Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Killian turns back on me, his hands on my cheek. “Can I share with them what I saw?” Guilt slams into my chest, but I slowly nod. “Were any of the other Fathers ever involved with this?” Silence falls around us. Suddenly, no one is arguing or fighting, and Kaius isn’t yelling. “Because we’ll kill. Them. All.” The strong smell of blood still clings to my nostrils. Do I want more? I’m not good with blood, or bodies, or death in general. I don’t handle it as well as The Brothers or Lilith.
Sass and Perse stand behind Lilith now, with King directly behind Keres, awaiting orders. “How many were there?”
Killian raises his eyes up at King before whispering, “Just Kaius and Kenny, but Bam Bam did walk in at the end.” I freeze at the mention of Bam Bam.
King looks at his father. “You betrayed the family unit that Kiznitch prides themselves on.”
“It is part of her training, son. That’s what they all had to—”
“—we are not fucking Patience!” King roars, and I swear birds drop dead from the trees behind us. Among the chaos, I turn back around to see those same people still having sex. I seek out Jordan and Christopher, who waltz back down into the courtyard, cleaning blood off their blades. Who the hell did they just kill? I nudge my head toward the naked sex show, and Jordan and Christopher both give me a firm smile in agreement and begin escorting the couples out. Hopefully not to kill them. Shit, will they kill them because they’ve seen too much?
Kaius’ shoulders straighten as he flicks his suit up proudly. “If you kill me…” My eyes snap to his. “You’ll never see Eli again and he will die.”
My world stops. “What?” I take a step closer to him, but an arm is around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest with a protective hand pressed against my stomach. My muscles relax into the familiar touch, but it’s too late because now I want answers. “What the fuck has Eli got to do with this?”
Kaius peers up at me, shoving Lilith away so hard she lands on her ass, and slowly lowers himself to the chair he was on. His wrinkled fingers curl around the goblet as he slowly lifts it to his mouth. “Oh, it has everything to do with the little King.” He points to the chair beside him. “All of you, sit the fuck down.”
Keaton kisses my head, directing me to the chair at the end of the table. Everyone is a blur because my eyes are murky still from tears and blood, but I cling to him like he’s the only clarity I’ll ever have.
He gently places me on his lap as Kaius starts talking. “Eli didn’t leave to protect Cartier.” He leans back in his chair, shrugging. “Well, he did, but didn’t. He actually left for three reasons. One, was because Dominic did indeed want Cartier…” Kaius pauses, his eyes zeroing in on Keaton and Kyrin. “For, let’s just say, reasons.” I feel Keaton stiffen beneath me, as if a silent warning passed over his skin. “But the other reason was because there’s a war brewing, and Dominic has been targeting Kiznitch for as long as I can remember. What he is now lacking, since we took out Patience, is an ally—and that’s where Eli comes in.”
“What the fuck are you saying, old man, and I’d choose your next words very carefully because Lilith’s trigger finger isn’t as patient as the blood that pumps through her veins,” King warns.
Kaius stares at all of us. “The Kings. They’re who Dominic wants. The Kings know this, and they planted Eli in with him, much like he did with us.”
“The Kings wouldn’t turn on us,” King murmurs, leaning his elbows on the dining table. “So what other lies you got?”
“But you’re wrong. The Kings take care of their own, and they do it well.”
“Lucky for them.” I sneer at Kaius, grinding my teeth. God, but I hate this man. Leaning against the table, I move the drinks out of my way. “So how are you going to help us get Eli back?”
“Son…” Kingston’s mother speaks, breaking the tension. She pauses before continuing. “This has been hard for us all. He didn’t do this with Delila, your grandpa didn’t either. It’s all a lie, son.”
King slowly stands from the table, and I watch as his shadow spreads over the wood. It happens in slow motion. Kingston’s hand finds a knife on the table, and in two seconds he flings it across the space and it stabs straight between Kaius’ eyes. They widen in shock for two seconds, before I watch the life slowly bleed out of them.
“That’s a Father gone. Poof. Just like that.” King’s tone is low and challenging. Everyone quietens. “From now on, you don’t mean shit. Everything is run by us and what we say goes.” King falls back onto his chair, picks up a bottle of whiskey, and stares blankly at his father’s corpse. King worshipped him. He loved him as much as any son loved his father. Guilt rips through me when I realize part of why he did this was for me.