Shelly's PoV
As we waited for Zara to return, Damien chuckled and ruffled Toren's hair. "Hey, little buddy, want to play some more? I've got some cool toys."
Toren giggled and nodded. "Rawr! Roar!"
Damien laughed and threw his hands up. "Yeah, that's the spirit!" He opened his desk and took out some tops. "Let's play with these."
Toren ran to him and took a top. "Spinny!" He threw it and laughed.
I wondered if Damien was also on the spectrum, or if he was just eccentric. He was acting like a big kid.
Damien looked at me and grinned. "I'm not autistic, if that's what you're wondering. I'm just a bit hyperactive."
I gulped. "Sorry."
"Hey, no problem. I can see why you'd think that. I'm not exactly normal, am I? I'm a bit too much of a free spirit for this family."
I chuckled. "You could say that again."
He looked back at Toren who was having a blast spinning tops. "You're lucky to have a sibling. I always wished I had one growing up. Someone I could trust and have fun with. Someone to share secrets with. You know what I mean?"
"Wait, you're an only child?"
His smile faded. "Yeah. My dad died when I was young and mom never remarried. So, it was just the two of us. Until she died too. Someone poisoned her. The police never figured out who."
I gulped. "Sorry for your loss."
He sighed, the once childish expression on his face gone, replaced by a sad adult one. "Yeah. I never got to say goodbye. And, I don't know who did it. I have my suspicions, but no evidence. The target was likely not even my mom, but me. They wanted me out of the way, but failed." He pointed at his head. "They will soon learn that when you shoot at the king, you better not miss. Else they might be the ones shot at."
I shivered. Zara was right. Damien was unhinged, and yet, he was the only one willing to take care of Toren and me. I wasn't sure if I could trust him. But, I didn't have much of a choice. If I wanted to keep my brother safe, I had to go along with him.
Damien's eyes sparkled and he smirked. "Don't look so worried. I only take revenge on those who deserve it. The rest can rot for all I care. And, I don't think you're the type to stab me in the back."
I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not that kind of person."
He grinned. "Good! As long as you stay here, you will be safe. I won't let any harm come to you and your brother. You have my word."
I smiled. "Thank you, Damien."
"Hey, no problem. Us outsiders have to stick together, right?"
While I still had my doubts about him, I decided to simply nod. If we were to survive here, we would need allies.
Damien's PoV
I waved as Toren and Shelly followed Zara to their new room.
"Rawr!" Toren yelled, spinning around and making the T-Rex plushie dance. "Rawr!"
"Rawr!" I yelled back and roared like a dinosaur. I was glad I had found a fellow dino lover! It was like having my own little brother.
Shelly chuckled. "Alright, that's enough, you two. Let's go get settled in."
I sat back down, sighing. Now what? I had already finished my daily routine of sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises. I could always read a book, or play a game. Or maybe, I could go and annoy my cousin Cassian. That would be fun. I grinned, thinking of the many ways I could mess with him. Maybe I could mess with his shampoo and make it dye his hair green, or replace his cologne with skunk perfume. That would be funny.
I stood up and stretched. Well, time to go out. This room had a lot of fun toys but it was also stuffy after a while.
Humming a tune, I walked out of the room. My eyes caught sight of Zara and the siblings. I trailed behind the trio, watching them from a distance. The siblings were the first outsiders to join the family in a long time.
The Veyron de Luthaines were a powerful and wealthy clan, but that power was also destroying us. We had grown insular and complacent. We were stuck in the past. The old traditions had to go, or we would be destroyed from within.
Maybe Shelly could be the one to change things. She didn't seem to care about the family's traditions or rules. She didn't care about the power struggles or the political maneuvering. She was the breath of fresh air this family needed.
"Playing spy again, Damien?" Cassian's voice came from behind me.
I groaned. I hated it when he did that. He always appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. I turned around and saw him smirking at me.
"Hey, Cassian," I said. "What do you want?"
"Just chatting, big shot! So, what are you doing? Spying on that new hot maid?"
I rolled my eyes. Cassian was a playboy and a womanizer. He had a different girl every week and he thought he could buy anyone with his money.
"Actually, she's not a maid."
His smile faded. "Then who is she?"
I snickered, walking past him. "You would like to know, wouldn't you?"
Cassian sighed. "Fine, I'll bite. What's so important about her that you have to hide it from me?"
I smirked, turning to face him. "I ain't telling."
"Come on, Damien, don't be like that. I'll tell you something too, if you tell me what's up with that maid."
I laughed, putting my hands in my pocket. "You're gonna tell me something anyway, aren't you? So, why should I bother telling you anything?"
Cassian huffed. "Why am I even taking you seriously? Half of what you say is a joke, and the other half is nonsense."
I grinned. "Yeah, I know. I'm a crazy guy."
He rolled his eyes. "So, what's the deal? Is she your girlfriend or something? You haven't dated since Alicia."
Memories of him kissing my ex flashed in my mind. "Fuck off, man," I said, my tone suddenly serious. "I don't want to hear about her ever again."
He snickered. "Hit a nerve there, didn't I? Well, it's been two years since you've been single. Why are you holding onto that dead weight? It's time to let go."
"Because, unlike you, I actually loved her and cared about her," I snapped, turning away. I didn't want him to see the rage and sadness in my eyes. I was the happy-go-lucky guy. The weird one.