“Yeah, he did. He shot the head of the council. Um, Nate killed the other three when they tried to get information about Uncle Benji.”
Slowly, my father turns his attention back to Nate. And of course, Nate stares right back. This dinner is starting to feel like a dick-measuring contest.
“Felicita!” Dad suddenly shouts, and in runs our nanny, turned housemaid once we were old enough.
“Yes, sir?”
“Call Benji. Tell him to come here.”
“Your uncle lives in California?” Nate asks, his head whipping in my direction out of pure shock.
I shrug. “He’s good at hiding, not hidden in Antarctica.”
“We need to have a family discussion,” Dad mumbles, and I can’t really blame him.
I just brought home the guy who betrayed me, who is not only a murderer but also over a decade older than me. If I were a dad, I’d be losing my shit.
Just like he did when I called and told them I’d be bringing Nate home, as my boyfriend.
We sit in silence for all of twenty long-ass minutes, until finally the food is served and Uncle Benji comes stuttering in.
He looks just like the rest of us with his brown hair and green eyes, but he’s a bit shorter than my dad or me. Definitely not lacking in muscle, though.
“Benji,” Dad greets, nodding once.
“Hey, family,” he replies casually. With wide strides, he reaches the chair next to me, ruffling my hair before he plops down.
“Hey, Uncle Benji,” I say, giving him a smile.
“Sup, kiddo. How are you holding up without coercion?”
Oof. Sensitive subject, Benji. I shrug, pushing around my broccoli with my fork in lieu of answering. I’m not really interested in getting into the emotional devastation of losing a part of myself.
“Yeah, I get it,” he adds, resting his hand on the back of my neck. “Those bastards are relentless. It means a lot to me that you endured all that suffering just to keep me safe.”
“It was nothing,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks get hot. It sounds almost as if my uncle isproudof me.
“And who is this?” he asks, smiling brightly at Nate as he sits back in his chair.
“Nate Barfred,” Nate offers, standing to extend his hand to my uncle.
Uncle Benji takes it without hesitation, shaking his hand like they’re old pals. “It’s nice to meet you, Nate.”
“Alright,” Dad interjects. “Nate, tell us what happened.”
“Huh?” Uncle Benji questions.
“When I came in, Lan was tied to a chair. They had beaten him quite a bit, so I woke him up and made him use coercion so I could confirm they hadn’t…” He trails off, eyeing me out of the corner of his eye.
“Taken it from me,” I finish for him.
“Wait, you were there?” Uncle Benji interrupts, his brows raised in obvious curiosity.
“He was,” Dad confirms.
“Anyway, he still had coercion, so I tried to get him out,” Nate continues. “But Joseph, the head of the council, came in with his sidekick holding a gun. They tried to get me to get Benji’s location from Landon, so I took the gun, used my own gift to blind them, and shot Boston, Cecilia, and Ryan.”
“The other council members,” I clarify.
