I started to feel better once I completed my warm-up at the barre and switched to my pointe shoes. I was intent on my footwork when I caught a flicker of movement in the mirror. I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest as Kingston and Maverik barged into the room.
“We thought this is where you’d be,” Kingston said with a smarmy grin as he sauntered over to me.
“Did you need help with your pirouettes?” I quipped. “Because I can give you some tips to improve your technique.”
Kingston laughed. “Hear that, bro? Our new little kitten wants to help us out.”
“It’s Katya,” I informed him haughtily.
“Nah,” Kingston said with a sparkle in his eye. “Every time we come near you, you puff out your fur and hiss like a feral kitten.”
“Even kittens have claws,” I warned him.
“Sink your claws into my brother, and you’ll have me to deal with,” Maverik threatened.
Kingston was good-looking in the way that he would draw eyes whenever he entered a room, and his flirty grin would reel you the rest of the way in. His athletic frame was clothed in jeans that were probably custom made, but definitely expensive. He had dark blond hair that was artfully messy and made you want to run your hands through it. His blue eyes were bright with mischief and his lips twisted in a mocking grin.
But Maverik? I hated to admit it, but my body was drawn to him just as much as my eyes were. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular body. His chiseled jaw was dusted with a hint of stubble, his full lips curved into a wicked smirk, and his high cheekbones were probably the envy of male models across the world. But it was his eyes that brought him from ruggedly handsome to absolutely irresistible. They were a stormy gray framed by thick eyelashes that most women would kill for. I needed to keep in mind how much of an asshole he was to keep from getting sucked into his orbit. That shouldn’t be difficult, considering the words that came out every time he opened his mouth.
They circled around me like sharks, but I didn’t move an inch. I wasn’t going to let on how much they intimidated me despite the fact that they were both at least half a foot taller than my five and a half feet. Maverik had a slightly bulkier build, but I guessed that was because Kingston hadn’t caught up to his older brother yet. It was obvious that they were both fit and athletic, but I wasn’t sure what sport they might play.
“Are you guys going to tell me what you want so that I can get back to practice?” I asked while trying to appear bold instead of nervous. I don’t think I was fully successful, because Maverik chuckled.
“What we want,” Maverik said deliberately. “Is for you and your mother to get the fuck out of our house.”
I raised my chin. “That’s fine with me. I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here.”
“I doubt that,” Maverik said darkly. “Must be pretty nice to have your own dance studio. I saw the pictures of where you were living before and sharing a bedroom with your boyfriend.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Pictures of where I was living before?
“Stalker much?” I said with a glare.
“Must have been cozy,” Kingston laughed. “You wanna be my live-in sex toy while you’re here?”
“I thought you just called me your sister,” I said angrily. I really wanted to kick them both in the nuts.
Maverik stepped up right behind me, and I could feel the heat of his body as he was only centimeters away. I met his eyes through the mirror, and the steely gray glimmered with menace. “I think you would be running out of this room right now if you had any idea the things that I want to do to you. You’re not my sister.”
Kingston stepped in front of me so that I was trapped between them. I tried to slide out of the brother sandwich, but Maverik put his hands on my hips to hold me in place.
“Let go of me,” I said in a low voice as I tilted my chin up.
“Or what?” Kingston laughed. “Do you really think mommy is going to run to your rescue?”
I stood up on pointe so that I was closer to looking him in the eye. “No, I know she won’t.” I narrowed my eyes to convey my threat. “But I know where you sleep.”
I could feel Maverik’s breath tickle on the back of my neck when he chuckled, and I hated that it gave me goosebumps.
“You think you can take us on and win?” he asked with amusement coloring his voice.
I shook my head. “No, I’m letting you know that if you start something, I’ll finish it. I’m perfectly happy to be left alone until I can get myself out of this hateful place.”
“Awww, sis,” Kingston complained. “You’re hurting our feelings.”
I sighed. “Look, tormenting me isn’t going to get you what you want.” I met Maverik’s flinty stare in the mirror, because I knew Kingston would follow whatever decision he made. “I don’t like my mother any more than you do, but you have to realize she can’t fool Richard forever. He’s going to
