Onyx sighed. “Fuck if I know. But I’m sure she’ll find me tonight as soon as she gets her mouth off of Golden’s dick.”
“Judging by the glow you’re sporting, someone had their mouth onyourdick before you arrived. Care to share with the class, Onyx?” Chrome asked, a knowing gleam in his eyes.
Oh, the plot thickens…
Onyx froze and stared at the Kinetic legend, daring him to utter another word.
Hazel watched with an amused grin as the tension dragged on between the two, ready to pry all the details from Chrome as soon as Onyx was out of earshot.
At last, a flash of long sapphire hair swayed into the room. Her sharp eyes glazed from what I presumed to be post-coital bliss as she slid up to Onyx’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist.
“Hi, my love,” she cooed at him. “Where’s my kiss?”
Onyx, whose expression held a mixture of disgust and lust, pulled her against his chest possessively. “You don’t get one until you wash that motherfucker off of you.” He leaned into her ear, and even though we could still hear him, he whispered, “Preferably with bleach.”
Royal’s face flushed red, her eyes going round in shock at Onyx’s brazen statement. Her embarrassment quickly twisted into a sneer, her upper lip peeling back, but she kept her retaliating thoughts to herself.
I choked on a laugh that I morphed into a cough, burying my face into the crook of my arm.
Chrome closed his eyes and bit back his smile while Hazel’s expression was full of pure delight, no doubt wishing she had a bag of popcorn in her hands.
The rest of the insurgency filed into the kitchen area of the Helair suite. There was nothing against Kinetic families gathering and enjoying a night. It was no different than what human families did all the time. As long as we did it sporadically or on weekends, then it shouldn’t cause any suspicion. Seeing itwas a Tuesday, this was a sporadic one. The last thing we wanted was to draw attention to our meetings.
Cotton’s father, Sage Sjodin,entered first, a coarse hardness to his pale, squared face, highlighted by his earthy green hair buzzed close to his skull. The death of Cotton’s mom at the hands of an Elemental forever altered their small family. Close behind him followed Cotton himself, his stoic expression firmly in place.
Chrome dipped his head in acknowledgment to Cotton; he happened to be the only male besides his father Cotton ever seemed to warm up to. But no one was close to him like Scarlett Kittle, the daughter of the Supreme Commander of the Warrior Guild. It must have killed Cotton to hide this secret from her, but he couldn’t risk the chance of her father—who was a devoted soldier to the king—finding out.
Supreme Trainer Smokey Valor, Onyx’s father, walked in behind them, his brown skin and hair the color of ash clashing against one another as he sidled up to Onyx. Clasping his hand on Onyx’s shoulder, Smokey gave it a light squeeze. “Son,” he greeted with a small smile, familial warmth hidden in his amber eyes. Vibrant cerulean hair swished over Royal’s shoulder, snagging his attention. The Supreme Trainer lifted a thick brow, trying and failing to hide his distaste for his son’s girlfriend. “Royal,” he addressed. “Ever so lovely to see you.”
Royal offered a sweet smile, her freshly caked make-up crinkling in her dimples. “Always an honor, Supreme Trainer.”
I couldn’t help the gag that I forced back, causing Hazel to giggle next to me. “Why is she here again?” I whispered to her.
Hazel shook her head and narrowed her eyes, putting more stock into the question than probably necessary. “I don’t know. Did anyone even clear her to be here tonight?”
I hesitated. Hazel was quiet in nature, but she was the best people reader I’d ever known. She had a knack for picking upon things others didn’t, so my suspicions rose at the way Hazel observed Royal.
At last, Mom and Dad entered the kitchen. The smell of roasted chicken and seasoned vegetables had my stomach rioting. I groaned, impatient to load up a plate and devour the goodness she was known to create. Mom waved to everyone before rushing off to the stovetop where the food had been kept warm, readying it for everyone to serve themselves.
My father entered with a light grin, welcoming everyone into our home as usual. “Come on. Let’s go eat and talk.” His astute eyes landed on Royal, and he angled his head, squinting. “Ah, Royal Okrafor. I didn’t know you’d be joining us tonight.”
My father’s gaze then narrowed in on Onyx, who grimaced and shrunk away. “It’ll be fine. Just one dinner will be fine, right?” he asked, unsure.
The Supreme General glanced at Smokey, raising his brows as if to ask “What the hell?” with his arms crossing over his barrel chest.
The world-renowned trainer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, exasperated with his son’s choice of romantic relationships. “Onyx—”
“Dad,” Onyx said, gaping. “It’s just one dinner.”
Chrome pressed his lips together, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dude, she needs to go.”
Hazel elbowed me in the side. I grabbed her wrist, instinctively pulling her behind me, unsure how far Royal’s brattiness would go.
“Slate,” Chrome said, looking at me from the room for backup.
I nodded. “Sorry, man. There’s some stuff…” I trailed off, glancing between Onyx and Royal, trying to gauge how much I should say in front of her. “It’s just a special night, man…for the families. No girlfriends or boyfriends.”
A light of acknowledgment lit in Onyx’s eyes as his mouth parted in understanding. He dropped his chin to his chest in resignation before trying to usher Royal into the foyer.
