distracting my brain long enough that I stop completely, the loud booms of my fists against leather ceasing to exist as the bag swings haphazardly, long forgotten.  

Hunter smiles innocently, slowly crossing the threshold of the home gym's door, knowing he just ruined what was set to be a pretty damn good workout. 

I sigh, accepting that my quiet morning is now officially over. "You couldn't wait like ten more minutes? I only had a couple more combinations to cycle through," Beginning to unravel the worn down tape from my hands, I give Hunter a less than pleased glare. 

"You didn't need anymore," He frowns and even though I'm annoyed, I can't ignore the fact that he's right. I've been down here for hours and I'm starting to feel it. "And either way, Wren asked me to come get you."

Rolling my eyes and grabbing a towel I had laid out on the bench next to me, I begin dabbing at some of the sweat across my forehead and neck, relishing in the chill that has begun to lick at my skin.

"Why doesn't he just come get me himself instead of sending the rest of us to do his bidding?" I may consider Wren to be my brother, closer than a brother in fact, but the guy can still make an absolute ass of himself. 

Hunter shrugs. "He has a lot on his plate right now," Always playing devils advocate, he steps forward, seeming to analyze my body for any injuries. "Not that the rest of us don't have to clean up this mess as well, but you know he hasn't always been the best with his emotions."

That's an understatement, Wren's like a goddamn ticking time bomb. Where the rest of us know how to control our anger, Wren sees it as a weapon it, using it instead of destroying it. And yes, sometimes that tactic can be useful, making him the most ruthless of our bunch, but it also comes with its very own brand of fuckery. 

"Yeah well," I sigh, dropping the towel back onto the bench and stalking forward, the idea of a much needed shower moving my legs for me as I pass Hunter on the way to the door. "He needs to learn to hide his outbursts a little better, especially with her in the house now, he can't let her see him vulnerable like that." An image of our little vixen flashes through my head before I can stop it, that beautifully long and silky hair taunting my angered fists with the thought of their strands wrapping perfectly around my knuckles as I pull it tight, her moans of pleasure and pain singing through the air. 

Snapping my eyes shut, I inhale the scent of leather and gym equipment, quickly grounding me and chasing away those nasty thoughts. I definitely should not be thinking about Lorelei Pheonix in away way other than the enemy. Though, I have a strange feeling that won't be the last time her angelic body crosses my mind, just as I feel like I'm not the only one of us who's experienced this affliction. 

"If you're looking to knock some sense into him, it's no use, I've already tried, and Cyrus is on his side of things as per usual. They believe she's a threat and therefor should be eliminated," As we continue through the quiet house, I listen to Hunter recite an eerily similar situation. 

Even if our family works as an artistically crafted and deadly unit, we've always had one problem, one roadblock that we have never quite been able to get past. Hunter and I are always on opposing sides to Cyrus and Wren. No matter the circumstance, what to make for dinner or how to dispose of our most recent torture victim, Hunter and I will always agree with each other, as will Cyrus and Wren, effectively leaving us always somewhat at odds. There's always been something missing, a gaping void in our family that if filled, might be able to finally fully bring us together. I've just never been able to figure out what that something is. 

Starting up the stairs, I pause at the third floor landing. "Is our new house guest awake yet?" 

"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to hear a pin drop in here if she was," My brother chuckles to himself and I allow my lips to lift into a slight grin, rolling my eyes at what I know to be the damn truth. That girl is a handful, noisy at best. "Don't take too long, Wren won't be pleased if he has to wait too much longer." 

"Wren wouldn't be pleased if I stunk up his precious office with my post workout sweat. And anyways, you can't rush beauty." Turning finally, I ignore Hunter's snide remarks about my comments, snickering quietly as I walk down the hallway and towards my bedroom door, the room that sits just one door away from Lorelei's. 

As I pass it, I inhale the heady mix of jasmine and orange blossom that always seems to follow her around in a cloud. And annoyingly yet pleasantly, the intoxicating scent has already permeated our house, tauntingly clinging to every surface. As much as I detest the addiction, I feel as though I need it, a smell that I haven't been blessed with in many years, but that I wish I could bottle up and carry with me until the end of my days. 

Turning the handle to my bedroom door, I come to one strikingly horrifying conclusion, Lorelei's presence here has the potential to change the foundation of everything we've ever come to know. Brick by brick, she will find a way to destroy my family, and whether that's a good or bad thing, I don't know.