Page 86 of Smolder

The name caused me to gasp slightly, and I studied her more closely now. She reminded me of a magical pixie or perhaps a Disney princess. This could not be the same woman who was connected to Thatcher. I’d expected tattoos and piercings. Perhaps the same darkness in her eyes. Not … her.

She stepped forward, looking uncertain but holding a sweet smile. My reaction to her was probably coming off as rude, I realized. Trying to gather myself from the surprise, I returned her smile.

“I’m sorry. I …” How did I say this?You’re not what I expected?Thatcher is unbalanced, and you look … breakable? “You aren’t what I was expecting,” I said apologetically.

A soft tinkling laugh followed my explanation as her eyes danced with amusement. “Because of Thatcher,” she replied.

I nodded. No use in lying about it.

Maeme patted my back. “It befuddled us all. But she’s his own bright light in all that darkness he carries. Now, come on then. Let’s go eat our weight in sugary goodness and drink until our nerves are eased. Shall we?”

The older woman headed toward the doorway where Capri had appeared.

“It’ll be okay,” she said.

I looked at the other woman, still reeling from the fact that someone who seemed so doll like and sweet could be in a relationship with Thatcher Shephard.

“Thatcher won’t let anything happen to Sebastian,” she told me. “If anything, it’s me who needs to be worried. He can be … unpredictable?” She said the last word as if it was a question, not a statement.

“So, you’re dating Thatcher?” I asked.

She pressed her lips together, and then a small giggle escaped. “Yes. But I guess it’s more than that. We live together.”

Wow. She lived with that man.

“He is intense,” I said, lacking a better word.

“That’s one way to put it,” she agreed, grinning at me. “Come on. Maeme will be rounding to come wrangle us again if we don’t get in there.”

I nodded, then followed her down a wide hallway with pictures of a boy, growing into a young man, covering the walls. He looked very much like King. How odd. Why did she only have photos of King? Was he related to Sebastian too?

“Are these pictures of King?” I asked.

Capri glanced back at me over her shoulder. “Yes. King is her grandson.”

Confused, I frowned, trying to work that out in my head.

“You thought she was Sebastian’s grandmother,” Capri said. “Yeah, that is confusing at first. But Maeme is a Salazar. King’s father is her only son. But she’s the matriarch around here. You’ll learn that there might not be a blood relation between the Shephards, Jones, Salazars, and Kingstons, but the connection they have is much stronger. It’s a deep bond that goes back decades. The family is just that—family. Much thicker than any blood I’ve ever seen.”

•Thirty-Three •

“That’s because you don’t have a brother.”

Sebastian

When Blaise Hughes’s eyes lifted from something he had been looking at on his desk, there was a chilling threat in his demeanor that I’d never had directed at me. The green of his eyes seemed to have darkened to match that of his mood.

My father hadn’t come. He hadn’t even called to speak to me. This was something he didn’t want to face. Now that I was here in this room, I understood why.

Gage Presley stood to his right while Huck Kingston was on his left. Huck was Storm’s first cousin, but Storm hadn’t been sent here with us. In the back-right corner behind me stood Kye Levine, and in the opposite corner was Trev Hughes, Blaise’s younger brother.

Wilder had been right. Although my cousin Levi was one of Blaise Hughes’s closest friends, he wasn’t here. The slight chance that blood relations might play any role on loyalty had been removed. It also didn’t escape me that although Gage Presley was in attendance, Blaise had felt the need to have three more of his men surrounding us. All because of my brother.

“Out of Stellan’s two sons,” Blaise began, leaning back in his chair, “I have to say, you aren’t the one I thought would ever disobey an order.”

Before Royal, I’d have thought the same.

Gage’s hand moved so quickly that I didn’t even see it until his Glock was pointed at my brother. My heart slammed against my chest as I turned to see what the hell he had done. We’d just gotten here.

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