"Can you not?"

"What?" he defends innocently.

"Back the hell off. How the hell did you get in here, anyway?" I seethe, ignoring his presence and attempting to find new clothes to change into. His scent is all on me now, and quite frankly, I want to get rid of it as quick as possible.

"The front door." he replied in a nonchalant tone, as though I should have known. "The butler opened the door for me."

"I'm pretty sure Sebastian had something to say about you not coming in here." I retort, glaring sharply at the blue top I found, careful with my movements so not to cause Sebastian's unhealed bites to throb. That top won't do. It'd reveal quite a bit of skin.

"Yeah, but when you're a Slade, who the hell has the guts to stand up to you?" his voice was confident and full of arrogance, something that ticked me off so bad, yet his words brought a smirk to my face. I walked out of the closet and looked him down, pretty sure a mocking glint was floating in my eyes.

"Do you want me to answer that, Slade?" my eyes narrow, and I feel my left eye twitch.

He stared at me for a moment, then he smirked with some excitement. I really don't like this twin at all. I huffed, walked back in the closet and thought of just ignoring him. But that wasn't as easy as I thought. What is he doing here? Why is he hanging around me? It's been nearly a week and he somehow managed to find Sebastian's mansion. If only Sebastian's bites were healed, I'de be able to show him a piece of my mind.

It's been nearly a week and they still did not heal, damn it! Maybe if he had bitten me a little gently they would've healed a bit faster. Then again, a Slade's unhealed bite could take up to months, really. It's just the horrible pain I hate dealing with!

"Why are you here, Slade?" I question without turning around to acknowledge him. I heard silence, and when I turned my head to the side to see what he was up to, I found him standing directly behind me. He ticks me off, he ticks me off so bad. The sound of teeth grinding rang in my ears, and I realised it was coming from me.

"I wanted to see you." he whispered. I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Can he be any cliché? That's exactly what a guy in a romantic human movie would say.

"Well, I don't want to see you, so get out. I don't want Sebastian coming and thinking I actually want you around, so leave."

"Don't want to." he snickered, moving closer to me. I took a step forward and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed my wrists and pushed me back, effectively pressing me against the wall. Oh, he did not.

"Get the hell off me, Slade—"

"It's Sevastian. If you can call Sebastian by his name, then you can call me, too. I don't like you calling me Slade, you say it with so much hate." he grins. Why is he grinning? Is he seriously enjoying this?

"Don't say Sebastian's name. You say it with so much hate, so don't you dare." I warn, trying to snap out of his hold. My soul's rage was blinding me, clouding my mind and wiping whatever logic I had left. "And what's up with your name?" I mumble, just for the hell of it.

"It's a Russian name." he shrugs, and my eyes widen.

"You're Russian?!" I shriek, momentarily forgetting about pushing him away.

"Half-Russian, half-German."

"What?" I ask, frowning.

He rolls his eyes and says, "See, our mother is German and our father is Russian."

"What does your name mean?" I asked, curious. Damn, Sebastian is mixed. No wonder why he is so damn gorgeous!

"It's the same as Sebastian's," he begins, shrugging again. "Except mine is in Russian. Our names both mean venerable, or honoured above all others." he finishes cockily.

"Right," I roll my eyes and huff. "Now move."

"Why do you have so much loyalty for Sebastian?"

Taken by surprise, I freeze, my eyes snapping up to his in confusion. I am loyal? I am nothing close to loyal. Why did he think that? I was just defending Sebastian, I just didn't want anyone talking about him with attitude.

"Loyalty?" I looked deep into his eyes, trying to understand why he couldn't see it the way I saw it. "It's not loyalty. It's love and respect." I hiss, still struggling to push him away. He kept coming closer to me, so close that I was able to hear his calm heartbeat and feel his soft, warm skin.

This isn't good. The closer he got to me, the stronger his scent on me became. It'll be so arduous to get his scent off me, especially since I don't have a scent of my own. Now that he wasn't surrounded by many Slades and Purebloods, his scent is actually not far off from Sebastian's.

Honey and Daylily. So dangerous and desirable.

"He doesn't deserve any of it." he hisses back, his face finally showing an emotion other than interest. He looked angry and surprised, but there was still a reasonable amount of hurt I saw in his eyes, which I had no idea why.

"Sebastian is the best, and he sure as hell deserves more than you do, I think!" I hiss back, my fangs elongating and my vision becoming clearer, sharper. Definitely angered silver eyes now.

Sevastian staggered a little. Whatever he wanted to say was forgotten momentarily. His eyes furrowed together, his heavenly lips parted slightly and his head tilted to the side in perplexity. I swear I thought he was Sebastian for a minute. If it wasn't for his scent, my soul's reaction and his attitude, I would've really kissed him.

"You don't know anything to be making such a judgement." he whispered finally. It was my turn to be shocked and confused. He sounded agitated, but his expression was well-masked. I replayed his words in my head again, and again, and again, but I still couldn't understand what he meant.

"What do you mean?" I eye him warily. Whatever he'd say, I'd have to watch him closely, carefully, because there is no way I'd ever doubt Sebastian. I've put him through so much and he still followed behind me faithfully. If Sebastian had so much faith and belief in me, then there's no way I'd flat-out doubt him for a second, unless I listen to him directly.

Sevastian shook his head, and it was then that I caught his heartbeat. It was so slow and steady, truly reflecting his hurt. Now I was really confused. Is he going to tell me what is going on?

I guess I'd have to force it out of him, and I know exactly how to do that.

"We should get naked," I said and laughed. "I won't even wear my under-bear!"

"Me, too! I won't even wear my boxes!"

We looked at each other for a split second before we bursted into uncontrollable laughter. I could feel the tears in my eyes, and the pain that went in my stomach. This had to be the best joke I've ever heard.

Getting Sevastian drunk was a messy mission. Since I was Sebastian's lover, I demanded the butler to get one of Sebastian's special drinks. Long ago, when Witches and Slades were all happy and all that jazz, the Witches created some drink to help Slades get drunk when they wanted to. There is absolutely nothing that could ever get a Slade drunk, that's why the Witches made this drink and thankfully, Sebastian has an entire supply.

If I ever go to Africa or somewhere, one bottle could last me two years. Not even exaggerating.

Luckily Sevastian didn't recognise the drink because I seduced him into drinking it. But as soon as he gulped it down, he stared at me with wide eyes, then he grinned and went for more. He is the funniest person ever when he is drunk. We've been like this for a while, not sure how long, but I seriously forgot about why I didn't like him and I just decided to have fun.

Except, I watched the amount of drinks I had. I didn't want to be too drunk, but I felt that I was getting there. For now, I wasn't so drunk to the point that I couldn't recognise a person.

He was really cool when he was drunk.

"Hey, hey! Do you know who Old McDonald is?" I asked seriously. He looked at me, puzzled, before he rested a hand on his chin.

"I've heard about him before," he mumbled, scratching his chin as he looked up. "Isn't he the old man that owns animals?"

"Wait, help me concentrate." I said. I moved closer to him, then rested my hand on his chin. When he understood what I meant, he placed his hand on my chin, then we looked into the distance and tried to figure out who the man was while we scratched each other's chins. We hummed, continuing to scratch each other's chins.

"This has been the most thinking I've done in years." Sevastian said after a brief moment.

"I know, I can feel my brain cells tingling already." I sighed, crawling away and lying on the floor on my back.

He laughed, a genuine laugh that had his eyes crinkling and his shoulders shaking. "But you're dead!"

"Oh, right." I mumbled, rubbing my head. I looked at the sky, but it was so dark.

"Hey, why is the sky not blue?" I asked, squinting my eyes until I thought they were going to become a straight line. "I can't see any stars."

He crawled over to me and laid beside me, then glanced up and went silent. "I don't know. Is the sky supposed to have chandeliers and lights?"

I laughed.

But there was something nagging me. It was like there was a question I wanted to ask, to have an answer to. But I just couldn't remember. Something about a guy?

"Hey Sevvy?" I looked at the sky, eyes darting to the light chandeliers that were somehow held down like large stars. Maybe they were the stars in this sky?

He hummed in response, so I turned around and looked at his gorgeous face. After he felt my stare, he turned his face to me with a warm smile, a smile that made my soul whisper. He was really fun to be with.

"Why do you hate your twin?"

He hummed again, this time turning his body to me. He looked deeply into my eyes, and for once, I saw something other than excitement and joy flashing in his eyes.

Longing.

He was longing for something, and by the distant look in his eyes, it seemed to be something he couldn't get. I was really curious, so I edged closer to him. He sighed, turning on his back again and looking at the sky with a poker face. Fascinating how his expression took a one-eighty in mere seconds.

"A long time ago, I fell in love with a Pureblood." he began, his voice soft and gentle as he spoke, as though he was remembering a beautiful piece from the past.

"She was... everything. Beautiful, scary at times, gentle and... everything. My feelings were so unbalanced around her, and when they finally reached a level I couldn't handle, I linked her to me. At first, it was a mission to get her to forgive me for linking her to me without her permission, but turns out she always had it for me." he chuckled, however the sound sent a pang to my chest, twisting my soul and silencing her for a moment.

It was bittersweet. I knew he was hurting, and from the lowering beats of his heart, he was trying to keep calm about it.

"Later— much, much later, she carried my child. Can you simply imagine the joy I drowned in at that time?" he broke into a smile, but it wasn't exuberant. My eyes were slightly wide, and my soul was starting to become a little more understanding and acceptant of him. For some reason, I felt that I was going to be able to be familiar with his story, and that worried me. For the time being, I felt like I was sober, not so drunk anymore.

"But I wasn't able to stay with her for a while. I had things to manage, duties to complete and I wasn't able to be with her. When I went back to her, I was exhilarated, until I saw my younger twin."

He paused and took a sharp breath. Whatever it was, I could tell he had a hard time trying to keep from affecting him. His heart was beating so fast, I was having a hard time listening to it. It was ringing in my ears, the sound so beautiful yet worrying. It was as though my own heart was beating, but it wasn't.

How I missed the sounds of my heart beating in my ears when I felt the wonderful rush of emotions.

"I... I don't know what happened. I don't know what it was. But he was there, his hand bloodied and gripping her heart while she laid before him. Her chest had a wide hole, she didn't move and her scent was fading. I—" he sharply paused, and I knew that was it for him.

He couldn't continue anymore. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. I couldn't blink. I couldn't close my jaw. I couldn't move. My chest felt heavy and tight, and my throat was somehow clamped and scratchy. His sorrow was so strong it was affecting me.

His story was so identical to mine.

Taking deep breaths were all that I could do. I just didn't know what to do. But I knew he was hurting. His heartbeat was fast, his pain was roaming around me, the scent of his longing so strong that I couldn't breathe anything else.

"Why am I involved in this?" I knew there was a reason for him being around me, and my soul was telling me that I understood his reason, but I wanted him to tell me.

I eyed him with caution. Even though he was still drowning in his thoughts and memories, being aware was never too bad.

He opened his eyes slowly, turning his head to the side and looking directly into my eyes. His gaze was demanding and his expression was gravely frightening. He was too serious.

"Revenge." he declared strongly, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. Unconsciously, my eyes widened, that familiar word slapping me hard as though greeting me once again.

Revenge. What a beautiful word. Enjoying others' pain and suffer just to satisfy your own misery. To cover it and attempt to heal it. But I know better. I experienced it all. It was all that I lived for at one time.

Revenge.

I wanted nothing else. I lived for nothing else. I wanted to see those who hurt me fall, to crumble beneath my feet. I wanted to watch them suffer and bleed, I wanted them to beg for mercy and kiss my feet. Revenge is satisfying, but what else? What is revenge?

"Revenge is a confession of pain." I breathed. It shocked me now that I realised it, but it's true. I enjoyed inflicting pain on those who hurt me, who tortured me, but in the end I was still suffering. I didn't gain or lose anything, it was all the same. It remained the same. My pain remained the same.

Sevastian was silent, his eyes roaming my face and piercing my eyes. I wasn't lying to him and I wasn't trying to make him feel any better. I'll simply say it to him the way it is. No need to coat my words, because the outcome will be the same.

"I know all about revenge." I told him, looking away because for some reason, I just couldn't say it whilst staring into his eyes. "It's beautiful, it's dangerous and it's addictive. But it's no more satisfying to the mind and heart than salt water is to thirst. In the end, you'll still be hurt, scarred, and nothing will change. So the best revenge is to not give a damn and move on."

"How would you know all that?" he asks with interest, but I heard the anger and agony in his voice. I smile and shake my head, realising just how alike we are. That's right, we are so very alike, that's why I felt compassion.

That's a first.

"Revenge was my sole purpose in living before I fell for Sebastian."my throat was aching a little, but I didn't want to drink anything for now. I continued staring at the ceiling, mainly watching how the chandeliers sparkled even without light. How can they do that?

"Listen to me when I tell you this." I finally turned to face him, keeping my eyes on his. "I've experienced it all, but you have it worse than me. If you hurt your brother— your twin, do you really think you'd complete your revenge? Do you think your Pureblood would appreciate it?"

He didn't answer me. He knew I was right. There's a reason why they say blood is thicker than water. No matter how much he loved that Pureblood, he wouldn't think about hurting his own twin, his own blood and flesh. Their bond will be deeper and stronger than anything.

He is a Pureblood— a Slade— with a heart, after all. He cannot simply kill his own twin without feeling regret and remorse and possibly try to kill himself for it later on.

"He is your brother, your family, and no matter what you're faced with, family always comes first and above all." I whisper, looking down a little because again, I found myself unable to look into his eyes. "Listen to me when I tell you this."

Either my words were too good, or my words were just too good, because he didn't speak. He only stared at me plainly, but I could see his eyes. They were conflicted, he was conflicted. My words were so good they left him speechless.

"You really are something." he finally said, smiling lightly.

I puff my chest proudly like a happy bird. "Tell me something I—"

My words were cut midway. Honey and Lavender approached us quickly, and I could smell the powerful scent of anger and irritation. I grinned. A jealous Sebastian is about to come in five... four... three... two...

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Yum. I stood up, but that was a stupid decision because my feet were wobbly and unsteady. The effect of the alcohol is slowly vanishing, but I shouldn't be so quick and careless with my actions.

"Hello, brother." Sevastian hisses, standing up and facing his twin with the same eyes Sebastian had at the moment.

Ice blue, almost very light silver eyes.

"Leave." Sebastian narrows his eyes as he bares his sharp and long fangs, threatening his brother to defy his command. Sevastian, however, does the same, baring his sharp fangs and crouching low in a challenging stance. I rolled my eyes and clenched my fists together.

All those wise and meaningful words I said to him earlier entered one ear and existed the other, didn't they?

"Don't bare your fangs at me!" they hiss at each other at the same time. So they were alike in their behaviour, too?