Page 30 of Erik

“I’m sure it is.” Natasha was introduced to Mary’s kids before people started to notice her, and I inhaled sharply as I stepped away only to get grabbed by Jason. My brother frowned, shaking his head, and my lips thinned as I turned back to Natasha. Mary, I knew she could hold her own. She’d been doing it for almost fifteen years. But . . .

“She’s doing okay, or doing a really good job hiding how nervous she is.” Jason was a self-proclaimed expert in human behavior, and, I mean, he’d spent enough time figuring out why monsters were monsters and how they became that way. Natasha shook one of my aunt’s hand, and Jason grumbled deep in his chest. “She was . . . ”

“Don’t, Jason.” If they weren’t already, my brother’s suspicions were confirmed when Natasha left my Uncle Jay hanging, refusing to shake his hand as she hid hers behind her back. “I’m sure it won’t take you long to figure it out.”

31

Erik

“Natasha.” Sitting under the tree next to her, I settled down and stretched my legs as she sipped her Twisted Tea leisurely. “Not so bad, right? We got pretty lucky, Mike’s not here yet.”

“They’re very nice. Are things gonna get awkward around Mike?” Lifting my beer to my lips as she posed her question, I shrugged slightly. It was always a toss-up whether or not shit would go down. “You said no one likes him.”

“Sometimes, there’s drama. Other times, there’s not really much to say. I mean, my siblings and I don’t like him, but everyone else is pretty okay with him. I honestly don’t know why it’s just us who gets this unease around him.” There was no other way to explain it, and Natasha hummed against the lip of her bottle as I gazed out into the backyard. Jason and Cathy were playing a game of cornhole, and my dad was getting ready to fire up the grill. We’d been here less than half an hour, but I knew I’d dodged a bullet.

If we got here after Mike and my Aunt Kathy, who knows what kind of vibes would be going around right now.

“It must be nice, living in such a big family, having so many people you can rely on. Mary is really nice.” That was the third time in about as many seconds that Natasha said ‘nice’, and I nodded quietly as she twirled her bottle between her palms. “I thought I’d be swamped with questions and stuff.”

“My mom’s probably dying inside to know more about you, but she’s the kind to ask in private, or at least not in front of fifty people.” Smiling slightly, I scanned the yard for my mom, her greys shimmering brightly in the mid-day sun. She kept looking over despite her conversation, and I rubbed my head absently as a sigh escaped me. “I’ve never brought a woman home before, but she’s probably the only one that cares too much.”

“Every man here was in the military?” Nodding firmly, my cheeks crested in a smile, and Natasha smiled back as an ease settled on her face that I hadn’t seen before. “That’s kinda amazing, you know.”

“It is. I went into the SEALs, but Jason is in the Army Reserves, and there’s a few Airforce pilots and whatnot. All different branches. As long as you go in somehow. It doesn’t matter if you do your four or you do twenty-five, you gotta go in. Otherwise, you’ll get shit on for the rest of your life.” She huffed a quiet laugh, and I took another swig of my beer before continuing. “Are you having an alright time?”

“I’m okay. I’m a little out of my element, but what can you realistically expect?” The bark against my back dug into my shoulders as I slumped a little, and Natasha made this noise of content as her fingers crept over my own on the grass. “I knew I wouldn’t pass the tests, but if I could’ve, I would’ve gone into the military just because the schooling, the healthcare, all that stuff.”

“Yeah, they’re really strict about the psychological test. Have you ever shot a gun besides that one time?” She shook her head, and I tilted mine back quizzically. “Wanna try it?”

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. There’s a lot of people around.”

“Nah, we have a range thing set up in the back. Kids aren’t allowed back there. Let’s go.” Pushing myself up, I tugged Natasha’s hand, and she didn’t protest as excitement threaded my veins. “What kind of gun was it?”

“I don’t know? A small one?”It was probably a pistol.If I was going to execute someone, it’d be with a pistol. They were easier to handle. Nodding, I scanned the yard for Cathy and Mark, and I left Natasha to go walk over to a table piled with junk food.

“Hey, you guys wanna go do some shooting?” I tried not to ask too loudly, but Jason heard from twenty feet away, and he practically knocked me over in his haste to get in on this. Cathy nodded eagerly, and Mark kinda shrugged, but he wasn’t a big gun fan— he preferred martial arts. “Awesome, let’s go.”

“Dad! Dad! Can I come? Just to watch?” Bryan bounced around with excitement, but Jason was already shaking his head, and the kid poutedhard.

“No, you know you can’t until you’re sixteen, Bryan. Them's the rules. Go ahead, try to complain to your mom. I dare you.” Bryan was thirteen, the oldest, and he didn’t even bother to protest as he slunk off, scuffing his shoes against the grass. Jason rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, and Natasha appeared behind my arm as my brother spoke up. “That kid’s way too eager. Mary and I are talking about sending him to that camp you went to, Erik, just to beat it out of him.”

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea. That place only made me want to serve more because I knew I could.” Jason waved me off, and we started heading toward the barn at the back of the property in a group. “Now that you’re here for good, why don’t you just do it yourself?”

“What? You mean actually discipline my kid? What a concept.” Natasha popped up on my other side, away from everyone else, and I scowled darkly even as I took her hand. Jason glared at me weakly, but he shrugged it off after a second. “Bryan’s not a troubled kid, so there’s no need for that. He just . . . doesn’t understand the weight. He thinks it’s all glitz and greatness, and the video games— man, I fucking hate the video games.”

“You can’t be that upset. He idolizes his father, Jason. Bryan’s fourteen— he’s interested in that shit.” Speaking up on my side, Cathy ignored Jason’s disgruntled snort, and I pulled open the barn door. Everyone shuffled in but Natasha, talking amongst themselves, and she squeezed my hand hard with a deep breath. My cautious curiosity muted by the determination in her eyes, and I smiled encouragingly.

We had a lot of guns in this family. There were plenty of options that weren’t a pistol.

“You ever shot a gun, Natasha?” Cathy turned on the floodlights to illuminate the cases, and Natasha tensed next to me. There were at least twenty pieces, some of them with historical significance and others who were for shooting fun. I popped the top of the one closest to me. “What are you getting that one out for? She’s never shot a gun. Look at her.”

“Do you need to leave, Cathy?” Picking up a pretty stable rifle, I shot my sister a nasty glare, and she huffed indignantly as she crossed her arms. Her short, brown hair tied tight in a bun, every part of her screaming ‘I just got back’— pure aggression— but I really had no time for her know-it-all attitude. “That’s what I thought.”

“She’ll be fine with this, Cathy. Stop trying to steal Erik’s girlfriend.” Our sister tensed, anger flaring in her eyes as embarrassment flooded her cheeks, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Her brief stint exploring her sexuality was hilarious in the extreme, and she clenched her hands tightly by her sides as Jason flung an arm over her shoulders. “Relax. I was hoping you’d be less of a bitch right now considering you just got back, but obviously, I was wrong.”

“I’ll fucking kick your ass—" He held up his hand to silence her, and Cathy stormed out of the barn with a shriek of frustration. For a moment, there was silence, and Mark spoke up for the first time, his voice level and thoughtful as always.

“Why do you do that, Jason? You two are gonna get into a fight at some point, and who knows? Maybe, she will kick your ass. You’re a pencil pusher now, remember.” Jason’s shit-eating grin was all the answer he needed, and Mark sighed before turning to Natasha to nod politely. “We haven’t been introduced, yet. I’m Mark, Erik’s second eldest brother.”