They Called Me A Defective Copy Of My Sister Chapter 06

They Called Me A Defective Copy Of My Sister Chapter 06

Vance left the next morning, suitcase in hand. At the door, he pulled me into a hug and held

Long enough that I could almost believe he didn’t want to go. But I knew what it really was –

guilt.

He needed to feel like a decent husband one last time before he stopped acting like one. The

car door shut, and the tenderness dropped off his face like a mask.

What replaced it was pure, barely contained want. I watched from the window until his car

disappeared around the corner.

Then I called Ruby. “He’s gone.”

Ruby sounded bored, like she was filing her nails. “Got it. Silas is cute, I’ll give him that. Bit of

a hothead, though.”

“Hazel, you sure about this? We’re playing with fire.”

Mate swapping wasn’t illegal – not technically – but getting caught meant social ruin. And what we were doing went further than a swap. We were rigging the system itself.

“I’m sure.” My grip tightened on the phone. “Five days. I’ll make sure Silas plays his part over

here.”

“And Vance – just… don’t let it go too far.”

Ruby’s laugh was low, teasing. “Relax. I signed up for a new mate – I’ll keep him leashed.”

The doorbell rang the moment I hung up.

Silas. He was wearing one of Vance’s dark gray suits, hair slicked back in a careful imitation

of his brother’s style.

From a distance, you’d never be able to tell them apart. I knew in a heartbeat.

His tail gave him away – a restless twitch straining against the fabric of his trousers that

Vance would never allow. Vance’s tail was always still disciplined, tucked low. Silas

couldn’t manage that if he tried.

“My favorite sister-in-law.”

The second he stepped inside, that cocky grin broke across his face – then vanished just as

fast, like he’d caught himself.

—

He rearranged his expression into something flat and distant – Vance’s default expression –

and gave me a stiff nod. “I’m back.”

Awful. His voice was wooden, his eyes wouldn’t settle anywhere, and the whole performance

would’ve fooled absolutely no one.

I decided to help him out. I crossed the room and took the briefcase from his hand, slipping into the role of a wife. “Long day? Want to shower first?”

Silas went rigid. The tips of his ears flushed pink – he clearly had no idea what to do with a woman treating him like her husband.

“N-no, I’m – I’m good.” He practically bolted for the couch.

His tail had been behaving itself until now. It puffed up like a bottle brush, straining against the tailored fabric of Vance’s suit pants. Ridiculous.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing and headed for the kitchen. Vance had asked for barbecue ribs before he left.

But I had a feeling the boy who’d fought for his life in a cage would want his meat bloody. Half an hour later, I set two plates on the table.

Barbecue baby back ribs on one side. A pan-seared steak, medium-rare, on the other.

Silas stared at the table and went still.

When he looked up at me, something unguarded broke through. “How did you… how’d you

know?”

Vance ordered everything well-done – wouldn’t touch a hint of pink. I kept my expression neutral, my voice light.

“Can’t a girl switch things up once in a while?”

Silas didn’t push it.

He cut into the steak, took a bite – and his tail betrayed him. The tension held in it all evening

melted into a wild, frantic wag.

Wide sweeps, back and forth, strong enough to stir the air. He ate fast – too fast – the way

someone eats when they don’t know how long the food will last.

My throat closed. This was him. This was 07.

The boy who used to fight over moldy bread at the bottom of a cage. Alive. Right here, eating

steak at my table.

Close enough to touch.