God of Ruin (Legacy of Gods #4) by Rina Kent

Yes, there are bodyguards, but Maya and I made it clear that they were only for outside and would never come inside the house. Or, God forbid, follow us around.

We were unlucky the other day, because when we came back, we found Nikolai waiting for us.

He definitely didn’t believe our lie that we were with friends. One, we don’t have those. People have always been either scared or wary of us, so Maya and I became each other’s best friend.

My sister has a huge following on social media and is in a clique with people who are similar to her, but even she wouldn’t call them friends. She used to be super close with our nanny when we were growing up, and she often called her a friend, but that ended after the nanny left the state to be with her family.

Two, despite my and Maya’s abilities to come up with an imaginary scenario on the spot and finish each other’s lies effortlessly, Nikolai has been with us all our lives, and while he likes to pretend he can’t differentiate between us when we dress the same, he actually can.

He can also tell when we’re acting.

“What happened that night, hmm?” he asks, completely undeterred by my answer. “And don’t tell me nothing, because I call bullshit.”

“It’s really nothing,” I sign with a sweet smile.

I learned early on that I have a cute face. Maya does everything to make hers sexy. I’m using this shit to my benefit.

If you’re cute and you smile, people will easily fall for your charms.

I just have to appear gullible until I find the chance to kick or punch them in the face. Like I did to Landon King.

A shudder snakes down my spine at the image of his manic smile that night. I actually had a nightmare about his bloodied smirk and the ‘I’m watching you’ sign.

He couldn’t possibly know it was me. I never removed the mask, and I technically wasn’t invited to that party.

My ally, the one who provided those invitations and let me in the Elites’ mansion, wouldn’t sell me out.

In fact, Brandon, Landon’s twin brother and my ally, sent me a picture of his brother covered in blood with a text.

Brandon: Did you do this?

Mia: If I say yes, would you hate me?

Brandon: No. I actually like you more now. I’m impressed.

Mia: You’re not mad that I used the invitations you gave me to do this?

Brandon: Not really. I figured you were up to no good when you asked for them.

Mia: What if you get in trouble with your brother?

Brandon: I know how to deal with him. Don’t worry.

So it was a win on all accounts. I get to keep my fresh, new, and completely unsure friendship with Bran, and I also got revenge for what his psycho brother did to mine.

Still, I’ve been unconsciously watching my surroundings the past couple of days, expecting Landon to jump me from behind.

Or worse—drag me into some dark corner, where I would definitely be defenseless.

“Okay.” Nikolai rises to his full height.

“Okay?” I repeat in sign language, not sure if I heard him correctly.

“Yeah, okay. You and Maya can have it your way.” He tilts his head to the side. “In exchange, I’m adding two more bodyguards, and everyone on your bodyguard team will be following your every move.”

I jump up and sign furiously, “You can’t do that.”

“You’ll see proof of me doing exactly that first thing in the morning.”

Oh crap.

If my brother says it’s happening, it’s definitely happening.

“Wait,” I sign and release a sigh. “Okay, we lied. I actually met with a new friend of mine I don’t think you’d approve of, which is why we didn’t tell you.”

“Name. Address. School.”

“Brandon King. He lives in the Elites’ mansion, and he goes to REU.”

My brother pauses and his brows nearly reach his hairline. “Since when are you friends with someone from REU?”

“It just happened. You know, that time his brother, Landon, was bothering Kill and being rude, Brandon apologized on his behalf. Afterward, we played a game together and became friends.”

“Killian never told me this.”

“Not sure why.” Because Bran actually asked him to, I think. And since Killian was trying to get on Bran’s good side so that he could date his sister, he kept quiet about the whole incident.

“So you’re telling me you and Lotus…” he trails off and clears his throat. “And Brandon are friends.”

“Yeah. We meet for gaming and stuff. We keep kicking each other’s butts. You should see it.”

“Maybe I should,” he murmurs under his breath.

“Does that mean you’re okay with it?”

His bemused state completely disappears, and he narrows his eyes. “Absolutely not. You’re not to get involved with anyone in the Elites.”

“But he’s really different, Niko. He’s so nice and such a gentleman.”

“Oh?”

“Totally! And he’s nothing like his tool of a brother, Landon.”

“So you and Maya were with Brandon that night?”

I nod.

“Where? In their mansion?”

“No. They had some sort of party there, so we met in a gaming café and played for a while.”

“Maya. In a gaming café? The nerd hotspot, as she calls it?”