By a Thread Read Online Free

much?”
    Bria leaned over and plucked the keys out of his hand. “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll take good care of it, I promise. I’ve already decided on a strict no-blood-and-bodies policy this weekend.”
    Finn scowled at her for making light of his fears, but his green eyes were soft and warm as he leaned forward to kiss her good-bye. Despite years of womanizing, he’d fallen hard for my sister—and she for him. They were a good fit. Bria’s quiet, thoughtful nature balanced out Finn’s boisterous antics, and he made her smile and laugh when she needed to the most.
    â€œWell,” he said, stepping away from the car. “You girls have fun.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” I said. “We will.”
    Finn eyed me. “You say that now, Gin, but let’s face it: your idea of fun is different from most folks’. That’s what worries me.”
    â€œI’m with Bria. No blood and bodies this weekend. I promised her. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
    I made the matching gesture over my chest, but Finn just snorted and shook his head in disbelief. Couldn’t blame him for that. Troublehad a way of finding me whether I wanted it to or not.
    That had been several hours ago, and now we were almost to our destination—Blue Marsh, a swanky beach town situated on an island on the Georgia–South Carolina line that was within spitting distance of Savannah.
    It had been my idea to make the journey down here into a road trip with just the two of us, since Finn and Owen Grayson, my lover, were tied up until tomorrow. Finn was using his wiles as an investment banker to broker some huge, supersecret deal for Owen, who was one of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in Ashland. I didn’t know the details, and I didn’t really want to. Finn wasn’t always legal and aboveboard in his methods, any more than I was in mine.
    I was glad that the boys weren’t with us because it gave me a chance to spend some quality time with my sister—something I thought we needed now more than ever. Even though Bria had been back in my life for several months, I couldn’t help but stare at her whenever we were together, and not just because she was beautiful. So many bad things had happened to me over the years, to us, that some small part of me couldn’t help wondering when it would all end. When I’d wake up from this wonderful dream I was having of Bria’s being back in my life. Of our trying to be a family again, trying to be sisters again. Hell, just trying to be friends instead of strangers who shared the same magic and DNA—strangers who seemed to be growing further apart instead of closer together, no matter how hard I tried to make it otherwise.
    The truth was that withMab dead, my baby sister didn’t need me to protect her anymore. The danger was over, the threats were past. Bria was to free to live her life on her own terms—with or without me in it. The idea that she might choose to do it without me scared me more than I ever would admit to anyone—even myself.
    That’s why this trip was so important to me and why I’d suggested that we come down a day early. I wanted to get to know Bria—the real Bria, the person she was when she wasn’t out chasing bad guys, being threatened by Mab, or otherwise in danger.
    I needed this weekend to work, to be fun and relaxing and carefree. I needed Bria to see that there was more to me than just being the Spider—that there was more to us besides banding together to fight a common enemy and being sisters in name only. I just hoped Bria felt the same way—that she realized there was something special between us. Something worth saving.
    â€œWhat are you staring at?” Bria asked when the last song on the CD finally ended. “Do I have a bug in my teeth or something?”
    â€œYou,” I said. “I’m staring at you because you look . .