Maldenis snorted. “Yeah, whatever. You still owe me for burning up my bar, by the way.”
“What are you doing here?” Liora admonished. “I told you to wait outside.”
“Yeah, you did.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t mean I gotta comply.”
“Asshole,” she spat.
“Stuck-up witch,” he shot back.
Zare groaned. “Just tell me what’s going on. What’s so urgent that you nearly knocked my door down?”
Maldenis snickered, then he slithered over to Liora and wound the end of his tail around her arm. “Go ahead, babe, tell them what’s going on.”
Liora shot him a murderous look. “You godsdamned?—”
“Oh, my gods, you had sex with him!” Zara exclaimed. “Wait, that’s your important breaking news? You’ve had sex before. That’s not exactly a ‘we interrupt your regular programming’ type of situation.”
Her sister yanked the basilisk’s tail off impatiently. “I wish I had just fucked him.”
“Oh yeah, you wish you did,” Maldenis said smugly.
“What do you mean?” Zara’s gaze ping-ponged between them. “Well?”
Liora’s nostrils flared. “We’re, uh, sort of…kind of…you see we’re?—”
“Married!” Maldenis announced with glee. “Yup, we got hitched.”
“Married?” both Zara and Hektor exclaimed at the same time.
“Apparently.” Liora glared at Maldenis, who seemed to be enjoying himself. “Unfortunately. It’s a long story.”
“Not that long,” Maldenis said. “Oh, and by the way, surprise, sis-in-law, Drakkon-in-law, I’m also your new teammate.”
“New teammate?” Zara pursed her lips. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.”
“Let’s go down to the cafe and I’ll explain.” Liora let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Might as well let Elian know.”
“Yeah, I heard this place has an amazing brunch buffet.” Maldenis offered his arm to Liora. “Shall we go, wifey?”
“I told you to stop calling me that!” Waving him away, she stomped out of the room.
Her reaction only seemed to fuel Maldenis’s spiteful glee. “Darling! Don’t be like that,” he called as he slithered after her.
“I guess we should go and find out what’s going on,” Zara said. “Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize.” Hektor took her hand and kissed it. “We will have more time alone later.”
“Hmm…sounds like a promise.”
“And I keep my promises.” He tucked her hand into his arm. “Come, ‘wifey.’” She giggled at the name, the most adorableblush blooming in her cheeks. “Let’s go and see what your siblings have to say.”
She let him lead her toward the elevator lobby, which was empty, meaning Maldenis and Liora were probably already downstairs. “I just hope you’re ready for the craziness that comes part and parcel with being part of my family. Dealing with Thing 1 and Thing 2 can be exhausting all the time.”
“Thing? You call your siblingsThing?”
She chuckled. “It’s a joke. I’ll explain another?—”
Ding!
