King Hall (Forever Evermore, #1)(105)

He glowered, his body actually trembling.

Pearl and Jack didn’t offer any support, either.

I pointed the gun out the window. “I killed him. As you can see, he has a hole in the middle of his forehead. The situation has been taken care of.”

“You should have f*cking told us about him,” Jack hissed, so furious he threw his hands out and stalked away, spewing curses the whole while. I felt bad for Nikki.

“I’m so bloody upset with you right now,” Pearl said through clenched teeth. “I…I need to walk away before I say something I’ll regret.” She pivoted, and started marching, taking three steps. Stopped. Clenched her hands, and put her feet into motion again, going clear across the room from me. I felt for Gideon.

Gazing after her, I really didn’t want to look at Ezra with that soft Vampire’s growl emanating from his chest. This one wasn’t as chilling as the one before, but he was ticked. If any of my besties had hidden an abusive, adoptive relative like I had…well, I wouldn’t be pleased with them, either. I would have wanted blood for them. Lots of it.

I peeked up. Quickly glanced away. Christ, he was upset.

“Sweetheart,” he snarled on a mere breath, which sounded more Vampire than not and almost hypnotic in tone, but not quite there, his predator only peeking, “you keep something like that from us again, and I will—”

“Goddamn it! I f*cking killed him! Alright?” I shouted, interjecting, done with the verbal attack from my friends after shooting my bastard uncle dead.

Unbelievably, his expression actually turned even more furious as he shouted, “No, it’s not alright! That f*cker lived how long past his expiration date? And never once did you tell—”

King Venclaire, abruptly next to us with glowing eyes, jammed his hand on Ezra’s shoulder, stopping him. No words emitted from his pinched lips — the room had gone silent — but the warning stare he gave us was enough.

Ezra and I glared at one another for a moment longer before we jerked on our heels, turning from one another and stalking away.

Bumping against someone in my haste, I muttered a half-hearted apology, but the person placed a huge hand on my bicep, stopping me from moving along. Instantly, I stepped back from the hold, and had to blink a few times until the red haze disappeared.

Ah, perfect.

Cahal Zeller, himself. Daddio. I wasn’t in the mood. “You know, don’t feel bad you didn’t know who I was before, because I didn’t realize who you were, either.” My wolf growled a bit. “Your son never mentioned that one, and yet, he gets all pissed when I keep a secret?” Belatedly, I realized I was wildly swinging a loaded gun with silver bullets in a room full of Mysticals. Staring at it a second, I quickly lowered it. “Anyway, sorry we had to meet with me offing someone not ten minutes after I shook your hand.” I shrugged. Nothing I could do about that.

Mutely, he was still staring with his hard gaze as his wife held out…my envelope.

I quickly snatched it from her hand, mumbling, “Thank you.”

She nodded, silent.

They stared, their heads cocking.

Well, alrighty then.

Antonio slung an arm over my shoulder. “You like the gun?”

Huh? Oh. I nodded. “It fires straight. That’s what important.”

“It’s yours.” He smiled. “I spelled the clip. It’ll never run out of silver bullets.”

My eyebrows rose. “You know, Antonio, I always thought for graduation I’d get, like, a car, or a vacation to someplace warm, but no, instead, I get a letter willed to me from the grave and a gun that always fires.” I paused. “I am a woman. Chocolates or roses…” I trailed off as he pulled Rolos and a small, single red rose out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket. I bit my lip, taking the gifts when he held them out.

He kissed my forehead softly, whispering, “Your mother would have been so proud to see the woman you’ve become. I am too, Lil. So very proud of you.”

Vivian deigned to speak, instead of ogling. “You two know each other?”

Antonio nodded. “I raised her, with her late mother.”

Cahal blinked, also deciding to speak. “You raised her?” He paused. “Then, how did she end up with that *?”

Keeping his arm firmly around me, Antonio stated, “Before her mother passed away, I left. I had to search for someone who was lost. You might know him. His name’s Ezra.”

I knew that was why he had left me. The timing fit perfectly.

Vivian jerked, her mouth thinning, but, little by little, she bowed her head to him.

Cahal’s eyes narrowed. “What are you really doing here? I haven’t seen you since we passed on our reign to our Prodigies.” Yeah, that was the history lesson I hadn’t put together. Ezra’s dad had been a scary-ass King during the war, right alongside Antonio.

Antonio jostled me inside his side. “Watching over this one. She can be a handful.”

Cahal grunted, his narrowed gaze finding mine. His eyes didn’t soften, either. “She appears to like trouble. It figures you had a hand in raising her.”

Antonio grinned.

Cahal’s attention returned to him, and his brown eyes ran over Antonio’s face, his words slow. “Since you’re here, I may stay awhile. See what happens.”