“I think we should alter our original plan,” Marcus announced.
Three sets of blue eyes jumped to him, and he straightened under their scrutiny. He’d been giving this a great deal of thought over the past several years. Their original plan had been full of brotherly love and unity as well as all the rash, impetuousness of youth. But it was flawed and dangerous. He’d made his decision a couple of years ago but had known it was futile to bring it up sooner so they could all argue about it ad nauseam. Aiden’s imminent arrival forced them to remain brief.
“And how, dear eldest brother, do you think we should alter a plan we all agreed to more than fourteen years ago?” Rafe’s words dripped with derision.
“It is foolish for Aiden to change us all at the same time. Not when we’re unsure of how it will turn out. I believe he should take me to his home and change me there while you continue to watch over mother. If all goes as planned, I will return and take over her care.”
“No!” Winter sat up in his chair, balancing on the edge as if he meant to leap to his feet and launch himself at Marcus.
“And what if all does not go as planned?” Rafe demanded. “Does Aiden kill you on the spot? You just disappear from our lives without so much as a fond farewell?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not.” Rafe crossed his arms tightly over his chest and directed his most mutinous glare at Marcus. “We are sticking with our original plan. We’ve waited fourteen years for Winter to reach his twenty-third birthday. We do this together, or we don’t do this at all.”
“And if something goes wrong with all of us? Do you think it’s wise to leave Aiden alone to deal with the mess? What if he can’t?” Marcus countered.
“Actually, it’s highly unlikely for all of us to have trouble similar to Mother,” Beltran chimed in. “Aiden and I have discussed it at length. Mother was troubled before the change. We all saw signs of it prior to her falling ill. I think we should have no problems tonight. I believe our biggest concern will be Mother’s reaction when she awakes tomorrow night, but the four of us should be able to manage her just fine.”
“Bel, dear,” Rafe said with a smile. “We have no idea when our sweet mother started losing her mind. It could have happened later in life, and it could still be waiting for any of us.”
Beltran gave a little roll of his eyes at his twin, long used to his brother’s somewhat condescending tone. The two brothers didn’t look much alike other than the fact that they had similar lean builds. But where there were hints of muscle under Rafe’s tailored suit from his hours of boxing at Gentleman Jim’s, Beltran was slimmer thanks to his preference for hours spent in his library or laboratory.
“True, but I don’t think the odds are great that all four of us will be afflicted,” Beltran said.
“I still think it is best if I go alone first,” Marcus persisted.
“And then what?” Winter snapped. He rose to his feet and took a couple of steps closer to Marcus. He was several inches shorter than Marcus and smaller in build—the smallest of all of them, but there was a fiery intensity to him that made everyone who knew him learn quickly not to dismiss him. “Let us say that all goes well. Do we follow you one at a time? And how long would we wait to know that all truly is well?”
Marcus’s lips pressed into a hard, thin line as he quickly tried to weigh his words, searching for the right thing to say. He should have known this would be asked and prepared a better response.
Rafe chuckled, the sound ugly and almost cruel. “I think our overbearing brother means to go down this dark path alone.”
“Marcus?”
Marcus twisted to find Beltran standing as well, a look of pained concern on his face. “You would leave us behind?”
“Only one of us is needed to watch over Mother,” Marcus replied, trying to reason with them.
“Ever the martyr,” Rafe mocked.
“Yes, willing to sacrifice himself to an eternity of guarding Mother,” Winter added.
“You could still have normal lives,” Marcus said.
“And we’re just supposed to allow you to skip off to damnation alone?”
Marcus wanted to tell Winter that he was already damned. That his life was doomed to be a living hell even before their mother had been transformed, but no matter how close he was with his siblings, he could not bring himself to voice his personal shame. No, this was his only option. If all went well, he’d be dedicating his life to something good for the world. And if not, then at least his miserable existence would be over.