Page 97
Story: Princes of Ash
To my shock and deep concern, Wicker springs up to bump it. “To the fucking victor, baby! Now deal me in.”
I give Lex a dubious glance, but ultimately deal the hand.
Thirty minutes and five hands later, Wicker is going on a slurred diatribe about the thing he loves most. “No, no, no, North Side has the best pussy—or they used to. But West End has the best dick. That’s a cop-milent.” His pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired.
And the more I think about it, so does his conclusion.
Ballsack humors him with a wary nod. “Thank you?”
Wicker puts his hand on his heart, eyelids slumping. “You’re very welcome.”
“Hey, Wick?” Lex says, coaxing but obviously fed up. “You don’t think you might wanna head to bed?”
Wicker immediately waves this off. “Bed’s not where the pussy’s at. I mean, it’s there, but it’s not for me. It’s for you. But not for me.” He twists to look at his other brother, camped out at the window, still hidden beneath his hood. “It’s for Pace. But not for me.” He brings a hand down on the table. “Deal me in.”
I palm my face. “Good grief.”
Stella politely clears her throat, rising from her seat. “I’m actually pretty tired.” She badly fakes a yawn.
Ballsack rises with her, agreeing, “It’s late. We should rest. Be alert in case there are any more incidents.”
From his perch at the window, Pace throws a lazy salute, not looking away from the rain-soaked grounds.
“Oh.” Wicker frowns, but seems to bounce back pretty easily. “Okay then. Far be it from me to keep you from fucking like rabbits.” He gives them a sloppy, lewd grin. “Wrap it up, kids. Don’t wanna find yourselves shackled down to a glorified parasite, do you?”
No one shares his bitter, wheezed laughter.
At least he seems to settle down a bit after they’ve left, fidgeting with the cards as his demeanor deflates. Despite obviously being three sheets to the wind, he expertly shuffles them in one of those fancy, showy ways that has always eluded my fine motor skills.
I don’t know how tonight works. It’s my last night in East End. Tomorrow, I’ll be ferried back to the territory lines, traded to the Dukes for another case of weapons. It’s Wicker’s week, but one sniff of him makes it clear I won’t be able to stomach it. Already, I’m feeling queasy. And while Pace has slept with us for the past three nights, I hardly expect him to now, given how pissed he is at me.
The silence stretches on, and I’m just about to give Lex a pleading look when his quiet voice rings out. “He got the lab results today.” Pace glances at him, his eyes tired and hard, and Lex clarifies, “Father.”
“Which ones?” Pace asks, turning more fully.
Wicker gives the deck another flourished shuffle.
“Paternity,” Lex answers, tipping his head back against the chair. He massages the bridge of his nose. “Sex.”
My stomach is suddenly in my throat, although it strikes me how useless such a reaction is. “He’s not going to tell us,” I guess.
Lex’s eyes drop to mine, his amber stare dark through his eyelashes. “Paternity? Not until the birth. But the sex?”
Pace makes a low, disgusted sound. “He’s already setting up for the gender reveal party when you get back to East End. All the streamers, balloons, and ego that can fit into the ballroom.”
“So we’ll find out then,” I say, sighing. “When everyone else does.”
Pace and I share a look, and I hear his words seeping through my head like venom.
This is it for us, Rosi. All of us.
Wicker shuffles again.
“Fuck that.” It takes me a second to figure out who said it, the words so quiet and sharp. But then Lex jerks up, scrubbing his palms over his face. “Let’s find out now.”
Wicker chuckles darkly. “What are you gonna do? Break into his office? Hack his files? You’d have an easier time storming Fort Knox. Probably get off lighter, too.” It’s the first sign he’s even been listening to the conversation.
But Lex’s eyes are clear, locking on mine. “Father won’t be home from his trip for another hour.” His eyes flick to Pace. “I’ve got the ultrasound machine downstairs.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192