King Hall (Forever Evermore, #1)(104)

Well, why the hell not? Let’s just make it a real party.

Releasing his dad’s hand, I turned. I had no clue how the man had gotten in here, but King Kincaid’s wolf was already growling. Formally, I nodded, saying, “Uncle.”

“Hello, Lily,” he stated curtly. Eyes never leaving mine, he held up a piece of paper as King Kincaid started to maneuver around me. “This is Law.”

Still, King Kincaid’s wolf growled quietly, but he did stop advancing and grabbed the paper from my uncle’s hand, quickly skimming it.

Ezra had stepped directly behind me. I hadn’t told him anything about my uncle, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the man wasn’t wanted here. Especially when Antonio maneuvered directly behind him, aiming death’s own glare at the back of his head.

King Kincaid’s wolf abruptly quieted. “He has a letter from your deceased mother, which she ordered by Law for him to hand-deliver to you on your graduation day.”

My heart stopped, and then fluttered frantically. Immediately, I held my hand out. If my mom had willed a letter to me in the event she died before my graduation, I wanted the damn thing.

My uncle stepped closer, pulling a long, thin white envelope from his inner suit jacket pocket. He placed it on my waiting palm, not letting go of it as he lowered his mouth near my ear, whispering softly, “The best thing your mother ever did was die. She used to be my favorite when we were little, the way her bones broke…a pure masterpiece, but when she swallowed all that water and left you to me…let’s just say, you’ll always be my particular desire.” He sighed. “The way you screamed was a symphony to my ears. One day, ah, Lily, one day, I’ll hear it again.”

My heart rate jumped further, and not because I was excited for the letter. Memories of my time at his house flooded me. All those hidden moments. The basement. It was soundproofed. His hands. Jesus, how I hated his hands. I still couldn’t look directly at them.

The sound of Ezra’s Vampire growling snapped me from the downward spiral of my past’s haunting terrors. I had never heard this particular Vampire growl from him before. It was different, low and deep and slow — menacing enough a shiver flittered down my spine.

Ezra pressed against me from behind, his palms landing on my hips, and he, literally, lifted me off the ground, making my uncle jerk backward. My uncle had spoken softly enough for his comments not to have been picked up by anyone’s ears but the Vampires’ nearby. Ezra set me gently on my feet beside him, stepping forward, fangs fully extended.

I slammed a hand against his chest, and whispered gently, “Ezra, stop.” I thought he was seriously going to kill him. This wasn’t his fight. I wanted it. “He’s mine to handle.”

He tilted his head, his fierce, glaring eyes piercing mine. “Then f*cking handle him.”

Gazing back toward my uncle, who stared at Ezra with startled, wide eyes, I questioned, “King Kincaid, now that the letter is in my hand, are there any provisions on that sheet of paper for my uncle’s safety?”

Instant. “No.”

“May I?”

“You may.”

“I need three witnesses who can verify he just threatened me.”

“Witnessed,” Vivian said, her tone coarse.

“Witnessed,” Cahal stated, sounding distracted.

Ezra waved sharply for me to hurry up. “Witnessed. Fucking kill him already.”

“Uncle, under Law 671 you’ve just been judged and found guilty.” I cocked my head as Antonio stepped out from behind him. “I think we’d better go outside, so we don’t get blood everywhere.” Rucking up my robe, I kicked my uncle as hard as I could straight against his chest.

I felt, and heard, his ribs break. I knew that sound intimately since he had done it to me so many times. The force of my blow had his body flying backward, right at the window. He hit it hard, and the shattering of glass was loud as he flew through it. I accepted the offered gun Antonio held out, and sniffed it. Silver. Shoving off the ground, I jumped through the broken first-storey window. Glass crunched under my shoes as I landed.

My uncle was trying to crawl away — pathetic.

Easily kicking him onto his back, before I shot him I had to ask, “Why the hell did my mother name you as my guardian?” It was a burning question inside of me.

He coughed, and a bone must have nicked his lung because he spat up blood. Grinned with it all over his face, his voice breathless. “She knew you’d like it.” He laughed softly, more blood spilling from his mouth.

No hesitation, only relief, as I lifted the gun.

Pulled the trigger, my ears ringing from the discharge.

Head shot.

Over too quickly, but so be it.

Guards in black fatigues had already surrounded us. Luckily, cutting off any view the people down the hill might have had where they waited for graduation to begin. Speaking to the guard on my right, I ordered quietly, “Get rid of him.” She nodded, instantly moving to do as ordered, so I turned and walked back to the window.

Ezra was there with Pearl and Jack on either side of him, filling the space. They must have been swiftly informed, because they looked as furious as he did right then. Ezra knocked the rest of the glass away from the window, and then leaned outside, picking me up and pulling me back through to set me down inside the office.