Page 102 of Vengeful Mates

“That’s your criteria?” I barked out a laugh and stole another bite of my vanilla slice.

My old lady got out of her seat to come to me and lick the runaway custard from my lips, cleaning it off her beautiful mouth. Enticed by her kiss, I clasped the back of her neck, showing her my appreciation and adoration in every swipe of my tongue. She hummed as she pulled away and returned to her seat, leaving my lips starving for more.

“Slade Vincent, you get your ass here!” she chastised in a cross, motherly voice.

I rolled my shoulders. Heard that way too many times as a kid. Fighting with my brothers and sisters. Telling my teacher to suck a hairy cock and getting dragged to the headmaster’s office. Getting a bit too rough in a football match with an asshole who kept tripping me.

“See?” She wagged her brows. “No names with too many syllables because then yelling loses its value.Sue-Ellen Jade, you put that book down!”

Hyphenated names were for wankers.

I groaned and swiped my face. “No kid of mine is gonna be called Sue-fucking-Ellen.”

“It’s just for reference.” Aaliyah giggled and ripped off a piece of cooked apple and licked it from her thumb.

My jackal zoned in on the sexy move, but my War god said fuck that. Reference, my ass. Those names were off the table. Two new names came to me, and I voiced them for my son, “Blade Vincent. Dagger Vincent.”

My old lady raised her sticky palms. “Hard nos!”

I crooked my eyebrow back at her. “We’ll put it to a vote.”

“No,” Alaric immediately shot me down.

Castor shook his head and smirked.

“I dig it.” Fuck. Didn’t expect Zethan to back me. Mischief rose on his bond as he tried to get a rise from Aaliyah too.

Fuck. If I missed this part-playful part-serious banter because of Colton, I would haunt the prick after death.

She wagged a finger at him. “I love what you’re up to, and very happy to see you two have made amends.”

Amends. Salvation.

I threw an arm over Zethan’s shoulder and dragged him closer for a kiss to the side of his face.

“You’re backing him, huh?” Aaliyah crunched into her Danish to challenge him.

“Bros gotta stick together.” Zethan weaved his arm over my shoulder, sparking a laugh from my old lady that chased away the cold chill in my chest.

Zethan was loyal to the core. He backed our mate, sometimes over the club, breaking rules and rank to save Mia. It was good to know that he still held an edge of loyalty to our friendship and that our relationship with Aaliyah didn’t come between us.

“Guess we know who’s sleeping on the floor tonight.” Aaliyah shrugged, patting Castor and Alaric’s thighs.

Zethan took a seductive swipe of cream from his eclair and held it up to my lips. “Yeah, you, baby!”

I took a long, slow lick of his finger, and a deep suck just to tease her.

“Traitors.” She tore off and threw a piece of her pastry at him, and he caught it and swallowed it.

“You know, the more I think about it, the more the name Blade grows on me.” Alaric stroked his angular jaw. “The kid’s going to have my sharp looks.”

His tease earned a snort from Aaliyah.

“My sharp wit and intelligence,” Castor added.

Aaliyah bent over the table in hysterics, her shoulders bobbing in time to her laughter, the sight and sound casting light over the perpetual shadow clouding me.

“My killer looks and personality.” I couldn’t help myself.

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