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I glance at Reign over my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have done that,” I mumble under my breath.
He smirks at me, as if I made a joke. His hand leaves my back, and I shiver at the loss of warmth, instantly feeling as if I’ve dropped into the tundra.
Reign’s smile slowly slips from his face, his sharp cheekbones enough to cut glass as he watches me. “And why would that be?”
I glance into the dining room, staring at my father as he watches me from the head of the table. A waiter comes in, pouring him a glass of red wine. Not once do my father’s eyes disconnect from mine. “Because he’s my father. You know how he is.”
My boys are dangerous, but from what I’m hearing, Reign has stepped into a darkness even they don’t tread in.
Though, my father has been guilty of many things himself. Much worse than I could ever imagine. He might be a star to the world and the community, but his hands are stained with blood.
I’ve realized men in political standings will do whatever they can to get to where they need to be, to get whatever it is they want. It doesn’t matter what they have to do, or what it’s going to take them to get there, they will do it. Murder, fraud, embezzlement. I’ve seen my father involved in all of it, yet he looks at me like I’m a sore that won’t heal.
Reign lets out a raspy chuckle. “Baby Lake, you have a lot to learn. I’m not the boy you used to have a crush on.” My face twists, offended he’d ever label what we had as a “crush.” It was so much more than that.
He bends down, until his plump lips brush the shell of my ear. “I’m much, much worse.” I let out a shiver as he stands up straight, sticking his hands into his pockets. He towers over me as he shifts to his full height, and my head cranks back so I can gaze into his dark eyes. “Set the devil in front of my feet and I’ll knock him to his knees. Not much frightens me.” He quirks a thick brow. “And I have a feeling you must be just the same, baby Lake.”
My lips set into a straight line, and I watch him blankly. “Are you implying that I killed someone?”
He blinks slowly, and I watch as his lashes brush his sharp cheekbone. “I’m implying nothing.” With that, he turns around, walking into the dining room. I stand there for a moment, but the heat of everyone’s eyes on me becomes too much, and I drop my head, following.
Just as I reach the table, my mom enters from the kitchen, a bright smile lighting her face when she sees me. Her blonde hair is pinned to the side, soft curls spiraling down and brushing her shoulders. Her light yellow and cream dress makes her look like she’s going to a banquet instead of having dinner with her own daughter, but it’s how she’s always been.
“Lakyn. I’ve missed you.” Her arms wrap around my shoulders, the scent of rosemary surrounding me. I bring my hands up, curling them around her waist as I settle my cheek against her, my eyes falling closed.
“I missed you, Mom.”
Her hand goes up to my ponytail, and she brushes it over my shoulder. “How have you been?” She pushes me back a bit to look at me more closely. Her eyes trail from my hair, down to my toes, her face twisting a bit beneath the straight mask she keeps on display.
“You’ve lost a little weight,” is all she says, her face pinching as she takes in my clothes. As anticipated, she’s miffed, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
My brows lift. “Well, being put to work like a slave in the mountains, I anticipate I’d be burning some calories,” I say, my voice sharp.
Her smile falters a bit, but she pastes it back on quickly, and I want to shake the fakeness out of her.
Fake, fake, fake.
“Did you have a good time while you were away?” she asks calmly, as if she didn’t watch me get dragged out of my own room.
I tilt my head to the side. “Honestly, Mother?” I balk.
She looks irked as her jaw drops. “I’m just asking a simple question, Lakyn. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“But you’re asking her if she enjoyed you tossing her across the country like she didn’t fucking matter,” Creed snaps.
My mother whips her gaze to him. “Watch your mouth, young man. I will call your mother.”
Creed tilts his head back, laughing. “You could try.”
My father leans forward in his seat, his energy brooding. “I will not take another moment of hostility in my house or toward my wife. I suggest everyone sit down and we eat, or get out, so I can visit with my daughter for the first time in eleven months.” He’s speaking in a deathly calm tone, though I feel the rage beneath the surface, and my guard goes up, knowing the man behind the mask is not one who should be fucked with.
“No one’s fault but your own,” Reign snaps.
My eyes widen and I turn my gaze to my father, seeing his jaw clench, his eyes narrowing at Reign.
“Let’s just eat, shall we?” my mother asks sweetly, moving toward her seat at the other end of the table.
I stand in place for a moment, until my mom clears her throat. Moving toward the middle of the table, I take a seat beside Archer, and Reign sits on the other side. Creed sits across from me, and Kyler next to him.
