34

Your question took me by surprise, I furrowed my brow, staring at him confused.

"What? Are you that curious to know about Takashi?"

"I want to know what made you cross the line. You can be impatient and full of anger, but before that, it never crossed my mind that you would do something like that," he revealed, forcing me to smile.

"Even away from the city, you still heard stories about me?" I asked, curious.

"I liked to stay informed," he answered softly.

I moistened my dry lips, thinking about Takashi and everything that happened that afternoon. My heart was still racing from the nightmare, and my mind screamed for me not to say a word.

"Let's do this," I started uncertainly. "You tell me your biggest secret, and I'll tell you why I threw Takashi off that bridge," I proposed, feeling my heart skip a beat.

"Two years ago, my mom found out that one of my cousins was getting involved with a boy outside of Lily, and I was the only one who knew about his sexuality," he said, catching me off guard. I honestly didn’t think he would go into that. "That same night, he called me, worried, and told me that my mom was acting strange. A few days later, Miguel had disappeared from the city," he revealed, taking a deep breath, his chest rising and falling strongly.

I tried to remember Miguel. The image of a boy my age flooded my mind. He had long brown hair, light skin, and beautiful light brown eyes. I had forgotten about him.

"Everyone in Lily just acted like he had never existed," he commented, looking back into my eyes. "I think my mom killed him," he confessed without hesitation.

"I think so too," I agreed, knowing Gabriela had no boundaries, and her hateful rhetoric was another reason she got involved with the government.

"And that's why I'll never tell her I'm gay," he declared, tightening my throat.

"Do you think she would have the courage?"

"I know my mom," he assured with little enthusiasm, then he fell silent, waiting for me to start.

I leaned back against the headboard and opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I felt like there was a stone stuck in my throat. I hated thinking about that afternoon. I hated Takashi.

"Takashi..." I spoke, my mind racing.

Matias remained silent, analyzing my face.

"When he joined Hebi, Takashi became a boy hungry for power, thinking he could do anything without facing the consequences. He used our name to hurt, steal, and harm girls. He used our serpent to justify the shit he did," I said, remembering his constantly impatient and angry attitude. "We fought a lot and barely spoke. I really thought all he needed was a family, people who would support and respect him, but you can't un-fuck what’s already been fucked," I declared, avoiding his gaze.

Matias touched the bruise on my knee, and his simple touch made my body relax. I returned to his eyes, his intensity and seriousness, as if I were diving into dark waters.

"I wanted to kick him out of Hebi, but my father insisted it wasn’t the right time. So he told me to keep an eye on him until the right moment, but that son of a bitch had to cross the line one more time," I muttered, taking a deep breath.

I remembered the warm afternoon air, even surrounded by the forest, the sound of water slipping between the rocks, and how blue the sky was above the tall tree branches.

"What did he do?" Matias asked, pulling me back into the dimly lit room.

"After classes, I was heading home through the shortcut in the forest. When I got to the old bridge, I found Takashi beating up Brendon," I said, with a strong knot in my stomach.

"Brendon..." he repeated, furrowing his brows.

"You had to meet him. He was a brilliant kid, a math genius. He was introverted, very shy, and a medalist. The best in the Red Fox Academy. Brendon was in his final year and worked as one of the accountants for his mom," I explained, answering his thoughts.

Matias looked at me quickly, understanding my words.

"Brendon was cool, a kind and funny guy, in his own way. We didn’t care that he was a Lily; we knew he was only in the gang because of his family's debt to the hospital. He wasn’t a threat to anyone; he was just a 10-year-old boy."

"Anton told me he left the city with his family in secret. They never heard from them again," he commented restlessly.

"He was only 10, but Takashi hated him, and he didn’t care. And being a Hebi, that asshole was my responsibility," I declared with disgust. "When I got to the bridge, Takashi had beaten up the kid and was trying to throw him off the bridge. You have no idea how much blood... what he did... Who does that to a kid?" I asked, searching for his gaze. Matias just looked at me, listening intently. "I stopped him and told Brendon to run. Takashi went crazy, maybe he was on drugs, I don’t know, and I didn’t care. That son of a bitch didn’t deserve to be a Hebi, didn’t deserve my family, didn’t deserve anyone!"

I cleared my dry throat, feeling the rage invade me like poison.

"So we fought. We fought so much that I couldn’t feel my hands anymore. He didn’t want to stop, refused to follow my orders, and promised to give me the same end he was going to give to Brendon," I said, running my hand over the back of my neck, feeling the hairs stand on end.

"So you..."

"So I threw him off the bridge," I concluded, followed by a tense silence.

Matias observed me, and I stood still, holding his gaze, feeling my chest tighten and the cold run up my spine.

"Why did your father make him confess? You were defending yourself," he asked curiously.

"Some members liked Takashi, even though he was bad blood that ruined our name. They wanted me to be punished for breaking the first rule," I explained, leaning back against the headboard. "What do you think? Would you have done the same?"

"I would have," he answered, leaving me a little relieved, but I still felt exposed, as if he were seeing my dark soul filled with lust and depravity.

I looked away, feeling mentally and physically drained.

"Now there are no more secrets between us," I said, focusing on the windows, the dark starry sky.

"And it wasn’t so bad, was it?" he asked, catching my uncertain gaze.

"It was horrible," I confessed, making him laugh. I didn’t pull away when his hand touched my neck, and I silently sighed at the feeling of his skin against mine.

"Stay for the rest of the night," he murmured, leaning in. I closed my eyes as I felt his mouth.

"I’ve been away for too long, I need to go back."

Matias pulled the blanket away and sat on my lap, making my whole body vibrate with alertness. A groan escaped my lips when his tongue slid up my neck.

"What’s this?" I gasped, gripping his shirt tightly. "Is this your needy side?" I asked, getting hard with his teeth sinking into my sensitive skin.

"No, you just turned me on," he whispered in my ear, waking me up all at once. "Stay with me, kiss me, touch me, fuck me until I can’t walk anymore," he begged, warming my body, making my dick press against his thigh.

"I like that," I agreed, receiving his mouth in a calm, almost slow kiss. Matias tasted like coffee and chocolate, his hair unraveling between my fingers when I held him, pulling him closer. "You’ll have to do all the work once again," I warned, lowering my gaze to his neck.

"Whatever you want," he assured, taking off his shirt. I closed my eyes when his mouth tasted my skin, descending down my neck.