Page 24 of Raziel

They were Priest and Ezra.

We walked outside as Priest’s black SUV pulled up to the curb. He got out first, lifted a screaming Ezra from the car seat like his huge, chubby butt weighed nothing.

“Come get your son,” Priest said, opening Miyori’s door.

Miyori kissed Ezra and took him, but I leaned in too, running my fingers down his fat little arm.

“Hey, stink,” I cooed over his high-pitched screams. “You growing’ too fast. When you can go to the bathroom by yourself, I’ma come save you from your crazy-ass parents.”

Priest side-eyed me. “It won’t happen. I don’t need you teaching him none of your bad habits.”

I looked him dead in the face. “Bad habits? Please. With you as a father, Ezra’s probably gonna be in kindergarten charging kids for protection and extorting snack money. Bribing lil’ girls for kisses. Growling at them like a rabid dog.”

Miyori snorted into Ezra’s curls, trying not to laugh.

Priest stepped closer, voice low. “All I’m saying is, if Ezra starts acting erratic and smoking crack, I’ll know who to blame.”

“And if he starts bodying people before puberty, we all know who taught him that,” I snapped. “You’re a felon in a suit. Pope, Priest.”

“You talk a lot for somebody who’d be dead if not for her sister selling herself to me.”

“Better than being a liar with a god complex and blood on his hands,” I shot back, stepping in close. “If I hadn’t fucked up, you’d still be playing straightjacket to that crazy bitch who slit her wrists. And youfor surenever would’ve gotten to sniff my sister’s pussy, let alone put a baby in her. You’re welcome.”

Priest just glared at me.

He was so obnoxious.

I glared back.

We stared.

Neither of us backing down.

Ezra babbled from Miyori’s hip in the background—the only innocent thing in the room.

We didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

Miyori didn’t say a word.

She’d told me she secretly liked it when I riled him up. Said it reminded him he wasn’t untouchable—not emotionally.

She said we argued like brother and sister.

And she was right.

Priest never really went for the jugular with me.

Even though he knew all my secrets—the dark, dirty things I did when I was using.

I broke first.

Priest had somedark shitbehind his eyes.

I was just glad he was harmless to me.

I chuckled under my breath, turning my attention back to my caramel-colored nephew.