Page 17 of Ruthless Legacy

“And so does LJ, and I can make sure Sasha gets one. The three of you can come visit me, if it will make it less weird for you.”

“Visit you? On dig sites?”

“Yes. Or wherever I’m living. You’ll just have to take one of your sabbaticals with me.”

She backs away when I drop my pads and stalk over to her.

“Wolfe, what are you doing?”

“You’ve just laid out a plan for your future with your best friends and included me in it.”

Her face scrunches up. “Do you not wanna be friends when I leave? I didn’t mean to presume, so if-”

The rest of her words come out as a squeak when I grab her by the back of her thighs and hoist her in the air. Her legs lock around my waist. “No take backs LaReaux.” I back her into the corner of the ring, bracing her against the corner cushions.

“Seven minutes.” I say as I slip my fingers into her workout shorts.

“What?”

“That’s how much time you have to cum on my fingers.”

Chapter10

Pax

My grandfather did another one of his pop ups on campus today. Thankfully, this time we’re eating lunch alone, off campus. Spearing a carrot on his fork, he says, “We didn’t get to talk at dinner.”

“You had a lot of guests. All with interesting topics to discuss.”

“Yes, but I would have liked to hear your thoughts as well. You’re always so busy with school and your initiation, which is why I’m glad you could join me for lunch.”

We eat in silence for a few minutes. Then he says, “Tell me about the girl.”

“Which girl, grandfather?” I keep my expression neutral. Here we go again. Another paternity suit. This time I know there’s no way I’m the father.

“Joshua Laurent’s granddaughter. Tell me about her.”

Thea? Okay, maybe there is a way. A small chance. Miniscule. I study my grandfather’s face. This isn’t about a paternity suit. He’s got his councilman’s face on. “She’s had some trouble adapting to school, but she makes good grades, and I think she’ll be able to handle the physical demands of MISTIC. Plus, from what I’ve seen as far as her interactions with her friends go, she has a strong sense of loyalty. She’ll be a decent guardian when she finishes training.”

He leans back in his chair. “Tell me abouther, not what you think are good qualifications for MISTIC.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

He cracks his cane against my leg. “I want you to say what you’re thinking and stop trying to put a spin on it for me.”

It always takes me a while to settle into a conversation with my grandfather. I’m so used to guarding every thought, emotion, and facial expression from my father. My grandfather elicits the same response, but I also know I can speak more freely around him. He’s asking, so I give him the truth.

“She’s opinionated, defiant, and gets in trouble everywhere she goes. But she’s also intelligent and observant. And I meant what I said. She’s very loyal to the people she cares about.” If going after Eloise because of what happened to her little friend LJ isn’t a sign of loyalty, I don’t know what is.

He chews his food slowly. Then cuts another piece of his steak. “I’ve been hearing that she has a casual relationship with the truth.”

I wanna say yes. I’ve told her the same thing. That I don’t trust anything she says, but saying yes wouldn’t be based on fact. It’s my hunch. My suspicion. “I’ve never known her to not tell the truth.” I quickly add, “She never volunteers information either, which makes it hard to disprove anything she hasn’t said.”

He hums at my answer. I can’t tell if it’s a good hum, or a bad hum. “Do you really believe she’ll make a good guardian?”

Again, I want to say no, but my answer wouldn’t be rooted in facts. “I think so, but I can’t say for certain. What I can say is that she would’ve been a horrible Zeta Nu.”

“And why is that?”

---