I stop my thoughts from moving one inch farther.
Shit. Did I just say that?
Charlie is mine. Ezrina confirmed it.
My gut cinches. Okay, so Ezrina knew what side her bread was buttered on. And as a reward for confirming that Charlie is indeed mine, and she is, I won’t believe otherwise—Ezrina gets an all-access pass to Tobie, the daughter born from her own body—even if she’s not in that body anymore.
And, of course, Ezrina is equally smitten by Mal,Mallyas it were. Right now, she’s all but nursing the poor kid. Little Alice looks miffed. And if I were Mally, if I were any of the next gen monsters to roam this haunted island, I wouldn’t want to get on Alice’s bad side. Something tells me she’ll be ten times the firecracker her demented mother is.
And believe me when I say Ezrina is grooming her. Oh, yes, she is. She’s teaching her all the tricks and potions and spells that witch is capable of, and I’m betting Alice will be capable of just that and more.
Maybe Eli will fall in love with her? That might keep him out of her warpath when she’s ready to unleash on the world. A slightly older woman. That might work out just fine.
But Charlie, Tobie, those sweet girls are getting locked in a tower on their thirteenth birthdays. I’m keeping all the drooling mutts out of their range. They won’t need an army of brothers to protect them from the world. I’m perfectly capable of shielding my girls myself.
Gage comes up and offers me a water bottle as if it were a peace offering.
“You look lost in thought,” he grunts as he inspects the crowd along with me. “Don’t do that. Your mind is a dangerous place to roam unsupervised.”
“I’d say the same about yours. You do realize that twisted mind of yours has dismembered alliances, ate your wife’s people for breakfast, and started another war entirely.”
“Ex-wife,” he corrects as he shoots a remorseful look her way.
“I meant Chloe, the current missus. But I can appreciate the way you always revert to Skyla. She’s your Laken.”
“No, she’s Logan’s Laken. She’s my nightmare.”
“Nightmare?” I can’t help but chuckle. “I guess that makes sense coming from you. Everything you do is upside down, counterintuitive to what you truly believe. You might be fooling the world, maybe even yourself, but you’re not fooling me.”
“Well, I’m fooling me, and that’s all that matters these days.”
“You’re all about you. That sums it up well, brother.”
“I’m all about the throne and keeping that heavy crown where it belongs, on my head.”
“You keep doing you. I’ll be the last to stand in your way.” I spot Coop coming up with Laken, holding Laken in his arms as if she belonged there. “What in the hell will finally get this guy off my back? Let’s ship him to the other side of the world. Don’t you have minions in Russia? I think a hard labor camp would suffice.”
Gage bucks with a dull laugh. “Face it, Wes. He’s never going away. He’s the millstone tied around your neck.”
“Are you implying he’s going to take me down?”
“I didn’t have to. You said that yourself.”
A flare of anger bursts through me. “I’m going to choose to ignore the snide remark. Obviously, you’re pissed because Chloe is the one twisting your dick nightly. And I’m genuinely sorry about that. I know what a demon she can be like in bed.”
His brows bounce as he gives a hard look across the way, and I follow his gaze to Skyla and Laken.
“You’ve slept with Chloe by now, right?” A mild thread of alarm strikes me, and I’m not sure why. “Dude”—I knock the back of his knee in until he’s right back to glaring at me—“you’ve given in. Tell me she’s not stewing in her toxic juices because she’s not getting any from the Prince of Darkness. The girl has been drooling after you since before puberty hit. I’ve heard every story of her obsession, twice. Believe me when I say you were the star of our short-lived union. And try as she might want to believe I was you, I wasn’t even a close second in her book. Can you imagine? I’m essentially your twin, and yet she needed the real deal.” I slap an arm on his back. “It must be pretty intense between the two of you.” Gage stiffens as his gaze flits to the woods in the distance. “Ah, shit.” I pinch my eyes closed a minute. “You do realize you need to defuse this bomb. You’re not going to fool Chloe forever.”
“She just had a baby.”
“Weeks ago. That Madonna syndrome may have bought you time, buddy, but I have a feeling your time is about to run out. And if you don’t give in, things are going to get ugly. If I see the house on fire, I’ll know why. And don’t be surprised if she’s tied you to the bed. If you don’t feed the kitty, you’re going down in flames. Suck it up. Take it like a man. Think of handbags, sweetie.”
Gage scowls. “Rory’s exact words.”
“Yeah, well, if that doesn’t work, close your eyes and think of England. Lie back and dream of the empire. Lie still and think of a new way to trim a hat. Think of Skyla. Hell, you won’t be the first man to bring another woman into the marriage bed.” I shoot a look to Skyla as she shares a laugh with Laken. “On second thought, that might border on heresy considering her history with your betrothed. You’re in a real pickle. And you’ve got to give up the pickle. Not to pull from an athletic company, but for God’s sake, just do it. The first time is the toughest. I should know. I have a history of tough times with both Chloe and Kres. But I powered through it and so can you. If you need a little medicinal help getting it up, talk to Ezrina. She’s on payroll.” I nod over to where she’s holding Tobie’s hand.
He grunts, “With my luck, she’ll actually find a way to poison me. On second thought, it might be just what the doctor ordered.”
