What's at Stake

Chapter Forty-Five

Kaz regarded Felix coolly. "That'll never happen."

"Mmm, tell yourself that."

Kaz moved toward Felix and I slid myself between them, holding up my hands. "Come on. Let's not fight."

Kaz's expression softened immediately and he relaxed his stance. "Fine."

"Damn, I can't wait until you're under my control like that— oof." Felix groaned as I elbowed him in the stomach to get him to cut it out. "Did you all forget I was stabbed there?"

I gasped, my hand going to my mouth as I stopped. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry, Felix. I did."

"You were there with me, Cleo," he responded dryly. "You're still healing yourself. How could you forget?"

"He deserves it, don't be sorry," Claude said, taking my hand in his again, and pulling me forward. "And Kaz, don't let him get to you so easily."

Kaz pressed his lips together, lingering for a moment before trudging behind us. "Easier said than done."

San walked backward so he could see us, hands behind his back. "Kaz is normally so hard to rile up. What is it about you, Felix, that makes him like this?"

Felix pointed at his face innocently. "My handsome face?"

"As if," Kaz muttered.

"If you say I'm ugly technically you're calling Claude ugly because we look similar. Are you saying Claude is ugly? Kind of rude."

Kaz looked ready to punch Felix again and I grimaced. "Okay, Felix. Leave Kaz alone."

"Come on, if I can't tease you anymore, I have to have someone to tease. Or are you okay with it being you?"

"Don't think about it," Claude warned.

Felix gave me a you-see look. "To be clear though, I'm not doing it because Claude would beat me. I'm doing it because I respect your boundaries, Cleo."

San pointed at Adora. "Adora will volunteer, then."

Adora's mouth fell open. "What? Hell no. That'd be like Claude flirting with me. No, thanks."

Claude's posture tensed. "Why are you all insinuating Felix and I look similar all of a sudden?"

"Now that we know your brothers, I honestly can't believe we never noticed it before," San said, his eyes flicking between Claude and Felix. "Especially with Felix's hair short like this now. Imagine if he dyed it black. It'd be uncanny."

I tried to picture Felix with black hair. Admittedly, I already thought he looked similar to Claude, too. If Felix did dye his hair, the resemblance would just be even stronger. They were both very handsome. But did Adora and San only think they looked like each other now that they knew they were brothers? Would others think that, without knowing that? Felix wanted to hide his identity. But the more he looked like Claude and the more he was around Claude, the more likely rumors could spread.

Felix's blue contacts were back in, but was that realty enough to keep people from making the connection?

Claude caught me staring at Felix and turned his chin up. "Don't dye your hair back, Felix. Keep it like that."

Felix rolled his eyes. "That's the plan, Your Highness. I don't want to look like you any more than you want to look like me."

"Good."