Page 12 of Not a Gift

Chapter Eight

Here is my Truth

Malichai

“Can I talk to you?”Dante, my father’s second-in-command, asks when he finds me in the kitchen.

“I’m not sure what we could possibly have to talk about,” I reply, taking a sip of the coffee I just prepared.

“We need to talk about your father.And the future of the Black family.”

“That has nothing to do with me.You know I’m not interested in anything to do with the family.”

Dante shakes his head.“You don’t really get a choice.You were born to lead this family.Why do you think I spent all that time training you, showing you the ropes?”

“Because my father told you to?”I say with a roll of my eyes.

“No.”He takes a breath, running his hand through his hair in agitation.“Your mother did.”

“Excuse me?”My voice is filled with anger and disbelief.

“Annabelle was the Black, not Thomas,” he explains.“Your father took her last name and the family mantle.He has taken this family from bad to worse.And it’s time for you to fix it.”

I’m shocked, shaken to my core by the words a man I have known my entire life just shared with me.How much of my own life isn’t what I thought?

“Tell me the truth,” I demand.“Everything.”

“That will take days, weeks.I will, but now...”he says shaking his head.“What I can tell you is that the enemies are at the gates.Your father has pissed off some unbelievably powerful people.People that intend to harm anyone that has ever been part of his life or family to get their revenge.”

My first thought is Lyrik.Panic envelops me.Not for my own safety or my father’s, but for hers.If my father has fucked this up as badly as Dante says, I can guarantee whoever wants to take him out will know about her.

My dragon roars in anger, making my eyes squint.He roams my mind, stomping around angrily.All he wants to do is shift and go to her.

Mate.

I wish he would stop with that fucking nonsense.For years, not a single communication passed between us and now that’s all he will say.He has clearly lost the plot.Fated mates are a thing of fairy tales and rumors.Not real.

“What do you expect of me?”I ask the man before me, choosing to ignore my beast.

“Get rid of him,” Dante says with finality.

“Kill my father?”I ask, shocked.

I know it happens that some sons take over as the head of their families by killing the previous head.But I’m not that man.I may be a killer, but I’m not a damn sociopath.

“Well, that’s one way.But I would suggest trying to talk to him first.”

****

My nerves are shotto shit.I haven’t been able to get ahold of Lyrik since she left.I should have said something, stopped her from leaving.It’s insane for her to go up the mountain alone.And now I have the added stress of the family bullshit, my father pressuring me to take my place at his side, and someone that may or may not want to hurt Lyrik as an extension of our family.

“Severe weather conditions are expected for this weekend,” the balding weatherman on the television rambles.“Be prepared for a lot of snow.”

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