Kellan wasn’t as in complete control of his demon as he thought. He had killed, but he either didn’t know or he didn’t want to tell me he knew, not at that particular time. A part of me knew it didn’t make sense, but it was what it was. Kellan was telling the truth when he said that he was only going to brainwash Matt a little. Not completely. That was something, right?

“What do you see?” Kellan asked quietly.

“What?” I shook out of my own trance-like stare.

“You were looking into me, Shay. What did you see? I have a feeling you see something no one else does.”

Something in his voice caught my attention. Narrowing my eyes, I studied him again. Kellan didn’t move. He didn’t twitch. There was an extra meaning in his words that I’d never heard. “What are you saying? What do you mean by that?”

Then it was gone. Kellan smirked and withdrew. “Figure it out.” When he looked at Matt, he groaned. “Look at him. You turned him into an actual zombie.”

“No, I…” My voice faded when I saw what he saw. Matt had a blank expression in his eyes. He lay on the ground with his hands resting together on his stomach. His chest still moved up and down so we knew he was alive, but there was nothing in his mind. I’d turned him into something like the living dead.

“I…”

Kellan cursed and then barked out, “Get up!”

Matt stood. He didn’t move stiffly, but like normal. His eyes were so blank.

“You will remember your life. You will live your life as you did, but you will stay away from any Braden. Do you understand?”

Matt never blinked. He didn’t say a word.

Kellan cursed again and then slammed his hand into Matt’s forehead. As he did, he muttered something under his breath. The same energy sparked in the air, and Matt’s body jerked alive. His back arched. His feet lifted off the ground. And then everything was frozen for a second after. Suddenly, Matt’s body fell back to the ground, and he let out a strangled cry. As he fell, moaning, Kellan turned to me. His eyes were hard. “Go home.”

“But.”

Matt looked up, blinking away tears in his eyes. “Wha…who?”

“Go, Shay!”

His command bounced off me. It would’ve compelled someone else, possibly even our siblings, but I merely looked at him in confusion. “You fixed it?”

“Go. Do your painting.”

I turned without thinking. When his words registered, I stopped and whirled back. “You know?”

“I’ve always known.” Kellan gentled his voice and bent to help Matt back to his feet. He spoke to me as he watched Matt tentatively start to walk toward his home. “I know everything about you, Shay. One of these days you’ll realize why it’s me and no one else.”

“What?” He knew about my paintings… Did he know about the ones of him?

He sighed and walked past me. “Come on. Let’s go.”

I watched as he got into my car, in the driver’s seat, and then opened the passenger door for me. I got in reluctantly. “I feel like I have no idea what’s going on anymore.”

Kellan patted my arm and then wheeled the car around. “I’ll even drop you off at the school. When you’re done, I’ll come get you.”

As he drove, I watched him. Who was this new Kellan? As of a day ago, I would’ve never thought he’d be dropping me off to do my paintings. I would’ve had a heart attack even thinking about that possibility. And now it’s happening. What else had changed?

A different thought occurred to me. “Do Vespar and Gus know?”

“About what you paint?”

He knew what I painted!

Kellan shook his head. “They don’t know a thing. It’s why they’re so angry. They know we’re keeping them in the dark about something.”

My mouth was so dry. “About Mom and Dad?”

“What about them?”

I sensed a sudden stillness in him, but asked anyway. “Is it true? Are they around, but I can’t see them?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Yes. They’re there.”

“Why don’t I see them?”

“I don’t know, but my guess is because you don’t want to see them. You have the power to do that.”

I looked down at my hands. They looked so human, clasped together as if I was praying. My skin even looked a little tanner, not the normal complete pale that I’d always been. Then I felt the tattoo burn on my arm. It started to circle my skin again.

My voice was hoarse. “Why would I not want to see our parents?”

Kellan didn’t answer for a moment. When he did, his voice was soft. “I don’t know, Shay. I can’t answer that for you.”

When we pulled into the school’s parking lot, I didn’t reach for the door handle right away. Instead, I looked at my brother and saw he sat guarded against me. He didn’t want me to see something about him. I wanted to ask him what it was, but I knew I didn’t dare. So I asked instead, “You know what I paint?”

“I know.” He looked down.

“Do you know why?”

To this, he smiled. “Are you asking me why I think a demon would paint angels? Hell if I know, but there’s gotta be a reason. Right?”

“You’re not scared? Gus and Vespar would freak if they found out.”

“Gus and Vespar are terrified of you. Period. Anything you do will freak them out.”