Page 264 of Jagged Souls

I do not care to listen to whatever shit comes out of their mouths. And neither, it seems, does the reaper because their chairs jerk back from the table. They try to stand and pull on their power, but Enoch shoves a flurry of knives into each of them, pinning them to the wall. They gasp as they hang there. Left alive just long enough to watch us eat.

“Not bad,” Khalid says.

“Wait. Was that an actual compliment?” Enoch gasps as he turns to him. “I need to write this in my diary.”

The remaining men look around the table nervously, not yet having adjusted to having a joking, sarcastic reaper and a serious Underboss who often carries around a kitten in order to “be more approachable.” He even named the orange furball, which is a fucking menace, Relaxing. So he could say, “This is relaxing.” Aleric’s increasing presence in this house clearly needs to be stopped.

A job for another day. Today is about my wife and all the women in this Family.

“Anyone else?” I ask in the thick silence.

Heads shake, saying no.

“Good.” I take my seat beside my wife. “Then let’s –”

I jerk my head towards the exit as one of the guards from outside crashes through the room. We all surge to our feet and start calling on our powers. Most of my men, no doubt, are expecting the Blood Fangs to have attacked or for the SCU to be finally moving in. Micha tenses, a part of her still terrified Antonio is alive.

But my face blanches as I recognize the heartbeat of the man walking casually across the living room. As he enters the kitchen, a collective gasp sounds from all.

Looking into his familiar green eyes, I murmur his name.

“Father?”