Page 8 of Priest and his Anarchist

He has told them both that this world will change me. “Royalty that bleed black. You want her to become one of them?”

Dad would say that I was already one. I was a King more than I’d ever be a circus act. Father would argue that it was because I’d never been included in Midnight Mayhem.

Whatever that meant.

I bite the finger of my glove and pull at it until icicles fall over my palm. My cheeks spread wide with a smile. I want Mom to be happy. I want Dad and Father to be happy, but I know their fight won’t stop overnight.

“You okay?” Mom’s voice sounds different. She watches me closely, her features tight but her lilac eyes sharp on mine. This look is familiar. She’s going to say something I may not like. Mother is a machine, one that was built to threaten men just like my uncles, but she didn’t. She softened when she became a mother, but not always.

Only when she is with me.

Her soft hand grazes my cheek as she catches the tear sliding down, leaving a mud trail in its track. “You know I love you dearly.”

My throat tightens. Too tight. I could barely squeeze my next words out, but the smile on my face was back. Wide and smug. Probably because I know Priest will be in trouble for today.

I swoop a handful of snow and lift it to her face. “You know why some people can’t feel the cold?”

Mom’s eyes water. Was she going to cry? I’ve never seen her cry before. She’s the ringleader of Midnight Mayhem. She’s dark and vacant. Whatever has her upset, it has to be bad. Mother is never upset.

“No. Why, Noxy?” Her fake smile almost matches mine. The kind that causes makeup to wrinkle around her cheeks. She doesn’t need makeup. Mom looks more alive without it.

“Because they’re dead inside,” I whisper, searching her eyes, waiting. Waiting for her to say the words I have heard her say before. Because I know what it is that she wants to tell me. I see why neither of my fathers is here. Because to one, this is normal. He went through the same thing as a King, only as a Rebellis, and the other, is Midnight Mayhem. He doesn’t understand. Dad could have come, but he would have had to hold Father back.

Mother is the one who has emotions tough enough to do it.

She reaches out to touch my side plait again, this time without the tears. Lifting my hands with hers, she kisses them gently and closes her eyes.

It’s not until she brings my hands to her chest that they open again. “This trip is different, honey.”

Doesn’t she know I am made with the same tough stuff she is? I can handle it. Whatever it is that will happen after today, I’m prepared. I can take it because I am her daughter. I am Dad’s shithead and Father’s menace. I can do anything because I have the three of them as my parents, who’ve raised me to be just like them.

“I figured.” My voice drops with my hand.

“Of course you did,” Mother whispers, but it’s to herself. “You were always so much smarter than other kids your age.” She turns over her shoulder, where a black SUV idles between snow-frosted trees. It is waiting on something. Or someone.

Most likely me.

“Okay, we don’t have much time, so three things. Are you listening to me?”

When I don’t pull my eyes from the car, her hands land on both cheeks, forcing them back to hers.

“One. You are always safe. This is the other half of your life you’ve presented prominently with. We tried—we tried Mayhem, but it wasn’t you. This is where your future lies.”

She says it like I should be terrified. The EKC aren’t bad. They all have one thing in common that holds them together. Family. Why is this so daunting for her and my fathers? We are all basically family.

“Two, I’m always right here. We all are. Right here waiting for you. If you don’t want this life, Luna, we will make you disappear. They say you can’t run from a King, but you can if you don’t fall in love with one.” The words echo long after she says them. “Dad is always there for you. He can take your calls and see you, but your father and I will not. At least for now.”

Okay, this is worse than I thought.

“And last, Luna, baby, don’t let them take it. You hold on to that right here—” Her finger jerks into my chest. “You hold on to it. You let it sit there and fester, and you do exactly as you’re to do to get through the years.” She takes a deep breath. “Alive.”

Noises of nature start to fade into the distance as acid fills my throat. What does she mean alive? I’ll always be safe here. With them. Right?

“Lilith.”

My mother stands to her full height after a chaste kiss on the head, swiping the tears from her cheeks and brushing off her sadness as if it was never there. When she turns, she exposes the wall of muscle behind her. Uncle Bishop Hayes. He’s the leader of the Elite Kings Club, and pretty soon, because of tradition, my stupid tormentor will take his place.

“We must leave now before others see. She’ll be fine.” Uncle Bishop is so tall that it hurts my neck to look up at him. I’ll be safe with him. He always jokes with me when I am here. He taught me how to play chess, as did Uncle Nate. They said it wasn’t just a game, but a strategy for life if people were smart enough to learn.

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